Volume XII, Issue 31: February 18, 2015

On The Calendar
March 14 - Please join us in a journey "Down The Rabbit Hole" - it's our Spring Fundraiser ... in Wonderland!!
March 21 - District Training Assembly in Ukiah 
April 24-26 - District 5130 Conference at Yosemite!
Editor's Note:
On Wednesday, February 18th, Your Editor was kicking back, enjoying the Charter Night festivities. He felt secure in the knowledge that the week's Friday morning meeting would not take place. A dark Friday generally means a break from the Sunrise Spirit (for me and more importantly, for you). But it was not to be - Lori Breyer noticed the glazed look on my face, and began taking notes on her cellphone. (Her husband Dave thought she was texting.) 

Gotta remember to lose that "Selfie Scowl"!

And ... the only photos I took were a couple of selfies, to be submitted to Ceva and President Barbara. Romi Hitchcock-Tinseth came to the rescue there, earning photo credits for the other pics that appear below. Thank you, Lori and Romi!


Charter Night 2015
President Barbara opened our celebration of 22 years of Sunriser Service by reminding us that we are the Club that knows how to "Have Fun and Get Things Done". 
 

Charter Night 2015 ... With Hanging Plants Pants!

Barbara admitted that, as she was writing her presentation, she started crying. It was just so moving, thinking about everything we have accomplished this year:

• Fellowship activities have included Pints for Nonprofits, Christmas caroling in Old Town Eureka, and the tailgate party at HSU Homecoming. All of these (and many more) were dubbed "RISE" events - RISE standing for "Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone". 
• Our Membership Committee has worked to increase our numbers to 62 members, while the Mentorship Committee has helped the new members find meaning and become engaged in our Club and in Rotary.
• Our Programs Committee has provided great programs all year, including field trips to the Humboldt Coastal

  

  Delectable Charter Night Desserts

  Nature Center and Lost Coast Brewery.
• Our Sergeant-at-Arms Committee has provided super service, ensuring that our meetings run smoothly, with no mishaps.
• The Recognitions Committee has been presenting in-depth portraits of our fellow Sunrisers this year, helping us get to know one another better. They also encouraged us to take "Rotary Selfies".
• The Community Service Committee has also been in high gear this year. They have organized some "Mini-SWOT" projects to helping individuals in need, including a local disabled man who needed help moving following an accident, and tending the garden of a community leader (and former Sunriser) who is struggling with cancer. They also helped Arcata House Partnership, provided dictionaries to local third graders, and much more!
• Our Financial Assistance Committee has reviewed many requests for funding, and helped provide a special hospital bed for the aforementioned disabled gentleman. They also supported HSU's new anti-hunger initiative, the local extreme weather shelter, and helped a young student participate in a chess tournament.
• The World Community Service brought some great international projects to our Club this year, including our emerging partnership with the Arcata Noon Club, to provide opportunities for a remote village in Costa Rica. We are also supporting a water project in Pakistan, the Faces of Hope cleft palate project in Central America, and the STEPS program which helps children in several African countries who were born with clubfoot.
• We saw a revitalization of the Vocational Service Committee this year, which will be presenting the Vocational Service Award this Friday to a deserving individual - the first such award in many years. They also work with Humboldt Live! to open vocational possibilities to local youth.
• Our New Generations/Youth Committee is working to determine how to help (and what to call) the local foster youth population as they "age out" of the system. They also organize our efforts hosting the Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament and working with the North Bay Rotaract, as they recharter their Club.
• The Youth Exchange Committee works with our Exchange Students, both Outbound (Sylvie Leppig, who is currently in Belgium, and Trula Rael, who will soon be off to Italy) and Inbound (Mozara Abdalla, from Brazil).

 It's been a great year so far, 

and we're looking forward to 

getting more done, 

and having even more fun!!!

Happy Birthday, 

Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise!

Volume XII, Issue 30: February 13, 2015

On The Calendar

February 20 - We are dark (no Friday morning meeting)
February 21 - Arcata Chamber of Commerce Dinner - 5:30 pm - Arcata Community Center
March 14 - Please join us in a journey "Down The Rabbit Hole" - it's our Spring Fundraiser ... in Wonderland!! 
March 21 - District Training Assembly in Ukiah 

Announcements 
The Spring Fundraiser is fast approaching, and we are promised a "dynamite bar", including cocktails from Wonderland (or they'll send you there): "The Tea Party", "The Mad Hat", and "The Caterpillar". Be sure to get your auction and raffle prizes, and sell those tickets. 

Rotarian of the Month
He's our Club Treasurer, he's on our World Community Service Commitee, he serves on the Youth Activities Committee, and he has a fantastic sense of humor. Those are among the reasons President Barbara named Bryan Reeser the Rotarian of the Month for January. 

"Any of you who have ever run an organization," President Barbara said, "know how valuable a good treasurer is. And Bryan is the best of the best." A big, well-deserved round of applause to a great Sunriser - thank you, Bryan!

Rising Star
President Barbara's Rising Star for January was Jeff Stebbins. Since Jeff became a Sunriser in 2013, he has been very active. He co-chairs the Vocational Service Committee, and he is also on the Scholarship Committee. Most importantly, he stepped up in a big way to organize the AHS College and Career Center Pancake Breakfast, in a transitional year for the event. He entered students' names into each of the Dictionaries for Third Graders this year, and delivered them to the schools. Plus, Jeff is working on the Dutch Raffle for the Spring Fundraiser. And ... "Jeff works up at HSU," Barbara noted, "and he's my colleague, and he keeps my financial data clean and up-to-date."

Recognition
Last Friday, Dustin Littlefield told us that Ian Schatz was born in Los Angeles. However, his parents were seeking a "back to the land" experience, so they brought the family to Maple Creek. Their first home was a tent, "where they were neighboring with the porcupines, skunks, bears, and mountain lions," according to Dustin. Following a torrential storm, the family moved into a trailer. 

Ian was the sole member of his graduating class when he completed 8th grade at Maple Creek School. The total enrollment at the time was 12 students, Kindergarten through 8th grade. Ian continued his education at Arcata High School, then Humboldt State, where he earned his degree in Physical Education. 

"We all know Ian today," Dustin said, "as the Manager of Operations at Advanced Security Systems." He also worked in several capacities for Sound Advice. As an HSU student, he worked an early morning shift at Don's Donut Bar.

Ian with his Daughters

He met his wife Elizabeth at HSU. Ian was sitting on the floor in a hallway when Elizabeth walked by. He got up and followed her. When she reached her class, he walked in, sat down next to her, and asked her out. Although she had a boyfriend at the time, they still became friends. Eventually, he replaced the boyfriend, and they married in 1993. They have two daughters - Jasmine, who was born in 1994, and Brianna, who was born three years later. 

Ian's parents still live in Maple Creek, and his brother is a brewmaster at Mad River Brewery. The Schatz Energy Lab and Schatz Tree Farm were donated to Humboldt State by Ian's grandfather. 

Ian discovered Rotary when Jasmine was selected as an Outbound Exchange Student by the Rotary Club of Old Town Eureka. She spent her Exchange Year in Sicily. His interest led him to one of our meetings, and he quickly became a Sunriser. He is very involved in the Youth Exchange program, both at the Club level and at the District level. He is currently the Outbound Exchange Coordinator for the District. 

Dustin shared other interesting information about Ian:

• As a youth, Ian planted trees in a tree farm in Maple Creek, which paid for his first year of college. 
• He is capable of "wailing lead vocals from Led Zeppelin"
• He loves to travel with his family, and they have been all over the US, and they have also visited Mexico and Italy.
• Elizabeth pointed out that Ian is a very dedicated father, and is very involved in his daughters' lives. 

President Barbara added, "Ian - you are a really interesting guy." She also asked Ian about Jasmine's latest adventure. She was selected to serve as a Student Ambassador at the USA Pavilion at the World's Fair in Italy for three months this summer and fall. She will meet with political leaders and "well-to-dos", giving tours of the event.

Project La Trinidad 
Susan Diehl-McCarthy is the President of the Rotary Club of Arcata (the Noon Club), and last week she was our Featured Speaker. She discussed the project in Costa Rica that her Club is leading, with the participation of other Rotary Clubs, including ours. 

Project La Trinidad is an economic development project intended to help women in the Cerro de la Muerte ("Mountain of Death") region in the highlands of Costa Rica. The families who live in this remote area are known as "The Forgotten". These people have not shared in the economic success often found elsewhere in Costa Rica, as a small group from Arcata Rotary discovered when they visited the area in Fall 2013 with members of the Club Rotario San

José Noreste (which will serve as the project's co-sponsor).

Susan Diehl-McCarthy

What they found was an area where many homes are headed by a single parent, and most of the children lack educational opportunities beyond primary school. However, they did find that the residents of the village of La Trinidad and the surrounding area want to work, and they identified a number of small business opportunities. Susan noted that, while the villagers may not have a lot of wealth, they do have a lot of pride in their area and their homes. 

The project's goals include helping families remain in the Central Highlands by creating or growing family businesses, facilitating improved educational opportunities, and developing long-term relationships with supporting businesses and organizations. 

The first phases of the project includes providing microcredit financing to help support La Trinidad's family businesses. These businesses grow mushrooms, sewing clothing, and making and packaging cheese and jams. They will also need training in business operations - how to market their product, filling orders, and other important details.

The project will enlist the aid of the Fundación Mujer (Women’s Foundation). Both the Fundación and the San Josè Noreste Rotary have a lot of experience with microloan financing. 

When the groups looked at the barriers to sustained economic development, they found that the remote location led to a lack of connectivity. "It's very difficult," Susan told us, "to get a strong cell signal up there in the highlands. It's very difficult to have reliable internet connectivity." Locally, Carlson Wireless was contacted, and a plan was developed to purchase equipment to bridge the connectivity gaps.

Establishing reliable internet coverage opens a range of opportunities beyond the ability of local businesses offering their products to a wider market. It would also permit distance learning within Costa Rica and beyond. Susan said that the Interact Club at Arcata High School is excited at the possibility of video calls between their school and the young people of La Trinidad. 

With $22,250 slated for microcredit loans, and another $25,000 to be used to purchase equipment, the total project budget is $47,250. In addition to the Arcata Noon Rotary and the San Josè Noreste Rotary, our Club is helping with funds, as is the North Bay Rotaract. The fundraising continues, and the groups have applied for Global Grants from the Rotary Foundation and District Matching Grants.

In addition, the "Taylor Trek for Costa Rica" raised both funds and publicity for the project. Alberto Taylor is a member of the Arcata Rotary, and was part of the group that visited Costa Rica in 2013. He and his son Ricardo turned a journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania into a fundraiser, accepting pledges in recognition of their climb, which they completed in June 2014.

Susan promised that there is more to come. The area has additional needs that will be addressed in the near future, and we will continue to be informed and involved.

Volume XII, Issue 29: February 6, 2015

On The Calendar

February 18 - Charter Night at the Arcata Playhouse - 5:30 to 8:00 pm - "Denim & Diamonds"
February 21 - Arcata Chamber of Commerce Dinner - 5:30 pm - Arcata Community Center
March 14 - "Down The Rabbit Hole" - our Spring Fundraiser ... in Wonderland!! 
March 21 - District Training Assembly in Ukiah 

Announcements 
We had a great turnout for the Pancake Breakfast fundraiser for the AHS College and Career Center. President Barbara thanked all who worked at the event, and those who attended. Special thanks were extended to Jessica McKnight and Jeff Stebbins, who made sure that the event took place, and who worked on promotion, organization, and onsite management of the event!

Barbara also said that we had a healthy number of Sunrisers at Pints for Nonprofits at the Mad River Brewery Tap Room last week. The event supported Rotary International's Polio Plus program.

Our Financial Assistance Committee (with the help of several generous businesses and individuals) provided a hospital bed for Tom Pulaski, a disabled senior citizen who broke his hip in July 2013. Now that his rehab is largely complete, he needs the special bed to continue his recovery and minimize his pain and discomfort. Our Community Service Committee has taken on Tom's move to a new home as a "SWOT Lite" Project.

Our Spring Fundraiser is fast approaching, and Susan Jansson, who is leading us to the Rabbit Hole, thanked her Committee for all its hard work. Scott Heller reminded us to invite our Facebook friends (and any other friends we have as well). Please secure your auction and raffle items and deliver them to HealthSport as soon as possible. 

President-Elect Howard Stauffer is hoping that you will travel to Ukiah for the District Training Assembly on March 20th and 21st. Friday evening is a dinner and "Star Party", and Saturday is devoted to sessions dealing with various aspects of Rotary involvement. The schedule includes a training in developing projects that involve Serving With Our Talents - that's right, our home-grown SWOT Program! You can sign up online by clicking here.

Welcome Vanessa & Robson!
We had some very special guests last Friday - Exchange Student Mozara Abdalla introduced her mother Vanessa and her father Robson. Mozara served as interpreter for her parents, since "they don't speak much English". Robson said that he is grateful to our Club for hosting their daughter, and that they were very happy to be here. "And they thank you for being nice to me," she said. President Barbara thanked them in return, "for sending Mozara to us". We learned later in the meeting that the couple was celebrating their 20th anniversary on the trip. Vanessa and Robson brought gifts, which will find their way into a Final Friday Auction coming soon to a Sunrise Rotary meeting near you.

Vanessa, Mozara, Barbara, & Robson

Special Daze
They have been traveling a lot recently, so Kathy Fraser and her husband Bill had a shorter than usual anniversary trip to Benbow (an annual tradition). On the way home, they had a celebratory dinner at Shamus T-Bones. It was their 44th anniversary.

Howard and Rebecca Stauffer celebrated their 30th anniversary on January 26th. "Our lives are so wonderful in retirement," he told us, "and we enjoy each other's company, so we did nothing." Which led John Gullam to conclude, "So you forgot?"

The highlights among the recent birthdays in our Club included Cam Appleton celebrating with some long-term buddies in Washington, and Randy Mendosa enjoying a crab feast.

Our Newest Sunrisers
Last week, we had a two-fer - we brought two new members into the Club. But Lisa and Chris Hemphill are not new to Rotary. They belonged to the Rotary Club of Dougherty Valley in San Ramon, and both served as officers. Chris is a Past President and Lisa served as Treasurer. Their son is a student at HSU, and they fell in love with the area during their visits. We're happy that they chose our Club to continue their Service Above Self.

Lisa, President Barbara, Chris, and Romi

Recognition
Tomas Chavez recognized Joyce Hinrichs last Friday, and he started by reading a note from one of Joyce's former court clerks, Karen. She said that they met when Joyce worked in the District Attorney's office, and she said that Joyce is an excellent teacher. Joyce helped Karen to be more tolerant and more empathetic, and she witnessed Joyce's compassion and how she put that compassion into her judgments. She saw how Joyce would work to keep kids in school even when their families were in crisis. Karen said that Joyce wants each child who comes through her court to grow to become a successful and productive adult, and to keep their dreams alive. "She is tireless," Karen wrote, "especially when it comes to the youth of this county. We are lucky to have a judge with Joyce's qualities working within our community."

Tomas also asked Joyce's daughter Kayla to name one of her favorite memories of her mom, and she said that Joyce enjoys working with her poodle, Dobby. She also said that Joyce paid her a Christmas visit while she was studying in Spain. Mother and daughter traveled to Paris and London.
"Being in Paris at Christmastime was so special with her," Kayla wrote. 

Kayla also said that she has learned so much from Joyce. "She loves to send quotes to me and to my sister," she said, "and for the most part, they have a similar theme. Work hard, treat people well, and don't settle."

When Tomas asked for something that made Kayla feel proud of her mother, she had a difficult time narrowing it down. "On a personal level," she said, "I'm so proud of my mom for running the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco - six times!"

We're all proud of Joyce, and we're glad that she is a Sunriser!

Fly Humboldt! 
Our featured speakers were our own Gregg Foster, and his own Emily Jacobs. (They were married last month!) They discussed the next steps in the Fly Humboldt effort. 

Fly Humboldt is a local movement that is working to expand the options for those flying into and out of Humboldt County. Currently, our local airport is served by one carrier, and the group is working to entice another airline to establish service here. An effort to raise $1.3 million to provide a revenue guarantee for an airline that adds Humboldt County to its route system was successful, and ready to be put to use. (See the June 1, 2012 Sunrise Spirit for additional details,)

Emily identified a number of constraints that work to tamp down the enthusiasm airlines might otherwise feel for providing service to Humboldt County. One of those is a recent tightening of the rules that determine how much time a pilot can spend in the air. Wall Street is also tamping down growth ambitions, noting that airlines are starting to turn their first profits since the advent of deregulation. She said that this profitability is the result of the airlines seeking optimal capacities, and then having the discipline to maintain inventories at those levels. 

Fuel prices play into the situation, but in a counter-intuitive way. Legacy airlines have invested heavily in fuel-efficient

Emily & Gregg in Thailand (They flew there)

aircraft, so as the price of fuel decreases, their competitive advantage is eroded. As Emily noted, "Rapid capacity increases can destabilize the industry."

It wasn't all bleak, however. Emily said that the airlines are slowly adding capacity, and as they do, Fly Humboldt is ready with a minimum revenue guarantee, and local business leaders are confident that we will fill the seats of any carrier that comes here. In addition, we should realize that flying in and out of Humboldt is not as cost-prohibitive as most people think. She told us that Google has established Google Flights. This allows you to enter your home and destination airports, then you can see a calendar showing the best rates for your flight for each day of the month. 

Emily told us that the best thing we can do to support the local efforts would be to "fill the planes". Book 'em, Danno!

Volume XII, Issue 28: January 30, 2015

On The Calendar
February 7 - Adopt-A-Highway - 9:30 to 11:30 am - Meet at the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center 
February 9 - Valentine's Dinner at Folie Douce to benefit the Senior Village Program - 5:00 to 8:30 pm
February 10 - Board Meeting at CCRP Office (HSU) 7 am 
February 18 - Charter Night at the Arcata Playhouse - 5:30 to 8:00 pm - "Denim & Diamonds"  
March 14 - "Down The Rabbit Hole" - our Spring Fundraiser ... in Wonderland!! 
March 21 - District Training Assembly in Ukiah 

Announcements 
President Barbara thanked the Sunrisers – Julie Schaefer, Dan Johnson, Robert Goodman, and Barbara herself - who participated in the previous week’s Foster Youth Roundtable Discussion. She said that it was a lot of fun, and the young people asked some very good questions. The next meeting is scheduled for this Friday, February 6^th.

Congratulations to Kyle Visser and Tomas Chavez! Kyle’s business, Shred Aware, was named the Small Business of the Year by the Eureka Chamber of Commerce. At the same event, the Chamber recognized Tomas as its Ambassador of the Year. We’re proud of both of you!

Our Outbound Exchange Student for next year, Trula Rael, was at the previous weekend’s Outbound Orientation for our District. She learned that she will be spending her year in Italy. She said that she is very excited, although she doesn't know exactly where in Italy she will be going. President Barbara spoke for all of us when she said, "I know you'll have a great year, and you'll be a really wonderful representative and ambassador for Arcata Sunrise Rotary."

Mozara Abdalla, our Exchange Student from Brazil, was also attended the orientation session. She told us how nice it was to see her fellow Inbound Exchangers from around the District. She had prom coming up, and she said that she would need to choose her dress from among three possibilities. And she said that her parents would be visiting after the weekend, so she was excited about that. Barbara pleaded with her to get us pictures (and I second that), and Mozara said, “I’ll think about it …” Mozara’s Word of the Day was “dinheiro”, which is “money” in English. The word sounds a lot like the Spanish word “dinero”, with the same meaning. Mozara said that the main unit of Brazilian currency is the real, and that the US dollar is currently worth about 2.7 reals, with the exchange rate recently increasing in favor of the dollar. “Bad news for my Dad,” she noted.

This photo is captioned "Sylfie"

Barbara also provided news and photos from our current Outbound Exchange Student, Sylvie Leppig, and she reminded us that we can follow Sylvie’s adventures on Facebook and on her blog, Sylvie in Belgique. (I’ve added the link to the list in the column to your right.)

Rotary Foundation Giving

President Barbara noted that our Club’s contributions to the Rotary Foundation were at just under $9,000 as of the beginning of our meeting. She said that we are well on our way to reaching our goal of $15,000 for the year.
Foundation Chair Terri Clark noted that our server, Elsa, has made donations to our Final Friday Foundation Auctions, including last week’s edition (see below). Our Club added to her existing credits, and helped her become a Paul Harris Fellow!

Also earning a Paul Harris Fellowship last week was Carol Vander Meer. Carol’s credits earned during her stint as a member of the Arcata Noon Rotary combined with her contributions as a member of our Club put her over the top! Congratulations and thank you for your contributions to the Rotary Foundation!!

Final Friday Foundation Auction
We held our first Foundation Auction of 2015, and earned quite a bit for the Rotary Foundation. As you may recall, all of the funds raised benefit the Foundation, with the credit for the purchase price split between each item's donor and the purchaser. Here is a list of the prizes, contributors, and winning bidders:

• Our morning server Elsa is also a masseuse, and she donated her services to our auction. Bob Johnson upped the ante, paying for an increased in the length of the massage. Janice Newman will be relaxing under her gentle touch.
• Somebody who shall remain nameless (since I didn't hear who) donated bottles of Bailey's Irish Cream and some Irish whiskey, along with a baking dish and a tea set and possibly more yet! I am also not clear on who purchased the package, but only since Joyce Hinrichs, in absentia, gave her proxy to Terri Clark. So either Joyce or Terri was the winner.
• I do know that John Gullam provided a Rotary-themed Hawaiian shirt for the auction. And I saw the winner, Brandi Easter, wearing it as she left our meeting.
• And Joyce provided the winning bid (via Terri) for Bob Johnson's Bread Baking Class and Feast for 6.
• Following the haute cuisine theme, Jessica McKnight offered a cooking class, complete with the tools of the trade - the book "How To Become A Better Cook", a subscription to Cook's Illustrated magazine, and a French knife. Susan Jansson was the winning bidder, intent on upping her game in the kitchen.
• Ray Noggle donated a relaxation package - a bottle of Sirah in a pouch with a massage. Lori Breyer put forth the winning bid.
• A bottle of fine bourbon whiskey with glasses and a flask were donated by Lynda Moore. She also included a supply of coffee. Matt Babich will be enjoying those for some time.
• Sometimes Tequila comes in a beautifully crafted bottle with a bell on the top. Mark Burtchett donated one of those for the auction, and Scott Heller will be ringing the bell.
• Rotary Kid Mary Crow provided a Valentine's basket of chocolates and hearts, along with a caramel candle. Susan Jansson was the winner.
• Alyson Hunter donated a Bird Watcher's Package, including an original work by local artist Marsha Mello, a birding tour of the Arcata Marsh guided by local legend Alex Stillman, a bird feeder, and other goodies. Your Editor made off with that prize.
• Another Valentine's package with a number of items (including some that must remain undisclosed) was offered by Maggie Kraft. And it must have been good stuff, because she made the opening bid. However, Angelo Bacigaluppi was the winner.
• Laura Montagna put together a Games Night Basket, complete with popcorn. I didn't hear who won, but I bet they're having fun!
• Maggie Kraft also donated one of her signature "Birthday Baskets". (I won one in a previous auction, and they are great!) Brenda Bishop was the winning bidder.
• Our last item came from Rebecca Crow, who brought a tea set that commemorated the Rotary International Convention held in Taipei in 1994. The basket also included a supply of herbal tea, and it was won by Terri Clark. (Unless it was Joyce Hinrichs.)

Thanks again to all of our donors and bidders. This edition of the auction added a quick $1,600 to our total Foundation contribution total for the year. Remember, contributions to the Foundation can be made any time, day or night at:https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/take-action/give. Tell them the Sunrise Spirit sent you!