Volume XII, Issue 46: June 12, 2015

On The Calendar
June 20:  Oyster Festival Beer Booth
June 26: We are dark (no Friday Meeting)
July 3: We are dark (no Friday Meeting)
July 4RISE EVENT! - Arcata Plaza Fourth of July Celebration
July 10: Howard takes over!

Announcements
Last Friday, George Cavinta thanked all the Sunrisers who helped make the 2015 edition of Kids, Crabs, and Rotary a great success. And Barbara thanked him for organizing the event once again.

President Barbara also thanked Bob Johnson and Steve McHaney for hosting members of the first Rotary Friendship Exchange Team to visit our District. The Team hailed from India, which our own representatives visited earlier this year.

Many years ago, our Club providing funding for equipment and software for the "RUOK" Program. Seniors and those with limited mobility receive an automated phone call each day to check in. If the phone is answered, as it usually is, the system resets for that individual. If no one answers, the police are alerted, and they call the person's contact. If the situation cannot be resolved, the Fire Department is called. As part of the program, they have access to a lockbox at the home, and they enter to assess the situation, and provide help if needed. We received a thank-you letter from a senior who recently signed up for the program. He said that he has no relatives or close friends living in the area, and he appreciates that the RUOK program brings him "such peace of mind, and [may] perhaps save my life (and those of my pets, who are my family)."

Mozara Abdalla, our Exchange Student from Brazil, bid us "despedida" last Friday. She was a little tired from celebrating her graduation from Arcata High School the previous day (and night). Mozara planned to travel to New York with Julie Vaissade-Elcock and then she will join other Rotary Exchangers on the Western Safari Trip. She will be returning to Brazil after that. "Thank you so much for having me," she told us. "It was awesome."

Craft Talk
Last Friday, Claire Ajina took another step toward Blue Badge status by giving her Craft Talk. She started by telling us that she is the "fifth Cunningham child" - born in Eureka and raised in Arcata. Her parents divorced prior to her birth, and her mom was a single parent. "It was a big deal in our neighborhood," Claire said, "but I had no idea. It was kind of our normal."

Claire's father was the director of the testing center at Humboldt State, and he later was involved in IT at the school.
Claire Ajina
Her mother taught for thirty years, which led to a minor crisis when Claire reached kindergarten. "This is so confusing", read the caption on the class picture she showed. "Do I call her Mom, Teacher, or Mrs. Cunningham?"


Claire attended all local schools until college. Although she started and completed her Bachelor's Degree (in Child Development) and Master's Degree (in School Psychology) at Humboldt State, her college career included a stint at Fresno State. And although she grew up in Humboldt, she also lived in London for a while. Claire lost two of her sisters - Cynthia and Laura - when they were relatively young.

"Haider had hair when we first met," Claire noted, and she showed a photo to prove it. The caption asked, "Is there love at first sight? Why yes! There is!" They married in 1985, and they have three sons, Nyle, Zaid, and Hadi, who were born within four years between 1986 and 1990. In 1997, their daughter Alia was born. Claire said that her kids "played hard and grew up fast". Her family hosted an Exchange Student from Chile, and Alia is currently winding down a Rotary Exchange to Sweden. The family is has been hosting Mari Myllyniemi, who is on Exchange from Finland.

Claire has worked at St. Bernard High School and at Arcata High. She was also a Lecturer at HSU before she became the School Psychologist for the McKinleyville Union School District. She has also volunteered for various parent teacher organizations and as a Den Leader for the Cub Scouts. 

She has presented papers and given presentations on "Understanding Lyme Disease in School Age Children", and her thesis was based on her interest in "infusing mindfulness" in classrooms and throughout school populations. She said that she is pleased that her work allows her to put this concept into practice. She also appreciates being able to support the academic and socio-emotional development of the students in her district, while also supporting the teachers, staff, and parents at the schools. She feels that she practices "from a trauma-informed lens".


Flappy Birds??
President Barbara's time for giving out awards is coming to a close, but she wanted to acknowledge the support she has received from two former Club Presidents, so she created the "Wingman Award" for Bob Johnson and Scott Heller. Thanks from us, too!

Vocational Service Award 
Our Vocational Service Committee is making up for lost time! Last week, Jessica McKnight presented our second Vocational Service Award of the year to Elaine David, who will soon retire as the Director of Finance for the Area 1 Agency on Aging. Elaine was nominated by Sunriser Maggie Kraft. You may remember that Maggie returned early from her Peace Corps assignment in Botswana to serve as the A1AA's Executive Director. Friday, Maggie said that one of the reasons she was willing to head up the agency is that their books were "completely clean". That is directly attributable to Elaine's work.

As part of the award, our Club made Elaine a Paul Harris Fellow. In addition, donations were made in her name to the College and Career Center at Arcata High School and to the Area 1 Agency on Aging, to support her agency's work helping seniors in our community.
Jessica McKnight, Elaine David, Maggie Kraft, and President Barbara

"I'm so, so touched," Elaine said in accepting the award. "I've been on the perimeter of Rotary for many years, with people I've worked with ... so I'm aware of the good work that you do. It's pretty special to be recognized by a group that you admire." Well, it's a mutual admiration society for sure, Elaine - congratulations on a well-deserved recognition!

Dangers of BHO Processing
Sunriser Chris Jelinek was our Featured Speaker last Friday, and he taught us how to make hash oil. That wasn't his main goal, and the Sunrise Spirit will not be repeating his instructions, for obvious reasons. Chris's intent was to show how devastatingly dangerous processing hash oil can be.
Chris Jelinek (with Ron Sharp) 
Hash oil is concentrated tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical responsible for the psychoactive effects of marijuana. It is a resinous extract made by processing parts of marijuana plants. Chris made it clear that he wanted to avoid the politics of marijuana other than to say that he thinks that legalization for recreational use is likely, if not inevitable.


Although there are several methods for extracting hash oil, firefighters like Chris are most concerned about using butane as a solvent. Making butane hash oil (BHO) is dangerous because during the process, a single spark may ignite the volatile solvent, leading to a deadly explosion. Butane is popular because it is cheap and accessible.

Chris showed several slides demonstrating his point quite graphically. He also noted that it is all too easy for a firefighter who is inside a building fighting a blaze caused by a BHO explosion to get his or her gear caught in wires that remain after flexible venting has burned away.

Depending on its consistency, hash oil is known as honey, shatter, or wax, and its THC content ranges from about 65% up to 95%. This compares with a 15-25% THC content for local "bud". The product can be smoked, vaporized, or ingested.

As part of his "Ganja Roadshow", Chris brought with him the equipment needed to process BHO. The main portion consisted of several lengths of steel pipe. Portions of the marijuana plant are placed in the pipe and screened off from the output area. Butane is "blasted" through the pipe and it carries the concentrated THC to a separate container. When the butane evaporates, only hash oil remains. The free-floating butane is highly combustible, and when a large amount of BHO is processed, there is a lot of it in the air. Butane is heavier than air, and it can travel a long way to find an ignition source. This could be a water heater, a stove, or even the motor on a refrigerator. Chris said that the result is a flash fire that comes back to the source. These fires are intense, and often butane canisters that had not yet been used explode periodically during the fire, further endangering fire fighters.


Volume XII, Issue 45: June 5, 2015 - AHS Top Ten Percent

On The Calendar
June 12-13SWOT Project!!! Painting the Night Shelter
June 20:  Oyster Festival Beer Booth
June 26: We are dark (no Friday Meeting)
July 3: We are dark (no Friday Meeting)
July 4RISE EVENT! - Arcata Plaza Fourth of July Celebration

Announcements
Last Friday, we welcomed the Academic Top Ten Percent of Arcata High School's Class of 2015. President Barbara discussed Rotary in general and our Club specifically, mentioning some of our recent accomplishments. When she talked about the previous weekend's "Kids, Crabs, and Rotary" event, Barbara also noted that Mozara threw out the first pitch of the game. 

Barbara also took a moment to thank Karen Burgesser for her work organizing the special meeting. Karen received the Rotary Angel award for taking the initiative to set things up when Barbara was called out of town unexpectedly. 
Barbara's Opening Remarks

Presenting the Top 10%
Arcata High School Principal Dave Navarre introduced each member of this year's academic top achievers, and he read a message from each of the 20 students. Click below to watch his presentation:
Dave Navarre presents the AHS Top Ten Percent

RCAS Scholarship Winners
President Barbara noted that we had many deserving scholarship applicants this year. So many, in fact, that we presented awards to seven students! Here is a list:
  • The $4,000 multi-year scholarship was awarded to Olivia Reynolds, who is a member of the AHS Interact Club and who attended RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) in 2014. Olivia will attend Cal State East Bay in the fall. 
  • Morgan Johnson received a $1,000 scholarship, and she plans to attend UC Berkeley, majoring in Political Science.
  • Another $1,000 scholarship was given to Dylan Martin. She will be at Brown University next fall, with a multi-disciplinary major.
  • Mariah Lewis also received $1,000. She will be at San Diego State University in the fall, majoring in Liberal Studies.
  • The last of the $1,000 scholarships was presented to Kush Rawal, who will be attending Cucamonga Community College in San Diego in the fall.
  • Ryan Ghisetti was awarded a $500 scholarship, which he will help him attend UCLA in the fall, where he plans to major in Dance. 
  • Ruby Dickinson also received a $500 scholarship. She plans to major in Biochemistry at Your Editor's alma mater - San Francisco State University.
The video link below shows the scholarship presentations, and it features Olivia discussing her RYLA and Interact experiences.
Scholarship Winners

Your Decisions Matter
Last week's Featured Speaker was Dr. Peg Blake, HSU's Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. In the video below, she tells the students (and us) how each decision we make changes our lives from that point forward.
Peg Blake on the Importance of Decisions

Volume XII, Issue 44: May 29, 2015 - Final Friday!

On The Calendar
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
Bryan Plumley brought his son Kyle and his daughter Kate to last week's meeting. He told us that Kate would be performing that weekend in Bayside Ballet's production of "Swan Lake". It was her first en pointe performance!
Tri-Lo-Bike

President Barbara recognized Steve McHaney for his efforts in the recent Kinetic Sculpture Race. He and his crew rode the "Tri-Lo-Bike" to fame and awards - Most Improved, Most Resurrected, and (despite a broken differential) Best Engineering. Congratulations!

BOOM!!!
Exchange Student Mozara Abdalla enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. She watched the Kinetic Sculpture Race, and helped her American best friend celebrate her birthday. President Barbara showed a video from Facebook showing Mozara doing some target shooting with her host brothers. This led to her Word of the Day - "arma", which means "gun" or "firearm". 

President Barbara provided an update on our Club's contribution to the efforts to help the Nepalese people recover from the devastating earthquakes of the last two months. She said that we have made a donation in conjunction with the Napa Rotary Club to help purchase bucket packs for displaced people. The packs contain food, books, and stationery for kids, among other things. 

Our final Sunrise Selfies screening of Barbara's year took place last Friday, and there were a lot of them. All participants were eligible for the drawing for $100 in Paul Harris credit, which was won by Susan Jansson.

Barbara reminded us that next Friday's meeting will honor the top ten percent of the Arcata High School Class of 2015.  

Scott Heller's parents had a tradition of making a donation to a worthy cause each year, and they would give much thought to determining what group or groups to help. Although Scott's father Doug passed away not long ago, his mother is carrying on the tradition. This year, she made donations to our Arcata Sunrise Community Foundation and to the Rotary Foundation. Thank you, Mary Heller!

Awards Season Part XXII (?)
President Barbara presented an award to Terri Clark, who has shepherded us to (and beyond) our goals for contributions to the Rotary Foundation this year. The first goal was achieving "Every Rotarian, Every Year" status, which means that each member of our Club donated at least $10 to the Rotary Foundation this year. Our other goal was to reach $11,500 in donations to the Foundation this year. By the time the dust settled on our Fantastic Final Friday Foundation Auction (see below), we had made it! Thanks to all of you, and thank you Terri, for continuing to remind us how important our Foundation contributions are.





Final Friday Foundation Auction Results
It was our last Foundation Auction of Barbara's presidential year, and Sunrisers were once again generous - both in providing prizes and in their bidding for those goodies. Here's what was on the auction block:
  • Julie Vaissade-Elcock donated a Hawaii-themed wine and cheese basket, featuring a surfboard-shaped cutting board. Terri Clark was the winning bidder.
  • Dustin Littlefield discovered the Hobgoblin drink while doing research for our Spring Fundraiser earlier this year. He donated a Hobgoblin Basket, with all the fixin's for a DIY party. Ron Sharp and Barbara Browning selected those spirits (pun intended).
  • Scott Heller provided (and demonstrated, sorta) his donation of a dinner for four at his home, but not at his home. It was a very movable feast, which included leg of lamb, garlic, green beans, brie, a baguette, champagne, Pinot Noir, almond cake, and port. (Be sure to reduce the port for the port reduction sauce.) Maggie Kraft got all that, with full instructions and/or Scott's cell number.
  • Tom Tellez donated an excellent 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from Jordan Winery. The winning bid was made by Lori Breyer.
  • A "Teardrop Weekend" - the use of a Teardrop Trailer for use at a Humboldt County park - was donated by Craig Newman. Charlie Jordan picked up that offer quickly!
  • Lisa Hemphill provided a beautiful necklace - a pearl on a gold chain. Be watching - Janice Newman will probably wear it to a meeting in the near future. 
  • Claire Ajina donated a series of books to introduce a newbie to the world of scrapbooking. Terri Clark was the winner, and she will be preserving her memories soon.
  • A Rotary art piece and some whiskey (with extras) was the prize from Bryan Reeser. President Barbara (and Ron Sharp) walked off with that one!
  • Orrin Plocher crafted a work of kitchen art for the auction. It was a grouping of handmade utensils that hangs on the wall, but each part can be used, washed, and re-hung! The winning bidder was Janice Newman.
  • Five dozen home-grown eggs were donated by Kyle Visser. John Gullam was the winner, but I don't know whether he put them all in one basket. I do know that a second batch was purchased by Julie Vaissade-Elcock.
  • Praj White provided some wine. Unfortunately, I missed any and all details. I do know that Alyson Hunter was the wine winner.
  • A special bourbon collection was donated by Bryan Plumley. Jeff Munther will be sippin' that hootch soon.
  • Mozara's parents, Vanessa and Robson Abdalla, donated a bottle of Brazilian wine, which was purchased by Julie Vaissade-Elcock.
  • A t-shirt from the First Women's World Spearfishing Championship was offered by Brandi Easter. Terri Clark made the winning bid.
  • Chris Hemphill donated a bottle of wine, and once again I have no specifics. The high bid was made by Ed Christians.

As previously noted, the auction brought in enough (actually, more than enough) to push us over our Foundation giving goal for Barbara's year. The total take from Friday's auction was $2,130! Thanks again to all who have donated and purchased this year - you're helping the Rotary Foundation make our world a better place!