Volume XII, Issue 33: March 21, 2014

A Few Words From Alex
President Jessica is never lacking for a photo (or photos) to put up when she invites Exchange Student Alex Rialet to talk to us. Below is the presentation slide she prepared for last Friday's meeting. (Ya gotta love Facebook!)

He and his host dad, Craig Reed, weathered a power outage the previous week, but service was restored before the weekend. That Saturday, he attended a basketball game, and he and Craig spent the next day with Craig's girlfriend in McKinleyville. There was no school on Monday (which happened to be St. Patrick's Day), but he did have a baseball game that day. He played again on Saturday. (We'll probably hear about that game at our next meeting.)

Alex also wrote a story for the AHS Pepperbox (the school newspaper) entitled "Rotary: An Entire Life In A Year". At least for now, if you click on the title, you will be able to read the article, which can be found on Page 8.

For Your Calendar

• April 3 and 4  Please set aside time for the very important service project that will take place on these two days (Thursday and Friday). Sunrisers should check their emails for more information.
• April 4 & 5  The District 5130 Training Assembly. Friday evening is a fellowship dinner, with the education in All Things Rotary beginning in earnest the next morning. Van Johnson will be driving his Bob down early Saturday morning, if you want to hitch a ride. (Whaddaya mean, I got it backwards???)
• April 11  Our History Day Scholarship winners will give their presentations at our Friday meeting. If you're from another Club, or if you just want to visit, you'll have a great time.
• April 19  District Governor Helaine Campbell asked her Rotary Clubs to take on a "Green River" project this year. The Mad River Work Day is our response to that challenge. All ages are welcome to participate in the cleanup and in the Hoe Down that follows.
• April 24  The Mentorship/Membership Committee will meet. Details to follow.
• April 26  The Fieldbrook Fire Department will hold an Open House to show off the expansion of their firehouse. President Jessica read a letter from the firefighters expressing their appreciation for our financial support.
• May 16-18  We celebrate a great Rotary Year with our fellow Rotarians at the District 5130 Conference at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park.

PETS Update

Barbara Checks In

Barbara Browning missed the Spring Fundraiser this year, but it was an excused absence. She was in San Jose, attending the President Elect Training Seminar, along with her peers from nine Rotary Districts throughout the Far West. "You know," she said, "everybody always says that you're gonna love PETS - I totally loved PETS!" She didn't realize that it would be as much fun as it was, and she said that she is now full of ideas for her year as Club President. The theme for 2014-2015 is "Light Up Rotary", and we are looking forward to Barbara's light shining in the coming year.

Recognitions with Tomas

Carol's Acceptance Speech

Tomas Chavez was once again behind the steering wheel of the Recognitions Bus, and his first stop was to praise Carol Vander Meer, the Executive Director of Friends of the Dunes. Unfortunately, this was a Recognitio Oriente Solriser in Absentia, which is my pseudo-Latin for "Recognition of a Sunriser Who Ain't Here". But we are proud of Carol, since her organization was named Nonprofit of the Year for 2013 by the Arcata Chamber of Commerce.

Amy Bohner was also missing last week, but we talked about the new project that she and her husband Steve have undertaken - and it involves booze, er ... craft spirits! The couple have put their brand on the new Alchemy Distillery, which will use solar energy to help produce high quality grain to bottle spirits, to be known as Boldt Whiskey. For more information, check out the video on the Kickstarter website - you might be inspired to help fund Arcata's first distillery!

Hardd Hatt Gregg

At AEDC's recent "Spotlight on Success" event, Gregg Foster was wearing a hard hat to call attention to the fact that Redwood Capital Bank is renovating the former site of the HSU Natural History Museum for its Arcata branch office. Gregg said that he would not be wearing the hat once the new bank opens up, unless "my hairline recedes much further". The photo shows Don Ehnebuske, who succeeded Gregg as the Executive Director of the Redwood Region Economic Development Corporation (RREDC), giving his predecessor an interesting look. "He's singlehandedly restoring the reputation of the organization I left," said Gregg.

Bryan - Specs X 2

The photo at left shows Bryan Reeser at last year's end-of-tax-season golf event. Bryan doesn't think those are his shades, in the front at least. The ones on top of the hat might be his ... He's looking forward to this year's event, or maybe he's just hoping for the end of the tax crunch - about a month left, he noted.

Special Days
Bryan Reeser had to stand up again so we could recognize him for his March 2nd birthday. He said that he played basketball in the morning and went to a Mardi Gras party that evening. He and Donnie Rosebrook "ran the shuffleboard table ... Did we lose a game? Did we lose a game?" This was followed by a dignified fist bump with Mr. Rosebrook. Apparently, they did not lose a game.

Matt Babich told his dad that he wanted to go to Larrupin's for his birthday on Wednesday, March 19th, "Because that's where we [Sunrisers] go, right?  So Abruzzi's it is. My birthday, his credit card, so we had a nice dinner at Abruzzi's, and I go home and take care of my dog." 

Restoring Hope
Our featured speaker last Friday was Karen "Fox" Olsen, the Executive Director of the Arcata House Partnership. The Partnership is a nonprofit organization provides services to people who are experiencing homelessness. Fox has lived in Humboldt County since 1974, and she earned a Bachelors Degree in Social Work from HSU, and a Masters in Social Work from Sacramento State University. She has been with Arcata House since 2001.

Fox told us that Rotary is "very comfortable and familiar to me", since she was part of a Group Study Exchange Team that visited New Zealand. For the six week Exchange period, "Rotary took very good care of me." She added, "I could almost pass the Four-Way Test in my sleep." 

She said that her organization is very appreciative of the support we have shown, most recently in donating funds to purchase laundry equipment for their Annex facility, near the Intermodal Transit Facility. She singled out Matt Babich for his help in making that happen.

After she was hired by Arcata House, the group began to redefine its mission. With help from the City of Arcata, they were soon able to add their current main facility on 11th Street, which incorporates transitional living quarters with their main offices. 

The organization is known for helping homeless people and it has provided transitional housing for about 20 years. They work with the families to determine what went wrong, so those people don't end up back on the streets after the transition. The program contains a strong case-management element. 

Families in the transitional housing program pay "rent" in the form of savings. When they are ready to move out on their own, they receive that savings back, to help them as they begin the new phase of their lives. Fox said that although there is a 20% dropout rate, 100% of those who complete the program are able to find housing. 

About 18 months ago, the person who headed organization that had been managing the emergency shelter program in Arcata wanted to move on. He told Fox that he believed that Arcata House would be the logical organization to take on the program. That was the beginning of the "Partnership", as the two groups merged.

In addition to its transitional housing program, Arcata House has a program called Apartments First!, which offers permanent supportive housing. Some but not all program participants are disabled and receive subsidies. There are 17 apartments available and the program has three staff members. The organization also owns a food truck, which it calls "The Lunch Box" -  a mobile food preparation and distribution service.

Matt Babich, President Jessica, and Fox Olsen

Fox said that her agency runs on good social work values. "No one really chooses to be homeless," she said. "They've lost hope." The Arcata House Partnership has provided hope for many over the years, and they plan to continue helping restore that hope for the less fortunate among us.

Volume XII, Issue 32: March 14, 2014

Alex's Week(s) in Review
Our Exchange Student from France, Alex Rialet, reported that he has been busy since we last heard from him. He said that he sold a lot of raffle tickets at the Spring Fundraiser - and he said that someone bought him 10 tickets!

Alex also told us that his Arcata Tigers Baseball team won both halves of a doubleheader against Middletown earlier that day. When Alex couldn't think of any additional news from the week, President Jessica prompted him: "Did you feel the ground shake a little bit?" Yes, he had - but how soon we forget ...

Announcements
President Jessica commended the Club on a job well done at the Pirates' Ball Fundraiser - we grossed about $84,000 for the event. After deducting our expenses, we and the Arcata Volunteer Fire Department will be looking at splitting net proceeds of about $54k! Jessica said that this will be the last year that we will be partnering with the AVFD. At their recent business meeting, they decided to focus their energy on renovating their facilities and limiting their fundraising efforts to the annual Valentine's Day Dance. We certainly wish them well, and we thank them for being great partners.

Please note the following dates on your calendar, if you haven't done so yet:

March 22 - Arcata Rotary's "Spring Wine Festival" will be held in the Kate Buchanan Room at HSU. The event is the only fundraiser of the year for the Nooners, so please make support their Club as they support us.

March 28 - The Arcata High School Madrigal Choir's "Madrigal Dessert Night" takes place at 7 pm. The event will feature a dessert bar, and the Choir will present music they have prepared for their April trip to Italy. 

March 29 - Meet at the Coastal Nature Center at 9:45 am to prepare for a morning with Adopt-A-Highway. We will be tackling both sides of Samoa Boulevard, so please help out if you can make it.

April 4-5 - District Assembly at Mendocino College in Ukiah. Learn more about Rotary while you enjoy fellowship with your fellow Rotarians.

April 19 - Mad River Clean-Up - Work Day followed by a Hoe-Down at the Friends of the Dunes headquarters in Manila.

May 16-18 - District Conference in Rohnert Park.

Board Notes
President Jessica said that boards for both the Club and Foundation met earlier in the week. Here are the highlights from the Club's Board Meeting:

• Although we didn't have a firm figure for attendance in February, we did learn that Brenda Bishop has returned from her leave of absence (in time to work on the Spring Fundraiser), while Amy Bohner's leave continues. In addition, we heard that Jacqueline Debets has resigned from the Club.
• There were no new or old business items to report.

The Foundation Board's deliberations included the following:

• The Board continues to investigate the best option for housing our funds. They are looking primarily into a laddered CD portfolio.
• Discussion on the Spring Fundraiser was carried forward to April, when a more complete wrap-up will be available.
• The ARMACK Orchestra made a request for sponsorship of their Spring Gala. The thrust of the request was to ask for our help in obtaining a liquor license for the event. The Board declined, noting that it was not in keeping with our support of events like Safe and Sober and Every 15 Minutes. They were also concerned about setting a precedent for future requests. 
• President-Elect Barbara Browning is encouraging all Sunrisers, especially Board Members, to attend the District Assembly in April.
• If you plan to attend the Rotary International Convention in Sydney this June, please see President Jessica. She can hook you up with Voting Credentials.
• The Scholarship Committee is in the process of selecting History Day scholarship recipients. The Board agreed that the point of the scholarships has always been to recognize and reward public speaking. The Committee will take that into consideration in their selections. 
• The Scholarship Committee will also be selecting students to attend Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) in June. In past years, the dates for the event coincided with Finals Week at Arcata High. This year, RYLA is scheduled for the week following Finals, so the Board approved funding for two students. We expect that they will discuss their experience at a Club meeting in late summer or early fall.

Celebrating Rotaract
In North Carolina on March 13, 1968, the first Rotaract Club was chartered. Each year, World Rotaract Week commemorates that historic event. Last week, several members of our two local Rotaract Clubs - North Bay Rotaract and Lost Coast Rotaract - joined us to bring us up to date on their activities. 

Rotaract Clubs are open to men and women between the ages of 18 and 30, who want to make a difference in their community and in the world. Lost Coast Rotaract (LCR) is the largest Rotaract Club in District 5130, and it has twice been named Club of the Year the District Conference. North Bay Rotaract (NBR) is new - the group expects to receive its charter very soon.

We learned that both clubs run their meetings much like Rotary Clubs, but when they recognize their members "the fine is just a quarter". Both Clubs assist Rotary Clubs in the area with fundraisers and projects. 

In the past year, LCR members joined last year's CASA Kids' Walk, raising $1,400 for CASA of Humboldt. They raised another $1,400 which was dedicated to CASA and to the Clarke Historical Museum. Every month during Arts Alive in Eureka, the group hosts a "Wine Pull" - you purchase a wrapped bottle of wine, and if it has the right mark, you win a second bottle. In April, LCR plans to host a softball tournament as a fundraiser, and they invited our Club to field a team for the event. All of the tournament proceeds will benefit the Backpacks for Kids program.

The Rotaractors would love to see you at one of their meetings, whether you need a make-up or not! LCR meets at 6:30 pm on the first and third Mondays of each month at Los Bagels in Eureka, and NBR will now be meeting in the conference room at Robert Goodman Wines in Arcata. They meet the first and third Wednesdays of the month.

Recognitions
Tomas Chavez provided some photos from the Pirates' Ball:

How Did Ed Feel At Night's End?

The Only Comment? Awwww ...

Pirate Scott's Happy Face

Jessica, Heidi, Rachel, and Romi - Winding Down

Tomas noted how well Angelo is multitasking in this photo

Special Days
Ed Christians and his wife Beth celebrated their 13th anniversary on March 3rd. They embraced a long-standing Sunriser tradition by going to Larrupin's for the event. Ed said that they had a nice, quiet time.

Two days later was Craig Newman's birthday. He said that both of his sons were in town - a rare situation, since one lives in Santa Rosa, but the other lives in Albany, New York. Craig said that he's lived in Arcata for about forty years, but he had never been to Folie Douce. He noted that it used to be a French restaurant, but it's now more of a bistro. The menu is less intimidating, now that it's in English. The best thing, though? "Having the family together for a while - it's pretty darned good!"

In And Out of Humboldt Bay
Last week, our featured speaker was Jack Crider, who for the past two years has served as the CEO of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District. Jack gave a whirlwind update on the many projects in progress. Jack has 35 years of experience in the port industry, with previous postings at the ports of Tillamook Bay and Astoria, both in Oregon. 

The port he currently oversees - Humboldt Bay - covers about 18,000 acres, and is situated between the ports of Coos Bay, Oregon and San Francisco Bay. The harbor has a shipping channel that is 48 feet deep at its main entrance, and its depth ranges from 38 feet in the North Bay to about 26 feet in the Eureka Channel and at the approach to Fields Landing. 

Jack Crider

Jack said that the District recently added a new Port Authority boat, to assist in research, rescue, and maintenance. Its side scan sonar assists with research and recovery, and he noted that they now have a fire boat that can actually put out fires.

The District employs 13 people at its facility at the Woodley Island Marina. They manage 237 slips, a 2-ton heavy hoist, and a second 1-ton hoist. They provide pilotage for boats navigating the harbor, and the Marina is where the Port Authority moors its Security Boat and its Fireboat. The Marina consistently operates at a loss, but it is subsidized by the County. 

The facility is undergoing some improvements, including the installation of new meters for power and water, which will allow more accurate billing of Marina tenants. New revenue is expected from the RV Park and the Fuel Dock, and other efforts are underway to reduce costs and increase revenues.

Jack also said that improvements have been made at the Boat Yard at Fields Landing. These include a zero-discharge boat wash, a new lower dock, and a building lease which will house a marine fabrication and repair shop. These changes, along with increased revenue-generating activity by District staff, are revitalizing the area.

We learned that Pacific Gas and Electric plans to facilitate the upcoming dredging of the harbor channels by providing funds for the permits, and by providing $2 million towards the District's purchase of a dredge and its operation. They will also transfer a sizable piece of property to the District - part of the Humboldt Bay Power Plant.

Jack told us that there is a great deal of interest in aquaculture as a potential source of revenue for the area. The District is helping speed this process by pre-permitting aquaculture areas. He estimates that 55 new jobs will be created by this industry. The District is also conducting efforts to eradicate spartina and to improve bay access for kayakers.

He noted that many people express surprise that the Harbor District is in charge of the waterfront at Shelter Cove. In 1990, the District built a fish cleaning station (which was rebuilt in 2005), and they also made major improvements to the breakwater. They now face the challenge of removing a pipeline that extends into the bay.

Volume XII, Issue 31: February 28, 2014

Foundation Final Friday!!

Checking In With Alex

Alex at the Cages

He joined the Arcata High School football team, and in his quest to experience all things American, Exchange Student Alex Rialet recently played in his first baseball game. "I had my first swing, and my first hit," he said. He later went to the batting cages to continue to work on his form. On Wednesday of last week, he watched "Batman - The Dark Knight", which he thought was a very good movie. The next day, he played in another baseball game. Even though Alex didn't get a hit in that game, the Tigers still won. Alex told us that his weekend plans included the Junior Prom on Saturday - we will be eager to hear about that at our next regular meeting on March 14th.

Announcements

• There will be no regular meeting at 7 am this Friday - we will be busy preparing for and executing the Pirates' Ball at the Community Center. You know when your shifts are, and where to be. Let's show our friends that we know how to throw a great party!
• After our event this weekend, you'll probably want to watch someone else raise money. The Arcata "Noon" Rotary will have what C.J. Ralph called "our one and only fundraiser" on March 22nd. It's their annual "Arcata Rotary Wine Festival", to be held from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at HSU. The Nooners have always been staunch supporters of our events, so let's return the favor.
• Grab your sunscreen and/or your umbrella - we're doing another Adopt-A-Highway clean-up on Saturday, March 29th. We will meet at 9:45 that morning. Watch the Spirit for more details.
• RI President Ron Burton will be in Sacramento on Saturday, March 30th. If you're interested in attending the dinner, hosted by the Rotary Club of North Sacramento, please let President Jessica know.
• Closer to home, the District 5130 Assembly is coming soon to Mendocino College in Ukiah. The event will kick off with a dinner on Friday, April 4th, followed by fun and informative sessions the following day. For more information and to register, click on this link: http://www.rotary5130.org/news-events/events/district-training-assembly
• You'll then have a couple of weeks to rest up for the Mad River Clean Up Work Day, scheduled for Saturday, April 19th. And that's gonna be followed by the Earth Day Volunteer Hoe Down at the Friends of the Dunes HQ building (the former Stamps House).

Bubba Frog's Craft Talk  
(Oh, you had to know that was going to happen ...)
For non-Rotarians reading the Spirit, a Craft Talk is a short presentation by a relatively new Sunriser. These help us get to know our new members better. Last week, it was Praj White's turn. 

He told us that he was a native of Humboldt County, born in Garberville in 1972. This occurred not long after his parents graduated from the College of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley. Thanks to "an endowment from my grandfather on my mother's side" the couple bought a boat and a piece of property in Southern Humboldt County. He said that his full name is Praj Olam Managa White (I hope that's all spelled correctly). "I've had to choke that down through the years," he said with a chuckle. 

Praj White

He said that he "bounced through many schools", attending Equinox School for a short while after his family relocated to Arcata when he was ten. He was at Jacoby Creek School for sixth through eighth grades, and he graduated from Arcata High School in 1990. He then attended HSU for four years. The first two years he "became very good at having a great time". However, he soon decided to declare his major - Environmental Resource Engineering. He started seriously pursuing science and math courses. 

During his years at HSU, Praj met with Bryan Reeser at his sister's house. When Praj walked in, he was introduced to Bryan's father, who misheard Praj as "Frog". Soon after, Praj began dating a woman named Lisa, whose family has a history in the Armed Forces. Lisa heard the call and joined the Air Force, and she was stationed first in Colorado, then in Texas. It took about six months, but Praj realized that he needed to follow her. So he dropped out of HSU, and moved to San Angelo, Texas, where they were married. Praj said that his name was a bit out of place in Texas, so "I accepted Bubba "for quite some time".

In lieu of being ordered to the Middle East, Lisa was stationed at Elmendorf AFB, in Anchorage, Alaska. Although Lisa was a bit worried how Praj might react, he said that he was "ecstatic - I mean, someone's going to pay me to move to Alaska?" He was very excited about the University of Alaska, and the natural beauty of the area. He earned his degree in Civil Engineering there, and he and Lisa had two children.

But Praj said that the year in Texas and four years in Alaska helped him really appreciate Humboldt County, and upon his graduation, he got a job with CalTrans District 1, where he worked the next four years. He didn't see himself as a lifer with CalTrans, so he availed himself of a few moonlighting opportunities. Praj transitioned from CalTrans to running his own firm - White Engineering. As his own boss, he learned that "you do whatever it takes in Humboldt County to keep going". He worked on building permits, small subdivisions, etc. 

Following the economic downturn in 2008, the work was harder to find, so when Praj was approached by Manhard Consulting in 2010, he signed up. He worked under their contract to construct a wastewater treatment plant in Ferndale, and to provide the city's engineer. He has been with Manhard for the past four years as an Area Manager. He said that he feels that he helps the community with what he does, and that's a big part of the reason he joined Rotary.

World Community Service Committee Report
Last week, members of our Club's World Community Service Committee reported on their recent activities. The group's budget has averaged $10,000 for the past two years, and they (and we) have gotten a lot of bang for our bucks. Here is where we are making an impact:

• Pakistan - $1,000 is helping the Swat Relief Initiative (SWI) build a water filtration plant to provide safe drinking water to residents of the Swat Valley.
• Cambodia - $3,000 is helping to expand and maintain the Cambodia Academy, a project started by Rotarian Hans Eide.
• Project Amigo (Mexico) - $2,500 is our latest contribution to the organization. We have provided financial and hands-on support to this South-of-the-Border Rotary project for several years.
• Botswana - $3,000 is pledged to kick off a proposed Rotary Matching Grant (which will total $35,000) to support efforts to help reduce the effects of clubfoot. Last year, we supported the Bore Hole Project, another water project. The wells will allow community members to irrigate their crops and feed themselves.
• Russia - $500 went to support ongoing efforts to help in Siberia, spearheaded by Rotarian Kim Bauridel. This year, he plans to provide medical equipment to the Uyo Teaching Hospital. Last year, we helped provide a place for kids to play and we raised the awareness of the needs of the children in the area.
• Nicaragua - In 2012-2013, we supported yet another water project, this time working with Engineer Without Borders to supply water to a hospital. Currently, the hospital relies on water carried in by hand. The engineers are performing flow tests and the city of Camoapa is purchasing the property so the project can proceed.

Does Rotary Make A Difference? You Could Ask Her!

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