Noëmi's Moment
President Scott found an advertisement for Nestea, with the tag line, "Tasty and foreign, like we bottled an Exchange Student". Well, I don't know about that, but Exchange Student Noëmi Schönenberger is delightful! She told us that she recently took to the slopes at Mt. Shasta with her fellow Exchangers, and they had "so much fun!" In addition to snowboarding and skiing, they made gifts for May's District Conference.
Noëmi was also excited that the Prom would be taking place the next evening. And of course, the next day would be Super Bowl Sunday. (She wisely kept her silence when asked which team she would be rooting for.)
Rotarian of the Month for January
President Scott reminded us that, in addition to his duties as Club Treasurer, Bryan Reeser is very involved in other aspects of the work we do. Scott pointed to Bryan's work to organize and sustain our participation in the Backpacks for Kids program. Kudos to Bryan!
On the Calendar ...
February 17th Arcata Sunrise Rotary Celebrates 20 years of Service Above Self
March 4th The Arcata Rotary Spring Wine Festival - The Noon Club's Major Fundraiser
March 10th The Circus!! Our Major Fundraiser, and ...
We still need to get out there and bring in attendees. Remember, a table of 8 goes for $500, but individuals can also attend for $75 per person. Ceva Courtemanche said that we have a lot of fresh new items for the Live Auction, but we still need about 10 more big ticket draws. Susan Jansson said that we also need a lot of items for the Silent Auction (valued between $125 and $400) and for the raffle ($75 to $125). Items can be taken to HealthSport Arcata.
Bootscootin' Craft Talk
"The last time I did something like this," said Ron Sharp, "I was a Cub Scout." I wonder how much it was "like this". After all, Ron's Craft Talk involved a multimedia presentation and dancing.
A Craft Talk is an opportunity for the Club to learn more about a new Sunriser. Ron obliged, saying that he was born on New Year's Eve in 1950. His birth was planned and scheduled - the advantages of being the first baby of 1951 were outweighed by the benefits of being the last tax deduction of 1950.
Ron's father was raised on a farm in Arkansas, and his mother was an artistic soul. Ron has a daughter, Chelsea, who was born in 1982. When she was 17, Chelsea announced that she planned to get married. She and her husband Matt live in McKinleyville with their three children.
Ron joined the North Coast Coop in 1979 as the organization's Produce Manager. He enjoyed that role, as it involved working with local farmers. About 12 years ago, Ron became the Coop's Merchandising Manager. He enjoys that position as well, as it allows him to express his own artistic side. In 2007, the Coop won an award from its national coop association, for Excellence in Merchandising.
Ron likes writing, drawing, and photography, and he loves the outdoors. He also plays bass for Cadillac Ranch, recently described in the North Coast Journal as " a 5-piece country rock band with a groove".
In 1999, Ron married Sunriser Barbara Browning. "I have to say," he told us, "I could not have asked for a better partner in life."
Ron
said that a trip to Mexico, where both he and Barbara volunteered with Project Amigo, was his
"entry point" to Rotary. He saw firsthand the good that Rotary can do
around the world.
Ron said that he thinks he must have country roots. To explore that, he and Barbara have taken up "bootscootin'". Unfortunately, Your Editor did not come prepared for this - would that I had had my video camera - they were awesome! You will have to content yourself with these two stills.
Bob Johnson's Recognitions
Howard Stauffer's wife Rebecca attended last week's meeting, so Bob had a chance to check in with both of them about their recent anniversary. Rebecca retired not long ago, so they have begun planning a trip to take together. (More on one of Howard's solo excursions below.)
The cusp of February is auspicious for Rina Brodhag and her husband Steve. Her birthday falls on January 30th, their anniversary is the 31st, and Steve's birthday is February 1st. (At least that's how it worked out this year - but it is a Leap Year, after all.) Apparently they went to dinner, went to lunch, went to dinner again, and they planned to go to dinner yet again last Friday. "It's a 10-pound month," Rina said.
Andrew Cavinta was in the treehouse, and in the paper. Father (and Sunriser) George said, "He's a ham." The structure was newsworthy because county officials had deemed that the treehouse was too close to a stream (85 feet rather than 100). Andrew was a visitor, not the owner.
Howard Visits the World ... Again!
Once again, our featured speaker was a member of our Club. Howard Stauffer has served for many years as the Chair of the International Service Committee, and he has traveled widely. Last October, he went on a "Bicycle Adventure Trip in Sri Lanka, Featuring a Visit to Mongkol Borei School in Cambodia".
Although his visit to Mongkol Borei School took place early in his trip, Howard first focused on his bicycle tour of Sri Lanka. Howard was one of an international party of 12, all of whom were transported by van to Sigiriya, which is northeast of Colombo. There they toured the local ruins before setting off. Their route took them along the southern coast of the island nation. Howard said that the country is still recovering psychologically from
its decades-long civil war.
Howard was also able to visit Hong Kong and Singapore on
his trip, but the highlight was revisiting Mongkol Borei School in Siem
Reap, Cambodia.
The Rotary School of Mongkol Borei was founded in 2004 by Hans Eide, a member of the Rotary Club of Foster City, California. Our Club has helped fund the school for quite some time, and we are continuing our commitment to the school and its children.
About 300 children attend the school, which consists of 12 classrooms - two for each grade level. The school was built in a rice field, which had been filled with gravel.
For more on Howard's entire trip, including a bunch of great photos, click here:
