Volume XII, Issue 21: December 21, 2012

A Word From Fa!

Fa Sillapajarn, our Exchange Student from Thailand told us that she had dyed her hair over the previous week. "My host father took about 100 pictures!" Some of those photos made their way to Facebook, and thus to the Sunrise Spirit. President George told Fa that the Club's Christmas present is the AHS yearbook.

Announcements
President George reminded us that the New Year will bring the preparations for the Spring Fundraiser. It's an all-hands affair, as always, and it will be held on March 9, 2013. Be sure to mark your calendars!

Terri Clark is a former Governor of District 5130, and during her gubernatorial reign, she and her colleagues devised a "Kahuna" pin, featuring the Rotary emblem. She presented one of the pins to our own Kahuna Kavinta in honor of his service.

Terri then presented our newest Paul Harris Fellow. Ron Sharp received the honor, due in large part due to a gift from his wife, President-Elect Barbara Browning. Congratulations to both Ron and Barbara!

Special Days
Sir Charles Giannini (a.k.a. "Chuck") and his lovely wife Barbara celebrated 41 years of marriage on December 11th - sorta. Chuck said that he attended a Planning Commission meeting that evening, but they were able to have a wonderful anniversary dinner on the 12th.

 Two of our favorite Sunrisers were also married 41 years ago. (To each other!) High school sweethearts Craig and Janice Newman celebrated their anniversary with a trip to Ashland.
December 18, 1971

Your Editor's birthday was December 20th, and he celebrated with a dinner out with his wonderful wife Shelley.

Jessica's Recognitions
Jessica McKnight delivered a few choice recognitions last Friday, and she started by asking Randy Mendosa how he planned to spend the holiday. Randy said that his family would be visiting Ukiah, where they would be sleeping on the basement floor of his brother's home. When Jessica asked about Ukiah, Randy said, "I spent a week there one day!"

Joyce Hinrichs may need to use the Mendosa home for overflow lodging for Christmas. She will be hosting dinner for 40! She said that she spent holiday time in San Francisco the previous week, visiting with her daughters.

A Christmas Treat
One of our Club's traditions is a December visit from the Arcata High School Madrigal Choir, under the direction of Carol Jacobson. The group presented holiday music from around the world. Click on the links below to sample some of their musical cheer!



and from 2011 ...


Happy Holidays, everyone!!!
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Volume XII, Issue 20: December 14, 2012


Announcements
President George, aka Kahuna Kavinta, reminded us last Friday that we are part of an incredible organization - 1.2 million Rotarians working around the world to accomplish Rotary's mission:
"... to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders."

 Fa Sillapajarn, our Club's Exchange Student from Thailand, told us about her week. She went to Bayshore Mall with her host family (the Swensons) to shop for Christmas gifts, then she saw the "Life of Pi" in 3-D. Fa said that she has also been doing some cooking.

 The Kahuna gave a shout-out to the Arcata Tigers Basketball Team, which won its Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2009.

 Romi Hitchcock-Tinseth told us that the AHS College and Career Center's Pancake Breakfast, held in conjunction with the AIBT, was once again a resounding success, with a lot of volunteers working hard all morning to keep up with the demand. The event raised $5,000 for the Center.

 Angelo Baciagaluppi told us that he has changed jobs. He is no longer with Nylex, but is now with Network Management Services, where he is an Systems Engineer. He also said that he is now the proud owner of a Subaru BRZ. He said, "I got the car I wanted."

 For Your Calendar
  • 12/21 - Meeting: The ArMack Madrigal Singers will provide holiday music
  • 12/28 - No meeting this week - go easy on the eggnog
  • 1/4     - Meeting: Our first of 2013, with news about the newest Plocher - Alexander!
  • TBA    - We present Dictionaries to local third graders
  • 1/11   - Meeting: A report on Scott Heller's Honduras Adventure
  • 1/18   - Meeting: Community-Supported Art, with Anne Bown-Crawford, of AAI
  • 1/25   - Rotary Youth Exchange Ski Trip & Outbound Orientation
  • 1/25   - Meeting: Fourth Foundation Friday!
Craft Talk: Tomas Chavez
One of the duties of a new Sunriser is to give a brief presentation introducing himself or herself to the Club, in what we call a "Craft Talk".  Last Friday, it was Tomas Chavez's turn.
Tomas Chavez

Tomas was born August 11, 1982 in Bellflower, California. When he was five, his family moved to Hesperia, in San Bernardino County. Tomas said that he enjoyed a "strong family base" as he grew up. He is very close to his sister, even though she is nine years younger than he is.

When he was 18 years old, Tomas moved to Humboldt in 2000 to attend HSU, figuring that he would get his degree and move back to Southern California. However, the area held its allure for Tomas, and here he stayed after he graduated in 2005.

 During much of that time, Tomas was dating Heidi, who had also attended Hesperia High. Between, 2000 and 2009, Heidi moved to Humboldt County, and the couple began living closer and closer. In 2009, Tomas and Heidi were married. In 2011, their son Cruz was born.

 Tomas worked for two local Best Western motels part time while attending school, then full time following his graduation. He was looking for a change in 2006, so he went to Sequoia Personnel Services to see what might be available. At the end of his meeting, he started to leave, but was called back in. He was offered a position as a Personnel Consultant. He has been very happy there, noting that there is very little turnover, and he has the opportunity to help people every day.

 Romi's Recognitions
Our Recognition Leader last Friday was Romi Hitchcock-Tinseth, who called on Past President Scott Heller. He said that while he was earning his divemaster certification, he incidentally asked Robin Meiggs if she would marry him. Oh, did I mention that the proposal took place underwater? Robin agreed, but she did write on the whiteboard, "Did you get my parents' permission?"

 Brenda Bishop had a recent change of employers. She now serves as the Executive Director of Humboldt Domestic Violence Services. "It's a lot different from the [Arcata] Chamber [of Commerce]," she noted.

 We heard that Rotary Kid Mary Crow has joined a volunteer organization - the Brownies! That's awesome, Mary!!

 Don Rosebrook is very proud of his wife, Jennifer. She was named 2012 California History Teacher of the Year for the outstanding work she does at Arcata High School. Don said that she realizes that this is a Big Deal - "It's not like it's Wyoming!"

 Brandi Easter started a new tradition this Thanksgiving - crabbing! She said that several people went out, with groups segregated by gender. Although one of the women ended up in the water briefly, she climbed back into the boat and refused to return to dry land. That was representative of the spirit that allowed the women to outfish the men.

 Coordinating the Response to Domestic Violence
Our Guest Speaker last Friday was Kim Schneider, the Crisis Director for Humboldt Domestic Violence Services (HDVS). Kim's main topic was the Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team, or DVERT. She noted that, although the program is "not as enhanced as we could be," the group does work well with other agencies, including the District Attorney's office. The program provides a coordinated response to violent acts, but it also serves as a gateway to the victims' compensation fund.
Kim Schneider

 Kim said that HDVS is very successful in providing services to survivors of domestic violence, and she added that the process (for survivors) is grueling. The organization was founded in 1997, and serves as one of the first responders to domestic violence situations. The agency may receive a call on its crisis line from a survivor, or it may be contacted by law enforcement. Frequently, Kim will ride along with Eureka Police officers, and she provides assistance in crisis situations (not all of which involve domestic violence).

 The group's goal is to provide an immediate response to survivors, which in turn increases the likelihood of that survivor fully participating in the program. HDVS provides counseling, assistance in obtaining restraining orders, safety planning, and financial assistance. Kim emphasized that domestic violence is not limited to man on woman, nor is it limited to heterosexual relationships. 

For more information, visit Humboldt Domestic Violence Services online. Their Crisis Line is 707-443-6042 or toll-free 866-668-6543.
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Volume XII, Issue 19: December 7, 2012

Announcements

Past President Scott Heller has returned from his long stint in Honduras. Scott may be "past" as our President, but he is current as a Dive Master, Rescue Diver, and a  bunch of other titles. He said, "I worked every day" to earn his new status. He did acknowledge that his instructor gave the group an occasional day off, but most days included at least three dives, and lasted from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm.  This left no time for Rotary makeups, but it did help him lose 20 pounds. Great to have you back, Scott!

 Our Exchange Student from Thailand, Fa Sillapajarn, celebrated Thanksgiving with Janice and Craig Newman. In addition to the usual feast, they also baked lots of cookies. Fa also took time over the break from school to take in the local fall colors and do some holiday decorating. She also moved in with her second host family - the Swensons. This is the family of our Outbound Exchange Student to Italy, Colin Swenson. Fa said that her new host sister is helping her with her pronunciation of American English.

 President George provided some well-chosen words to express our sadness at the recent passing of Kevin Ebbert and three members of the Kuljian family.

 Kevin, who served as a Navy Seal, was killed in action on November 24th in Afghanistan. Both his mother Charlie Jordan, and his mother-in-law Susan Jansson are Sunrisers. Our deepest condolences go out to them and their families.

 Although there was no direct connection between our Club and the Kuljians, the family was well-known in the community. Howard Kuljian was an ecologist for Six Rivers National Forest, his wife Mary Scott was a survivor of breast cancer who worked with the Humboldt Community Breast Health Project, and their son Geddie was a junior at Arcata High School.

President George expressed his thanks to Taste of the Holidays Chair Ron Sharp. Ron, in turn, thanked his committee and everyone who volunteered. The final numbers aren't in yet, but the Sunrise Spirit will keep you posted. And ... if you haven't turned in your ticket money yet, please do so as soon as possible.

 George also expressed his gratitude to the Fellowship Committee for putting together our recent Fifth Fellowship "Friday" - an evening of basketball and food at Humboldt State. Kahuna Kavinta singled out Bob Johnson, Rina Brodhag, and (of course) the host - Dan Collen. 
Logan White, Exchanger-To-Be

 And the accolades continued as George thanked everyone who helped with the Foster Youth Dinner the previous evening. Sunrisers served about 350 guests a holiday dinner consisting of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, mac & cheese, salad, and rolls. We also provided gift cards for 30 young adults (and we passed the hat on Friday).

 Finally, thanks also to those Sunrisers who helped out at the Jerry Paul Classic Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament (AIBT). Although there were still two nights left in the tourney as we met, we have since heard that Arcata High took the crown.


We had special guests last Friday - Logan White and his parents. Logan is our newly-selected Outbound Exchange Student for next year, and I'm sure we will hear more from him in the weeks to come.

 

 

Special Days


Dawn Elsbree and her husband Andy recently celebrated their 23rd anniversary. The couple had a lovely dinner at Abruzzi's.

 Dick and Shelley Johnson's anniversary was a few days before, but the celebration was put on hold when Dick was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital for abdominal surgery. No candlelight dinner when you're on a clear liquid diet.

 Rob McBeth's birthday was November 14th, but who knows what he did? "We went to dinner somewhere," he said. I'm sure he had a great time, though. (If he didn't, please don't tell him.)

 Four days later, it was Mark Bruce's birthday. He told us that he received a Franklin Delano Roosevelt action figure. Every home should have one!

As part of his birthday celebration, Don Rosebrook was on hand to see Stanford football team upset the number one Oregon Ducks in Eugene. The family also went to the museum (OMSI?). A few days later (on his actual birthday), Don had dinner with family and friends.

 Mark and Cammy Burtchett share the same birthday (November 30th), which must make it easy to remember. They celebrated with a skiing trip to Bend, Oregon.

 On December 5th, Jessica McKnight hit a milestone birthday - Number Forty! Her celebration included a continuing education class (Whoo-hoo!), but her co-workers did take her out the previous night. And ... she had a party planned for Saturday night at her Rio Dell home.

Expanding the Humboldt Live Program

Our Guest Speaker last week was Jim Ritter, of the Humboldt Live! program. Jim last visited in early June, telling us that the program planned to expand beyond Jacoby Creek School and Sunny Brae Middle School, and so it has. Humboldt Live! is now in place at Pacific Union, and will soon be "Live!" in Fortuna. 

 The program helps middle school and high school students with the process of planning for their futures, and more importantly, it allows them to see how their academic goals can align with their career goals. Several Sunrisers have assisted in the program, discussing their jobs or providing job shadow opportunities for students. 

 Jim mentioned several ways that individuals can help:
  • Host 1-3 Arcata High School/Six Rivers High School students for a 3-hour Job Shadow on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, 9 am to noon.
  • Host 1-3 Jacoby Creek School 7th grade students at a shorter Job Shadow on Monday, April 22, 2013, 12:45 pm to 2:30 pm.
  • Host a 40-minute junior high school class tour to share ideas and information about how and why your business is successful.
  • Serve as a guest on a leadership or career exploration panel along with other professionals.
  • Write a "Letter to Our Youth", sharing your insights and life lessons with students.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Jim at humboldtclublive@gmail.com, or call 707-839-5114.



Jim Ritter of Humboldt Live! with the Kahuna
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