At last Friday's meeting, Rotary Exchange Student Alex Rialet warmed up for his big presentation (see below) by telling us about his weekend trip to San Francisco. Alex and the other Exchangers from District 5130 traveled to San Francisco to see the sights and have some fun together. The group (pictured below) walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, becam fans of the Oakland Raiders, and had a great time.
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| Rotary Exchange Students from District 5130 |
Announcements
President Jessica said that the Club's Fellowship Tailgate Party at the HSU Jacks game on October 5th was a great success. The weather cooperated, and the food was delicious.
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| Thank you, Vivian, Lexi, and Ember! |
Pastels on the Plaza was also on October 5th, and we were represented. Our "double-wide" panel was created by three artists from the Arcata Arts Institute - Vivian Harp, Lexi Jacomela, and Ember Cedargreen.
As of last Friday, our Club's third "Serving With Our Talents" (SWOT) Operation was well underway. There were a lot of Sunrisers to thank, with more to come, but President Jessica noted that Bob and Susan Johnson achieved a coup of sorts. The couple owns Shady Lady, a window covering establishment in Henderson Center, and they wangled an unprecedented contribution from Hunter-Douglas to provide window treatments for the entire building!
Ashliegh Diehl of the Lost Coast Rotaract Club told us last Friday that both times for their Spirits and Spirits event are nearly sold out. The fundraiser, which is billed as a "Walking Ghost Tour of Old Town Eureka", is in its third year. But you'd better hurry if you don't want to miss the spooks!
Tickets for A Taste of the Holidays (aka TOTH) are in the hands of Arcata Sunrise Rotarians. If you need more, contact Angelo Baciagaluppi. If you are not a Sunriser, and you need a ticket, please contact Your Editor at once!
Rebecca Crow reminded us that our annual Cross Country Championships will take place on Thursday, October 24th at 2:45 pm. You can sign up online by clicking here. We sponsor the event, which is part of the Humboldt Redwoods Running Program's Youth Cross Country Program, for kids from kindergarten through eighth grade.
District 5130's Foundation Dinners are coming soon. The first will take place on Saturday, November 2nd, at Sally Tomatoes in Rohnert Park, and the second will be a week later at the River Lodge in Fortuna. Although the event is labeled "South" and "North", you are encouraged to attend either one. Or both! Visit the District 5130 website to sign up.
President Jessica reminded us that the agendas and minutes from the meetings of our Boards of Directors (both Club and Foundation) are available in the Members Section of our Club Website. Just head for the bottom of the page and click on the link inside the rising sun. (Please note, you will need the password.)
Jessica also announced that we are seeking nominations for two positions on the Board, as well as our Club President for 2015-2016. (I think I got the years right.) She also announced the sad news that Jeff Munther has resigned from our Club, citing recent changes in his life, including his two babies. We wish him well, and respect his decision. His resignation does mean that there is an immediate opening on the Board, and if you are interested in filling that slot (which runs through the end of the current Rotary year), please contact Jessica or another member of the Board.
Recognitions
Tomas Chavez was once again driving the Recognitions Bus last week, and he asked Terri Clark about the Rotary Zone Institute meeting that she recently attended. She said that Zone 25/26 is comprised of 23 Districts in the western parts of the United States and Canada. The get-together was three days long, and included a reunion of the Rotarians who served as District Governors the same year that Terri was our DG. "There were 24 of us originally, back in 2001," Terri said, "but some of them have gone to that Rotary Club in the sky." Tomas also asked Terri about her little friend Cole, whom she said was "one of the sweetest children not in this room". Cole's mom Kelly, is the niece of one of Terri's friends.
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| Depth? 104 feet ... Temperature? 84 degrees! |
Alex Tells Us About France
Our Featured Speaker last Friday was Exchange Student Alex Rialet. He told us about his home country, noting that it is a relatively small country, with a population of about 66 million people. About 4 million of those inhabitants live in Paris, the nation's capital. The area of the country is nearly 641,000 square kilometers (~213,000 square miles). It is bordered by six countries - Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium.
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| Alex and President Jessica |
Alex's family consists of his mother and father, along with a sister and a brother. Each winter since he was four years old, his family has taken skiing trips in the mountains. During the summers, Alex enjoys surfing and swimming, and another hobby is kung fu.
His home city is Toulouse, also known as the Pink City. It is in the Department of Haute-Garronne, in southern France. The population is about 400,000 people. Alex was born in the summer tourist season, the population grows from 20,000 to nearly 200,000.
Alex listed several reasons to visit France:
- Good wines
- Paris and the Tour Eiffel
- 365 Cheeses and Good Restaurants
- The Moulin Rouge "With Pretty Women"
Photo courtesy of Angelo Baciagaluppi
