Volume XII, Issue 2: July 19, 2013

"Putting the FUN in Rotary"

The Fa Report

The Camera-Shy Exchangers

Fa has returned from the Rotary Exchange Tour known as the Western States Safari. The first stop on the adventure was Santa Rosa, where she stayed the night with a fellow Exchanger. The next day, the group went to San Francisco, where Fa did some shopping. From the Bay Area, they traveled to Southern California. They went to Universal Studios, which Fa said, "was almost my favorite". The Exchangers then overnighted in Los Angeles before going to Disneyland. Fa has been there before, but she had a great time. She said the fireworks were cool. After seeing the sights in San Diego, it was off to the Grand Canyon. They walked about 18 miles to the bottom, and "it was so hot". But that was nothing compared to walking up - "Oh, my gosh!"
The trip was all "so cool". Fa said that she took almost 3,000 pictures on the trip!

Announcements
Several Sunrisers and North Bay Rotaractors converged on Samoa Boulevard last week to perform our first Adopt-A-Highway of President Jessica's year. Among the treasures they uncovered were a couple of animal carcasses and some lace undies. (These were not found together, mind you.)

You should have already received the invoice for your annual dues. As always, you have the option of paying the entire amount, or paying half now and the balance in December (or before). Please be sure to get your payment in quickly, however, to save Treasurer Bryan Reeser a lot of hassle. (You will also dodge a visit from Rocco, who isn't a Rotarian, and who does not believe in the Four-Way Test.)

Recognitions
Tomas Chavez, who chairs the Recognitions Committee, said that his crew is starting the year with the "low-lying fruit". I don't know whether Angelo Baciagaluppi was offended by that characterization, but he led off by telling us about the recently-completed renovation to his home in Trinidad. He was happy to complete the work when he did, because his family will host our Exchange Student from Italy starting next month.

Tomas then asked new first-time dad Kyle Visser to come up and "do a little bragging" about his family and his business. The past few months have been a busy time for Kyle. He moved his company ShredTec to a new building in Eureka, he graduated from Humboldt State University, he bought a new home in McKinleyville, and he and his wife Natalie welcomed their first child Damon. At the ribbon cutting ceremony for ShredTec's new location in April, the company also received an award for being the first Certified Green Business in Eureka.

Dawn Elsbree was recognized for two recent trips she made to celebrate her 50th birthday. First, she went on a dive trip with all her kids and her husband in the Cayman Islands. More recently, she went backpacking in Banff and Jasper National Parks - 60 miles in 6 days!

Bryan and Susan Reeser celebrated their recent anniversary with a trip to Trinity Lake with Donny and Jennifer Rosebrook and their families. Bryan lamented that "we don't get a lot of romance" in such a family setting. On their anniversary, the couple got up for a 5-mile run. "It was just the two of us," he said, "and it's something we like to do."

Amy said that she and her husband Steve have just returned from an "Airstream Adventure" as far as Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas. After completing a big remodel in Trinidad, they were ready for a vacation. Amy said that she and Steve are "big fans of whiskey", so one of the highlights was sippin' their way along Kentucky's Bourbon Trail. She brought back a bottle for President Jessica, in "the perfect size to put in her coffee this morning".

Romi Hitchcock Tinseth reminded Tomas that her birthday was July 16th. She celebrated with Fa, but her main reason for mentioning it was to remind us that she and her husband Glenn have a gala 25th anniversary party planned for July 27th. She said that if you are in the vicinity (near Wildberries), you will probably be aware of the party, if you are not drawn in gravitationally. We are all invited, and you are encouraged to wear a wedding dress, bridesmaid's dress, tuxedo, or whatever suits you. The festivities begin at 6 pm this Saturday.

Laughing Yoga: Rotary Goes to Kindergarten
We closed our meeting with a game called "People to People", followed by a short session of Laughing Yoga. 

People to People involves pairing up with another participant and following the leader's instructions for "pressing the flesh". For example, if the leader says, "Toe to toe.", you and your partner position your toes against each other. Fortunately, we weren't instructed to do anything too awkward or suggestive.

Then Barbara Browning led us in a few exercises from the yoga technique developed by Madan Kataria, a physician from India. We practiced The Sprinkler, and Cell Phone Laughing. There were others, but Your Editor was working hard to release his endorphins, and could not be reached for comment.

Volume XII, Issue 1: July 12, 2013

The "Woo-Hoo" Review!
Last Friday was Jessica McKnight's first as Club President, and she started her year off in fine fashion. She took the opportunity to remind us that, as Rotarians, we are part of a very large organization. Rotary transcends politics and religious affiliations - our motto and goal is "Service Above Self". She also noted that Rotary is a worldwide network with 1.2 million members. Almost everywhere you go, you can find an opportunity to meet with local business leaders, because "the Pin gets you in". 

Courtesy of Karen Burgesser

Jessica also told us that, while the number of Rotarians has remained stable over the past several years, that is due to emerging clubs outside North America. Here, growth slowed, and the numbers are now beginning to decline. How can this be, when we know how great it is to be a Rotarian (especially a Sunriser)? Maybe we just don't talk up Rotary to the degree that we should. 

President Jessica would like us to help spread the word. This year's RI President Ron Burton has challenged all of us to "Engage Rotary, Change Lives". Jessica said that when we do engage in Rotary, we do change lives. We engage in Rotary by working on our various projects, by participating in fundraisers that allow us to fund so many wonderful, exciting programs, and by regularly attending our weekly meetings to learn more about our community, our world, and our friends. Other lives will be changed, of course, but so will yours.

We should also engage others in Rotary. Spread the word. Talk with your friends and acquaintances about all of the exciting things that our Club accomplishes. Look at those friends and acquaintances and show them our website or the Sunrise Spirit, invite them to a meeting, and maybe even ask them to join our Club.

For more from President Ron Burton, click on the "Engage Rotary" banner in the sidebar to the right. 

Announcements
There has been a change in personnel for 2013-2014. Our Inbound Exchange Student from France will now be Alexandre Rialet Micoulau. Watch this space for more details about Alexandre.

Our current Inbounder, Fa Sillapajarn, turned 17 since last week's meeting. She will be leaving for the long trip back to her other home (in Thailand) on July 28th.

The Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka (which is headed this year by the Most Patient Man In The Universe, aka Marty Lay) has invited all Sunrisers to attend its Rafting Trip Fellowship Event. The trip will begin at 10 am on Saturday, July 27 at Big Rock on the Trinity River.

Helaine Campbell is this year's District Governor, and she will make her official visit to our Club on August 22nd and 23rd. Per our usual practice, she will meet Thursday afternoon with our Club's officers, directors, and committee chairs, followed by dinner. All Sunrisers are encouraged to attend. The following morning, she will be our featured presenter.

What To Expect In The Days of McKnight
President Jessica took some time last week to let us know her vision of the coming year. Here are some highlights:

• Meetings will begin at 7 am. There will be rewards - positive reinforcement techniques will apply.
• We will hear the news from our Board of Directors and Committees each month at the Club meeting that follows the BOD meetings. In addition, agendas and minutes will be available to all Sunrisers.
• Our Community Service Committee will be providing several opportunities for hands-on projects, including the Every 15 Minutes program at Arcata High School, an unspecified  project on the Mad River, and the upgrade/restoration of Rotary Park on South G Street.
• Jessica is very excited about the return of the Vocational Service Award this year.
• She promises new, fresh, and interesting programs this year.
• The Club Website is being upgraded again, with the addition of a Members-Only section.
• We are all encouraged to come up with potential themes for this year's Spring Fundraiser. 
• The North Bay Rotaract Club is working to reestablish its charter. We may have a dual Charter Night in early 2014!
• Although last year's Fifth Friday Fellowship will not be renewed this year, we should have at least four fellowship events during the year. 
• The Recognitions Committee has a brand new chairperson, and the team is already bubbling with new ideas.

Meet The Recognitions Committee
Tomas Chavez is the new chair of the Recognitions Committee. He told us that he wants us all to "tell us what's going on". The group intends to check in with each of us over the course of the year, so we can all learn more about each other. With that in mind, here are the contact information and a tidbit about each member of the committee:

• Tomas Chavez - 599-0492 cell or 445-9641 work - tomaschavez@gmail.com. Tomas has been a personnel consultant at Sequoia Personnel Services since 2006. He was recently asked to speak at a meeting of the Humboldt County Legal Specialists.
• Karen Burgesser - 845-4376 cell or 822-8729 home - b1family@suddenlink.net. Karen retired in 2012, and she has a trip planned to Kashmir. She said that she enjoys visiting her grandson in Portland, and she recently attended a concert held at the Humboldt Botanical Gardens near the College of the Redwoods.
• Bryan Plumley - 616-7873 business - Bryan.plumley@gmail.com. Bryan is a financial planner with Edward Jones in Arcata. His young son is a golfing whiz who placed 10th overall in the recent California State Championships.
• Angelo Baciagaluppi - 268-8850 business or 599-1509 cell - Angelo@nms1.net. Angelo is a Network Engineer with NMS. He said that he loves to spend time with his wife Michelle and his children - 8-year-old Diego and Emma, who is six.
• Kyle Visser - 822-4022 business and 599-7975 cell - kyle@shredtec.com. Kyle owns ShredTec, a confidential document shredding firm. Kyle hasn't had many free minutes of late - he recently graduated from HSU, and his new baby takes a lot of his attention.
• Dewey Kiefer - 498-0994 cell - dewey@mckennydib.com. Dewey hasn't had much extra time either. He is the Arcata Branch Manager for McKenny's Building Center. He said that he has been working nonstop for the past two months, getting the new store ready for its grand opening (this Friday at 4 pm).
• Ceva Courtemanche - 822-2965 business or 616-2223 cell - ceva0232@yahoo.com. Ceva manages Hensel's ACE Hardware. She reported that she recently had a baby, that her husband had been working down in Covelo, and that she and Hensel's recently won an award for excellence in hardware retailing from the National Hardware Association. That last item entailed a trip to the association's convention in Las Vegas, where Ceva was able to network with other owners who pooled ideas and tips.

Recognitions
After the members of his committee introduced themselves, Tomas returned to the front of the room to get down to business. He started by recognizing Bob Moore, whose recent birthday left him looking at the Big Five-Oh! Bob said that all the standard events applied - dinner with family, celebrations galore, etc. He also went on a bike ride of unspecified duration.

Alex and Orrin (Photo by Randy Mendosa)

July 6th was Dave and Shawna Neyra's anniversary. They managed to "get away" for dinner. The next day, Bob and Roxanne Moore celebrated their anniversary; their dinner was at the Moonstone Grill. And a few days later, it was Barbara Browning's and Ron Sharp's turn to do the anniversary thang. They had a "lovely stay-at-home vacation", although they did travel to Ashland the previous weekend.

Orrin Plocher was feeling a bit left out, so he piped up to say that he had celebrated his birthday on the day before our meeting (July 11th) and his son Alex's birthday was scheduled for the day after the meeting (July 13th). We sang a rousing "Happy Birthday" to Alex (but Orrin was included in spirit).

Tomas (Photo by Angelo Baciagaluppi)

Julie Vaissade-Elcock's husband Stan was in Yreka last Friday, and it was their anniversary. Stan promised that he would stay home the following day, to attend to anniversary-related activities.

Before Tomas was allowed to sit down, President Jessica relieved his of his Red Badge and replaced it with the Coveted Blue Badge. Congratulations, Tomas!





Rotary Foundation Time
President Jessica then said that she volunteered in the Peace Corps from 1996 to 1997, and she worked in Niger, in west Africa. During her time there, she saw firsthand the negative impact of polio. Five years later, she became a Rotarian, and in the years since 2002, Niger left the list of nations that are polio-endemic. That list is now down to just three countries - Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation are working hard to add those countries to the list and eradicate polio. 

That is a major goal of the Rotary Foundation, but it has many other facets. As the financial arm of Rotary International, it provides funding for many of the outstanding programs and services we provide. The Rotary Foundation is dependent on your support. The motto "Every Rotarian, Every Year" challenges us to contribute at least $100 per year. Those who have donated a total of $1,000 (or have had donations credited to them) are honored as "Paul Harris Fellows".

We welcomed three additional Paul Harris Fellows at last week's meeting. Foundation Chair Terri Clark asked the "First Gentleman" of our Club - President Jessica's husband James Hitchcock - to accept the honor, courtesy of Jessica. Rina Brodhag was already a PHF before she became a Rotarian, through her husband Steve's membership in the Southwest Eureka Rotary Club. Now, she's achieved the honor a second time, this one as a Sunriser. Finally, our Club honored our Outbound Exchange Student Logan White with a Paul Harris Fellowship, in recognition of his ambassadorial abilities and overall good-guyness.




 Engage Rotary
President Jessica closed her first meeting by reminding us to make time for Rotary. Attendance is important. "Believe, show up, and engage!" she said. She said that she will do her part by making the meetings fun, but we have to do our parts as well. Remember, if you do have to miss a meeting, be sure to do a make up in one of the following ways ;

• Visit another club's meeting. A traditional make-up is always interesting. You'll meet new people and learn how other clubs operate.
• Make up online at a Rotary E-Club site. Click Here to check out the original - E-Club One
• Attend an event sponsored by our Club or another Rotary Club.
• Attend a meeting of our Board of Directors.
• Participate in one of our Club's Committee Meetings. (But note - the Committee has to meet face-to-face - e-mail meetings don't count. 

You can count make-ups completed up to two weeks before your absence, or up to two weeks after. Please be sure to let Club Secretary Lori Breyer know that you made up. (There's a sign-in sheet at the Welcome Table at each of our Club Meetings, or you can send an e-mail.)

President Jessica assured us that "You're going to help me make this an amazing year!"

Volume XII, Issue 43: June 28, 2013

THE DEBUNKING OF KAHUNA KAVINTA!

Last week, we paid our last respects to George Cavinta's reign as our Club President, although the word "respects" may be a slight overstatement. 

The entire debunking ceremony was captured on video, 

presented in six segments below.

In Part One, Former Club President Bob Johnson explains the Rotary Debunking Tradition:

Part Two provides an overview of the Year of the Kahuna, courtesy of Past President Scott Heller:

 

Our third segment contains testimonials from Former Club President Janice Newman, Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey, and former Sheriff Gary Phelps. Oh, and "Who loves you, baby?"

In Part Four, George hears a few quick words from our Exchange Student from Thailand, Fa Sillapajarn:

In Part Five, Kahuna Kavinta is serenaded by Dick Johnson and Brody Johnson. Feel free to sing along:

In our final installment, the governance of the Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise is passed from President George to President Jessica McKnight in an orderly and borderline-dignified manner:

 

We bid Kahuna Kavinta a heartfelt 

"MAHALO"

for a truly great year.

And let me hear you shout  

"WOO-HOO!"