Volume XII, Issue 43: May 22, 2015

On The Calendar
May 29-30:  RCAS Board Retreat
May 31RISE EVENT! - Kids, Crabs, and Rotary at the Arcata Ballpark 
June 2-9:  Rotary International Convention - São Paulo, Brazil
June 12-13SWOT Project!!! Painting the Night Shelter
June 20:  Oyster Festival Beer Booth
July 4RISE EVENT! - Arcata Plaza Fourth of July Celebration

Announcements
President Barbara said that the Grand Opening of Rotary Park was a great success. Members of the Arcata Noon Rotary and Sunrisers were on hand to help cut the ribbon and welcome the kids! 

Susan Jansson and Kathy Fraser represented our Club at the recent celebration of KEET-TV's Homework Hotline 10th Anniversary. Our Club has supported the program for most of those years.

We have been sharing lately - Ed Christians gave a presentation on internet security to the Arcata Noon Club, and Tomas Chavez gave a talk at a meeting of the North Bay Rotaract Club.

Scott Heller provided a tour of our updated website. He said that the site is optimized for all devices. So whether you visit from your desktop, your phone, or your television, you'll have an easy time accessing all your Club's information. Here are some of the highlights:
  • The Project Map tab displays a world map, with pins marking locations where we have touched lives. 
  • Click on the Gallery tab to find photos, grouped by theme or event.
  • The next tab displays a calendar of events.
  • You can access this page by clicking the Sunrise Spirit tab.
  • A growing collection of videos are available on the Media tab.
  • Prospective Sunrisers can click on the Join tab for information about Rotary Membership.
  • Finally, the Shop tab allows you to purchase Sunriser Swag.
www.arcatasunrise.org
Great job, Scott! Thank you!

Exchange Student Mozara brought friends who were visiting for the long weekend. Steve McHaney said that he would be putting Mozara to work the next day, to help with an entry in the Kinetic Sculpture Race. Steve told her, "You're going to have to learn to steer." 

President Barbara asked what happened the previous weekend, when Mozara was in Trinidad. "We saw whales!" she said. Sooooo ... Mozara's Word of the Day was "baleia", which is Portuguese for "whale".

Nick's Craft Talk
Last Friday, Nick Torres earned his Blue Badge by giving his Craft Talk. Unfortunately, he completed the requirements so quickly that his badge is still under construction. 

We learned that Nick grew up in Fresno, with an older brother and a younger sister. They were raised by their mother, and all four of them lived with Nick's grandmother. 

When Nick was 10, his mother remarried, and the new family eventually moved out of town to a 25-acre ranch near Kings Canyon National Park. On the ranch, Nick learned basic carpentry skills and how to raise animals. They raised cows, goats, and chickens for food, allowing them to be largely self-sufficient. They designed and built all of the outbuildings on the ranch, including the barn, the shed, and the two-story garage. 

Living on the ranch helped Nick learn the value of hard work. He rose early to milk the cows and to bottle-feed the calves whose mothers no longer produced milk. "I would feed the animals," he told us, "then walk two miles to the school bus stop ... uphill both ways!"  And there was always work to be done when he returned from school - mending and moving fences, digging ditches, gathering eggs, and working on his mother's vehicle. Nick and his brother occasionally escaped to the neighbor's 40,000-acre property, to explore and to "take a dip in whatever watering hole we came across." This didn't sit well with their mother, since the boys would invariably return with muddy clothes.

Nick enjoyed his life on the ranch so much that he decided that he wanted to eventually own one of his own. There, he would be able to "grow the food that I need to feed my family and myself".

When Nick was thirteen, he moved in with his grandmother. That was his home until he joined the Marine Corps at age eighteen. He went through Boot Camp in San Diego in July 2001, and job training in Oceanside. When asked where he wanted to be stationed for duty, he opted to leave the state. He had never been out of California, other than across the border to Mexico. So he chose a duty station in North Carolina. "I loved it there," he said. The weather and high humidity were different.

He took the opportunity to travel to other states, and he enjoyed his assignment. "I drove and manned the guns of a 26-ton amphibious assault vehicle," he told us. "Just picture a tank that goes in the water - somehow it floats." Usually, Nick was in the water, launching from another craft. But occasionally, he would drive through the woods, which he also enjoyed. On those excursions, the unit would sleep in the woods. Although it was serious training, Nick looks back on it and says, "I got paid to go camping and play with really big toys."

One of his favorite memories from this period was training in Pensacola, Florida, on a beach with fine white sand. As his craft neared the ship, a group of dolphins swam alongside, "so close, I could almost touch them". 

Nick took a lot from his experience in the Marine Corps, following great leaders and learning from them. That helped Nick be a better leader himself. "I learned that a good leader takes the time to find peoples' strengths and utilize the to accomplish a task." He also found that good leaders continue to learn and to improve themselves while helping to teach others. 

These lessons have helped Nick in his college career, helping him as a student and as a team leader. While at HSU, Nick has traveled to Ecuador and he has studied in Spain. As a result of his experiences, he realized that there is a need for good translators in the world. This became his focus in school and his career goal. 

He started learning Spanish just to have a second language, but he became enamored of the literature and the cinema. In his travels in Europe and Africa, he realized that many people on those continents speak at least three languages. "There is more to language than academics," he noted. He sees his career as a translator to be more than just a job. Nick believes that it is a means to bring people together. 

Nick with President Barbara

Even in our community, Nick has found many families that are not able to access the services they need, due to the lack of affordable translation services. His desire to bridge communication barriers and help others was a major reason that Nick joined our Club.

Awards Season
At the District Conference in April, a few select Rotarians received the "Individual Service to Club" Award. One of those was Sunriser Susan Jansson. She was nominated by President Barbara not only for heading up our first solo Spring Fundraiser, but for her other leadership roles in our Club. A well-deserved honor!
President Barbara and Julie V-E

President Barbara also announced her selection for the April Rotarian of the Month - Julie Vaissade-Elcock. Julie was honored for chairing our Public Relations Committee (keeping us well represented in the local media), co-chairing the Scholarship Committee, heading up the selection of our History Day winners, and serving as Mozara's host mom. She is a Past President, and she is always willing to do anything she is asked to do for the Club - and she does it quickly and (seemingly) in effortless fashion. Congratulations, Julie!

Ed Christians was named as our newest Rising Star. President Barbara cited Ed's service on our Vocational Service Committee as one reason for his selection. However, he also was part of the Foster Youth Committee, and he attended all of the workshops with Humboldt Live! this year. Barbara also said that "he gave an excellent program on internet security this year, and scared the heck out of all of us!"

Special Daze
As we learned earlier this month, Chris Hemphill's birthday falls on April 20th. However, he and Lisa did not stay in town for the local celebrations - they traveled to Hawaii, where the activities including ziplining and visiting with friends. 

Julie Vaissade-Elcock's birthday was on May 8th. Many of her family members also have birthdays around that time (not to mention Mothers' Day), so they got together at Julie's mother's house for a big party. 

Bob Johnson said that he had a good time on his May 15th birthday, following his appearance at our morning meeting. 

April 23rd was President Barbara's birthday. That was the day before she and Ron attended the District Conference at Yosemite. She said that it was "really sweet" - she visited her stepdaughter Halyma and her granddaughter Tatiana. Then in Yosemite, she and Ron shared a quiet birthday dinner with sweet intimate conversation.

Tami Camper and Chris Dart celebrated their 4th anniversary on April 23rd, and she said that they traveled to Napa County for a celebration that included wine and skydiving (although probably not simultaneously). Tami also has a new position at CalTrans. "Actually," she said, "it's kind of a new/old job, because I was a Planner, then I went to Revegetation Specialist, and I'm back to Planning again."

Volume XII, Issue 42: May 15, 2015

On The Calendar
May 21RISE EVENT! - Rotary Park Grand Opening!! 
May 29-30:  RCAS Board Retreat
May 31RISE EVENT! - Kids, Crabs, and Rotary at the Arcata Ballpark 
June 2-9:  Rotary International Convention - São Paulo, Brazil
June 12-13SWOT Project!!! Painting the Night Shelter
June 20:  Oyster Festival Beer Booth
July 4RISE EVENT! - Arcata Plaza Fourth of July Celebration

Announcements
On May 4th, a garden at the Arcata Chamber of Commerce and California Welcome Center was dedicated to the memory of Kevin Ebbert, who was killed in Afghanistan while serving as a Navy Seal. Kevin's mother, Charlie Jordan, helped select the plants for the lovely tribute to a fallen hero.
Kevin's Garden

President-Elect Howard Stauffer was enthusiastic about the previous week's Fireside Meetings. He thanked hosts Lisa and Chris Hemphill, Scott Heller and Robin Meiggs, Bob and Susan Johnson, and Matt Babich for opening their homes (and in Matt's case, the Ingomar Club) to us. Of the 37 Sunrisers who attended the meetings, 34 said that they wanted our Club's size to remain about the same (we're currently at 60 members). Howard also said that he received quite a few good suggestions for SWOT Projects.

We have several important things happening before President Barbara relinquishes the gavel. We will be seeing the last Selfies of her year on May 29th (Final Friday). Get your mug to Barbara for the chance to win $100 toward your next Paul Harris Fellowship. And be ready to sling some brews on June 20th, when we staff a beer booth at the Oyster Festival. For more immediate action, this Thursday (May 21), will be the Grand Re-Opening of Rotary Park. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 4 pm.

Exchange Student Mozara Abdalla is looking forward to Memorial Day weekend; she has two friends coming up from Santa Rosa to visit. We also learned that host dad Stan Elcock put her to work stacking firewood recently. She told us that it was fun, though - "It's good exercise!" So President Barbara picked "lenha" as Mozara's Word of the Day - it means "firewood".

A Craft Talk Two-fer!
Last Friday, we received a double Craft Talk, as Chris and Lisa Hemphill told us how they came to become Sunrisers.

Lisa was part of a family of seven children - four boys and three girls. Her father sold promotional products to businesses and her mother was an elevator operator, who was a single mom prior to their marriage. Lisa's father adopted the older children. When Lisa was three, the family moved from El Cerrito to Redding. They moved again about nine years later, eventually settling in Oakland near Lake Merritt in 1968. Her parents' relationship was not going well, and the couple divorced not long after the move. 

Chris was born in Columbus, Ohio on April 20th. ("I won't tell you what year," he said, "but it's really nice that this town throws a party for me every year!") 

Chris was the youngest of four children. His father taught at Ohio State, but when he went to work for ETS (the people who brought you the SAT), the family moved to Princeton, New Jersey. His mother was a child psychologist who operated the state home for girls in Trenton. 

In 1966, the family crossed the country to move to Oakland. Chris had some iconic late-sixties experiences - visiting the Native Americans who occupied Alcatraz Island, cutting school to visit People's Park in Berkeley, and attending the ill-fated concert at Altamont Speedway. He graduated from high school in 1973.

Lisa's mom pulled her out of public school, so she attended St. Elizabeth High School in Oakland. It was a long bus ride, and one of her friends who shared the bus was a guy named Joe, who turned out to be Chris's best friend. During high school, Lisa performed in school plays, and she attended the Friday night dances. Those dances featured bands such as Chicago, Santana, and Tower of Power. 

After Lisa graduated in 1972, she realized that she would have to work rather than go to college. Eventually, she was able to attend Heald Business College, which led to a position as a receptionist in a doctor's office. 

Chris tried higher education, but "Junior College was a bust for me". He became a distribution manager for the Oakland Tribune, and he also worked in construction. One day, an attractive woman walked by when Chris was talking with his best friend (Joe?). He said, "Who's that?", and his friend said, "That's Lisa."
Shamelessly Lifted from Facebook
What really brought them together was the night in 1980 that Lisa was at a bar, and a friend from school started hitting on her. Seeking a means of escape, "I saw Chris across the room, and I asked him if he would pretend that we were together." Chris may not be that good at pretending - five months later, they were married. "We've been married now for almost 35 years," Lisa said, "and he still gives me the chills."

The couple had their first son, Christopher, about two years later. He attended local schools in San Ramon, and then went to the University of Colorado. He earned a degree in Business, and he now works for Salesforce.com.

Nick, the couple's younger son, just graduated from Humboldt State with a degree in Art. He's the one who introduced them to our community. They visited Nick many times over the past several years, and they came to realize that they wanted to make it their home. 

Welcome Steve!
Last Friday, we welcomed Steve McHaney into our Club. He's a new Sunriser, but an experienced Rotarian. He joined the Eureka Rotary in 2002. Steve and his wife Patty have four children - twins Westin and Carson, who are 17, 16-year old daughter Zhanna, and Kristina, who is 14. 

Steve likes music, backpacking, biking, and kinetics. He holds a degree in Engineering from HSU, and he has worked for GHD (formerly Winzler & Kelly) since 1995. His sponsor, Rebecca Crow, was unable to attend last Friday's meeting, but her face made an appearance.
Steve with "Rebecca"

Helping Nepal Post-Quake
Our Featured Speaker last Friday was Neal Carnam, a member of the Eureka Rotary. Neal and Dave Creech (a member of the Old Town Eureka Rotary) were in Nepal when the first earthquake hit on April 25th. Upon their return, they were determined to find ways to help those who lost their homes and loved ones.

Neal and Dave began planning their trip about a year ago, and training for it as well. They visited the base camp at Mt. Everest, but their trip to the Annapurna base camp had to be scratched. 

Neal Carnam
They arrived on April 13th, and stayed at local guest houses. The trek took eight days, two of which were "acclimation days". Everything that is taken to the local villages is carried in. The travelers visited monasteries and other picturesque buildings. Neal said that the villages were very clean. One slide showed a woman sweeping the sidewalk with a hand broom.


Neal and Dave were having lunch in Phakding, about three days from Kathmandu, when the quake hit. "We stood in a door frame," he said, "and we actually felt pretty safe there until we saw a piece of the wall fall off the second floor." No one in the guest house was injured, although there was much damage.

A retired engineer, Neal understood better than most how vulnerable the homes and other buildings are. Most construction uses dry stack stone - rock shaped by hand, using hammer and chisel. No mortar is used, which meant that the earthquake hit them particularly hard. 


They then returned to Kathmandu, seeing earthquake devastation on the way back. Temples and homes were badly damaged, and the residents were very frightened. Most slept outside in the streets to avoid being trapped by aftershocks.

They learned later that the Everest base camp was hit by a devastating avalanche that destroyed the tent they had stayed in a few days before. Neal said that the avalanche dropped several hundred feet and "exploded" upon impact.

Neal and Dave have set up a fund to raise money for the guest house at Phakding they had stayed in, and to help the families of two sherpa cooks who had hiked in with them, but who died at the base camp. They are working to set up an International Service Project, partnering with a Rotary Club in Nepal. If you would like to contribute, please send a check to:

Old Town Rotary
P.O. Box 87
Eureka, CA 95502
Make your check payable to 
“Redwood Capital Bank — Old Town Rotary”

Volume XII, Issue 41: May 1, 2015

On The Calendar
May 9:  Service Opportunity - Tour of the Unknown Coast 
May 12:  Board Meeting at the Golden Harvest Cafe
May 22RISE EVENT! - Progressive Dinner Substitute (Watch this space and save this date)
May 31RISE EVENT! - Kids, Crabs, and Rotary at the Arcata Ballpark 
June 2-9:  Rotary International Convention - São Paulo, Brazil
June 20:  Oyster Festival Beer Booth
July 4RISE EVENT! - Arcata Plaza Fourth of July Celebration

Announcements
President Barbara gave a brief report from the previous weekend's District Conference, held in Yosemite. We were well-represented, with six Sunrisers (and one Sunriser Spouse) in the house. We won several awards (some details can be found later in this edition), and we also woke up Saturday morning to a snow-covered landscape. The snow only lasted for a day, allowing our safe return to Humboldt County.

President Barbara came home in time to help with a Community Service project - prepping Rotary Park for its patrons. A crew of Sunrisers and members of the Arcata Noon Club descended on the park to spread seemingly endless loads of wood chips. When the work was finally done, a group of kids arrived to enjoy the results. Thanks to all the volunteers, especially Jessica McKnight and Scott Heller for organizing the work party!


Barbara also showed us progress on  the latest batch of folding bookcases being built for us by Rand Hall's woodworking class at McKinleyville Middle School. We provide the bookcases to needy families to promote literacy.

Bert Campton of the Rotary Club of Eureka was on hand to encourage us to host members of the Friendship Exchange Team that will be in the area May 29-31. The group is from India, and it consists of five couples, one of which is bringing their 12 year old son. This is a reciprocal visit - a small group of District 5130 Rotarians visited India earlier this year. If you can help out, please contact Bert (or President Barbara). 

Exchange Student Mozara Abdalla was in Yosemite for the District Conference, and she told us that "it was fun, but I wasn't prepared for the snow". But she said that Yosemite was beautiful. She had a good time getting together with the other Exchangers. Barbara noted that when she asks Mozara what she did here and there, one of the first things Mozara usually answers relates to food. So the Word of the Day was "comer", Portuguese for "eat".

Awards and Honors (Part I)
As noted above, our Club won several awards at the District Conference. We were honored for our work in Community Service, International Service, and New Generations (Youth Service). We also received the All Five Avenues Award for providing service in all of the areas recognized and promoted by Rotary International. We also received the Presidential Citation and the Outstanding Club Honorable Mention.

Although he was not able to attend, Scott Heller was honored with a well-deserved Humanitarian Service Award. Congratulations, Scott!

Recognition
Karen Burgesser took to the podium to recognize Julie Schaefer. Julie had mentioned early on that she is not comfortable talking about herself, so Karen used a Q & A format for the recognition. Julie's husband Jim Huber was on hand, and Karen noted that he had shared the story of the anniversary of their first date at a meeting last month, but there was still plenty to talk about.

Julie has four daughters and six grandchildren. Karen spoke for all of us when she said, "I just look at her and say, 'No way!'". 

Julie told us that she earned her Small Business Certificate before attending beauty college. She said that both phases of her education proved valuable when she opened her own business - New Image Hair Studio and Spa. Julie said that her "unruly" hair inspired her to become a stylist. "I'm the only one in my whole family who has hair like mine," she noted. "Everyone else had really fine blonde hair." 

When asked what her hobbies are, Julie said that "we always seem to be fixer-uppers". She and Jim have been fixing up houses, "and not completing any of them, it seems like". She said that they love the outdoors and being on the river. 

Julie choked up a bit when she talked about the closing of the Korbel Mill. Jim worked there for 31 years, and it was  very important to their family.
 
Jim & Julie
When Julie was in her 40's, she learned the surprising news that she had a different biological father from her siblings. Her heritage is Mexican, which "is partly where that unruly hair comes from". She said that she was unaware of four other siblings in the neighborhood where she grew up. That revelation led to her visiting Project Amigo with President Barbara, which in turn brought her into our Club, for which we are all grateful.

History Day 2015
Last week, we were visited by four winners from this year's edition of History Day. This year's theme was Leadership and Legacy in History, which generated presentations, posters, and websites discussing a wide range of subjects, including Jackie Robinson, Rachel Carson, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Kai Hansen, a  fifth grader at Jacoby Creek School presented his individual poster, "Robert Oppenheimer: A Lasting Legacy". Eighth grader Chloe Stemler, also a Jacoby Creek student, was also a winner for her Junior Exhibit "The National Geographic Society". Hannah Burnett and Rowan Baker from Arcata High School were Senior Group Exhibit co-champions for "Andrew Jackson: Setting the Roots of Modern Democracy".

President Barbara presented all four young scholars with checks to help defray their costs as they travel to Rocklin for the statewide competition, which will be held this weekend (May 8-9). Good luck!

Chloe, Rowan, Hannah, and Kai with President Barbara