GOOD MORNING, FA!Fa Sillapajarn, our Rotary Exchange Student from Thailand, has attended her first American wedding, and she also helped the Rebels softball team celebrate the end of its season. I am missing details about the wedding, but Your Editor was there for the softball celebration, which took place at Lori and Dave Breyers' home. Fa took up a mallet for her first-ever croquet game, and she did quite well - she didn't win, but she fared better than certain newsletter editors you may know.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Erin Dunn of the
Fortuna Sunrise Rotary reminded us that the Foundation Dinner North is
only a few weeks away - October 13th, to be precise. You can register
for the dinner, which will take place at the River Lodge, online by
clicking on this link:
Cam Appleton said that the deadline to confirm that our Club would like to host an Exchange Student for the 2013-14 Rotary/School Year has been extended to October 15th. He said that we just need a commitment from one more host family to make the student's stay a success. If you are willing to host or if you know someone who would,please contact Cam as soon as you can.
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SPECIAL DAYS
Although Kahuna Kavinta's intent was to talk with Dan Collen about his "recent" anniversary, he started by asking for news about the Humboldt State football program, since Dan is HSU's Athletic Director. Dan told us that the team is 3-0, off to its best start in years. He also said that the team is ranked 10th in nation for its category. When the subject returned to the anniversary, Dan said that he and his wife Sarah had a nice time celebrating with a dinner in Healdsburg.
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| Jacqueline Debets & Luc |
Randy Mendosa noted that he seems to say the same thing about his anniversary every year. He and Lisa have an anniversary tradition; they have dinner at their favorite restaurant - Larrupin's. This time, they celebrated 23 years together!
Matt and Liz Babich spent their anniversary weekend in mud baths and mineral water in Calistoga. They enjoyed lots of wine and pedicures.
Jacqueline Debets and her husband Rick Bend were in Monterey for a conference, so they celebrated their anniversary there.
Amy and Steve Bohner recently acquired a new Harley, so they decided to be spontaneous, and they took a ride up the coast. They found it to be a tad cold, but they persevered and made it to Ashland to commemorate their 8th anniversary.
Joyce Hinrichs and Steve Watson went the other direction for their recent anniversary. They were in San Francisco, where they ran, walked, and visited with friends.
Bob and Susan Johnson marked 32 years of marriage by working. Okay, they celebrated that evening. Later, Susan called Bob "the most capable man I have ever met". Bob's response was, "I am ... the luckiest guy ever ..."
WELCOMING DISTRICT GOVERNOR MICHAEL JURIC
Michael Juric of the Rotary Club of Windsor is serving as our District Governor for 2012-13. Michael has been a Rotarian for over 15 years, and he has previously held leadership roles at both the Club and District levels. He was the Windsor Rotary's President twice, and he has chaired the District's Group Study Exchange Commitee, and he was Assistant Governor in 2009-2010.
Michael has over 37 years of experience in education, as both a classroom teacher and as an administrator. He holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and multiple teaching credentials. He has lived in Sonoma County for over thirty years, and he has four children.
Michael reminded us that RI President Sakuji Tanaka adopted the motto "Peace Through Service". He said that we will be celebrating peace this year in at least two ways. First, he said that the day after his visit, the Rotary Club of Ukiah would help observe the International Day of Peace by dedicating a Peace Pole in Hopland. The pole helps to represent the 34,000 Rotary Clubs working to create a more peaceful world. The second opportunity to celebrate peace will take place at the District Convention, which will feature a Day of Peace.
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| DG Michael Juric |
"What does a District Governor do?" asked Michael. Fortunately for us, he already had the answer. District Governors prepare for their year by planning and working with District leaders. Once the year starts, they touch bases with each of the Clubs in the District. They find out what Clubs are doing well, and they share in the celebration of those accomplishments. They take ideas from Club to Club, and they encourage a line of communication between the Clubs and the District. Michael singled out Past District Governor Terri Clark for her ongoing service to the Club and to the District.
"You guys are a conscious Club," he said. He explained that he meant that we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses, and that we have a healthy board of directors. He noted that the District is working to create its own board of directors, to provide continuity in leadership.
Michael noted that the Arcata Sunrise Rotary is a leader in the District with our commitment to the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Our members provide leadership in other programs at the District level as well.
He noted that successful Rotary Clubs have some things in common. They build relationships, they help their members develop a sense of purpose as it relates to Rotary, they help their member understand what it means to be a Rotarian, they plan for continuity of leadership, and they deal with the inevitable change and conflict that is part of every organization.
Michael asked us, "What role will you play?" It's an important question. Most Rotarians find that the more they learn about Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation, the more involved they want to be. That commitment becomes stronger as we see the opportunities to make an outsized impact in their own communities.
Michael ended his presentation with this quote from Mother Teresa:
"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things."
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| DG Michael Juric with Kahuna Kavinta |
