Volume XIII, Issue 16: October 23, 2015

Coming Distractions ...
Oct 30 - Pumpkin Carving Contest (at our regular spooky meeting). Bring your creepily carved creation!
Oct 30 - Arcata Sunrise K-8 Cross-Country Championships at the Arcata Community Center 
Oct 30/31 - RISE EVENT -  Lost Coast Rotaract's 5th Annual "Spirits & Spirits" in Old Town - Three tours each night!! (The RCAS group will take the 7 pm tour on Friday.)
Nov 7 - RISE EVENT - Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir's "Harvest Concert" at the Arcata Presbyterian Church - 7 pm
Nov 14 - RISE EVENT - Foundation Dinner North in Ferndale - "An Evening in the Enchanted Forest"
Nov 19 - A Taste of the Holidays at the Arcata Community Center  
Dec 5 - RISE EVENT - Christmas Caroling for Arts Alive in Old Town Eureka
Dec 10-12 - The Jerry Paul Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament (AIBT) at Arcata High School 

Sunriser Shorts  

• Participants in our Transitional Youth Program took a field trip last week. They visited Sun Valley Floral Farms and learned about the program there - the largest in the world. Their other meeting last week focused on Information Technology careers.
• President Howard reiterated that the La Trinidad Microcredit Project is "definitely a go", and he said that over 30 Sunrisers and others have expressed an interest in participating in the trip to the area in the spring, which will probably take place in late April. Howard said that the project could last as long as ten years.
• Ron Sharp reminded us to continue selling tickets for A Taste of the Holidays. Also, keep gathering those raffle prizes. 
• Also keep the Backpacks for Kids program in mind - the SignupGenius emails are circulating.
• Members of the North Bay Rotaract Club were on hand to solicit recipes for this year's edition of their cookbook. District Rotaract Representative Ashliegh Diehl noted that the book will state that it is "a Cookbook by our Rotary Family", so she encourages us all to contribute. The proceeds will go to the End Polio Now campaign. To submit your recipe, please click on this item.
• Nominations are still open for the Vocational Service Award. Please contact Jessica McKnight if you would like to put forward a name. Nominees should not currently be Rotarians, but should exemplify Rotary ideals in their approach to their careers.
• The K-8 Cross-Country Championships will take place this Friday, October 30th. Rebecca Crow said that Sunriser Support is needed from about 3:30 pm, to help out on the course, and to present awards to the runners.
• We recently lost an important member of our Rotary family. Many of us knew Steve Brodhag, both because he was the beloved husband of Sunriser Rina Brodhag, and because he was a strong, fun presence in our community - as a Rotarian as as a Realtor. Steve attended our events, and the costumes he and Rina wore to our Spring Fundraisers were great. There will be a Celebration of Steve's Life at the Eureka Elks Lodge on Sunday, November 1st at 2 pm. Our hearts are with Rina and her family.

Sophia's Stories  
Our Exchange Student from Sweden, Sophia Waern-Bugge, went to San Francisco recently, for the Rotary Youth Exchange "Bluesbuster Weekend". She is looking forward to returning sometime soon. 

Sophia said that last week was Homecoming Week at Arcata High. She told us that it was a new experience for her, and a lot of fun.


World Community Service Update - Part 2 
John Gullam continued his update from the previous Friday. He said that his Committee is supporting the efforts of Rebecca Aalto to provide family planning information to women in Afghanistan. Rebecca spoke to our Club on August 7th on this topic, which was covered in the Sunrise Spirit. John accompanied her when she spoke to the Ferndale Rotary, and he implied that it was an interesting experience speaking to that group about family planning in the Middle East. "There weren't a lot of questions," he said. Our Club has pledged $3,000 which earned a $1,000 match from the District. 

The Committee is also planning to fund a housing program for former child soldiers in Liberia. This project came from one of President Howard's former students, and the goals include helping these young people develop farming skills. Finally, Backpacks for the Philippines is another potential project in the pipeline. 


Recognition
Lynda Moore is a Charter Sunriser, and she was recognized by Joyce Hinrichs last Friday. Lynda grew up in Ukiah, which was "a great place to grow up." Her stay-at-home mom was very involved in all of Lynda's activities - from school to Campfire Girls and swimming. Her father was a distributor of Borden's dairy products. Their refrigerator was full of popsicles, which made their house the most popular hangout in the summer. Summer was also the busy season for her dad, so the rest of the family (including her brother, who was born when Lynda was ten) would spend much of that time at Clear Lake or Blue Lake.

Her parents encouraged her to be involved with her community. At 16, she volunteered one afternoon each week at a local mental hospital. She would visit patients in the geriatric ward, which was an educational experience. After she graduated from high school, Lynda worked in the medical records department of the hospital as a transcriptionist. 

Lynda moved to Arcata to attend Humboldt State, where she majored in Health and Physical Education. She enjoyed various sports, so she gravitated towards becoming a PE teacher. One semester teaching PE at the elementary school level, followed by a semester teaching at the college level showed her that teaching was not for her.

Lynda paid her own way through college, working in many departments as a Student Assistant. Her mother had insisted that she learn to type and take shorthand, which put her in great demand. Over time, she took a position in the HSU Personnel Office. She enjoyed the field and stayed there for a while, becoming Assistant Personnel Officer in 1979, and Human Resources Director in 1992. She added the title (and duties) of Director of Risk Management in 2004. She said, "It was a great career, and one of the best I could have had ... and with no idea I would do that when I was younger." She always tells young people to keep their eyes open - you never know what you're going to see. 

Lynda married Mike Moore in 1985. They had been friends earlier, but when they reconnected, it really stuck! They have three wonderful nieces, and four grandnieces and one grandnephew. Lynda and Mike love animals; their pets have included cats, dogs, and even a cow! For ten years, they commuted to Arcata from Willow Creek before purchasing a home and ten acres above Blue Lake. 

She has always been a traveler. Her first major excursion was a trip to Europe with college friends. She has returned many times since, mostly visiting England, Ireland, France, and Spain. 

In the early years of their marriage, Lynda and Mike spent a lot of time at Trinity Lake, camping and water skiing. They also participated in local softball leagues. And Lynda still loves sports. Ten years ago, she talked three friends into training for and running a marathon. Although none of the four were distance runners at the time (less than six months before the event!), they all finished. Lynda also enjoys golfing, participating in Pilates and other forms of conditioning, and just being outdoors. She is currently taking a drawing class, to exercise her mind as well!

In addition to her service as a Sunriser, Lynda has volunteered in other arenas:

• She was the foreperson of the County Grand Jury in 1986-1987, which reviewed the Child Welfare Services department, among other things. Due in large part to the Grand Jury's findings, the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program came to Humboldt County. Lynda was the Founding President.
• She has participated in, and served as President of, Humboldt Sponsors. The group is dedicated to raising funds to help the needs of Humboldt County youth.
• Lynda has served on the Board of Directors for St. Joseph's Hospital.
• She is currently involved with our Club's Transitional Youth program.

Joyce concluded by saying that "Lynda said that she has been very fortunate and lucky, but I would say that we are the lucky ones, to have Lynda among us, leading by example".


Explore Rotary!
Last week, our Featured Speaker was our District Governor, Erin Dunn. But President Howard didn't let her speak right away - a musical interlude was provided by our Club's own "Sonny and the Sunrisers":

When that failed to scare off Erin, Sunriser (and Assistant District Governor) Lori Breyer introduced the Governor of District Five-One-Three-Oh-Woh. Erin is a member of the Rotary Club of Fortuna Sunrise, and she is the CEO of the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce. 

Erin grew up in Oregon, and graduated from the University of Oregon. From there, she went on to stints in Washington, D.C. and New York City, where she was a Theatrical Press Agent. One of her first jobs in the field was at the Kennedy Center.

After moving to the North Coast, Erin joined the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary. She served as Club President in 2007-2008 - the same year that Lori was our Club's President! In 2010, DG Kirk Brown (aka "Captain Kirk") named Erin the District 5130 Rotarian of the Year. Erin's motto for this year is "Explore Rotary", and Lori said that she has lived up to that idea for quite some time - she's hosted Exchange Students, she's served on District Committees, she's been involved in Rotoplast, in addition to many other Rotary projects. Outside of Rotary, she serves on the Board of Directors for both the McLean Foundation and Redwood Memorial Hospital.

Erin's partner, Ross Rowley, is the President-Elect of the Fortuna Sunrise Rotary. The couple has a pair of Boston Terriers who keep them on their toes. 

Here is the video of DG Erin's presentation to our Club:

As part of her presentation, Erin awarded the Shining Star Award to a very deserving Sunriser - Claire Ajina. She joined our Club in March, and she has had a big impact since then. Congratulations, Claire!!!

Volume XIII, Issue 15: October 16, 2015

Coming Soon ...
Oct 22/23 - District Governor Erin Dunn visits our Club (officially!). Thursday night Board Meeting and Social, Friday Morning Club Meeting.
Oct 23 - World Polio Day! For more information, please click here
Oct 30 - Pumpkin Carving Contest (at our regular spooky meeting). Bring your creepily carved creation!
Oct 30 - Arcata Sunrise K-8 Cross-Country Championships at the Arcata Community Center 
Oct 30/31 - RISE EVENT -  Lost Coast Rotaract's 5th Annual "Spirits & Spirits" in Old Town - Three tours each night!! (The RCAS group will take the 7 pm tour on Friday.)
Nov 14 - RISE EVENT - Foundation Dinner North in Ferndale - "An Evening in the Enchanted Forest"
Nov 19 - A Taste of the Holidays at the Arcata Community Center  
Dec 5 - RISE EVENT - Christmas Caroling for Arts Alive in Old Town Eureka
Dec 10-12 - The Jerry Paul Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament (AIBT) at Arcata High School 

Rotarian News 

• There's been a lot of Sunriser Sightings recently -  There was a good turnout for the RCAS HSU Homecoming Tailgate Party, for example. In addition to the hot dogs and burgers on the grill, there was a lot going on in the parking lot. We gave a well-deserved round of applause to Romi Hitchcock Tinseth for organizing our RISE (Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone) Events.
  
•  Last Thursday, our Club had strong representation at the dedication of the remodeled Arcata Firehouse. Karen Burgesser told us that the event was very inspiring. As you can see from the dedication plaque below, our contribution to the project was much appreciated. 
  
• Barbara Browning reported that the most recent session of our Transitional Youth Meetings went well. She said there was a great turnout, but she wasn't privy to the content, as she was babysitting for one of the participants. Jessica McKnight noted that the panels set up by Jim Ritter and Humboldt Live! are very interesting - the young people get to talk with various professionals, who share how they got where they are.
• President Howard reminded us that we will be hosting District Governor Erin Dunn next week. Thursday evening, she will meet with our Board and Committee Chairs; the following morning, she will be our Featured Speaker. Our official 2015-2016 Club Portrait will follow, out on the Plaza (accompanied by unofficial Sunriser Bill McKinley). There is a rumor that there may be a live musical performance on tap, as well ... we'll see (or hear).
• A Taste of the Holidays is fast approaching. Please sell those tickets and gather them thar raffle prizes. Co-chairs Ron Sharp and Ray Noggle said that the cleanup situation seems to be in hand, and you can find a letter to potential prize donors and participants on the Resource Page of the RCAS website. Barbara Browning sent an email showing the makeup of the prize teams for the year. (lease note that this will be your team through the Spring Fundraiser, as well.) For TOTH, each team is expected to come up with at least two raffle prizes, valued at $50 or more each. We need to have the prizes secured by November 6th.
• Please continue to check your email for Signup Genius notices for our Backpacks for Kids program. The biggest need, according to John Gullam, is in transporting the packages to Arcata Elementary and Trillium Schools following our meetings. That takes about 30 minutes, so please help if you can.
• Let Scott Heller know how you feel about the recent changes to the breakfast offerings at our meetings. The menu adjustments will help keep our per-meeting price at the current $10. Your feedback is appreciated.
• We were anticipating a visit by graduates of the Cambodia Academy in November, but that has been postponed. The visa applications for the students who planned to visit were unexpectedly rejected. They plan to re-apply, but their visit will be delayed until at least March or April.

Sophia's Week  
Sophia Waern-Bugge said that she's been in Arcata for two months already. The time has gone by "really fast" for our Exchange Student from Sweden. 


She said that she participated in the HSU Tailgate Party, but noted that "I've never been to a party like that", but she had fun. Another new experience was visiting a pumpkin patch. "We don't have those at all," she told us. She learned how to pick out a pumpkin, and she said that selecting one at the patch was a lot more fun than buying one at the store. 

Later in the day, she was headed for San Francisco, and she was very excited about that. I'm sure we'll hear her report soon!

Costa Rica Microcredit Project Update 
Pablo Elizondo, better known as "Chespi", is the Executive Director of Costa Rica Bird Observatory. He is also a member of the Club Rotario San Jose Noreste in Costa Rica - the host Club for the La Trinidad Microcredit/Infrastructure Improvement project that our Clubs are co-sponsoring along with the Rotary Club of Arcata Noon and the North Bay Rotaract Club.  

Chespi provided an update on the project, which he said is "definitely changing the lives of the people up in the highlands of Costa Rica", and he thanked our Club for our participation. He said that this project allows us all to "do good while having fun", a theme that carried through his presentation.

Pablo is a native of the area, so he is very familiar with the challenges faced by the local families. He is pleased that this project will establish real connections between the villages of the highlands and the Rotarians and Rotaractors in San Jose and Humboldt County. 

The village of La Trinidad has a school, a community center, and access into the area. Pablo told us that there are limited economic opportunities there, however, and many families are limited to subsisting on small farms. The highlands are rich in biodiversity, with many species that are endemic to the area. 

"Chespi" Elizondo

The project will establish a microcredit lending program, to provide seed capital for family businesses. Our Clubs are raising a total of $30,000 for this phase. The loans will be managed by credit committees, a model that has proven successful in other locations. Oversight for the project will be provided by Rotary in conjunction with FIDERPAC, a Costa Rican NGO with 30 years of expertise in this type of program.

Chespi said that several hands-on projects are being developed, which will allow Rotarians who travel to the area to meet the locals, and provide assistance while having fun. Part of the overall project will be to invest in infrastructure, with the goal of providing high-speed internet to the area, which will help with both commerce and education.

Committee Report 
John Gullam gave an update from the World Community Service Committee, which turned out to be a bit of a cliffhanger - since so much is going on with the international side of our Club, we will hear more in the coming weeks. But for now, John reminded us that the Committee meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 am at the Golden Harvest Cafe, if you would like to participate or if you have a project idea to share. 

The first project John shared is one that we are working on in conjunction with Dr. Andrew Hooper. Dr. Hooper has been traveling to Haiti since the major earthquake that occurred there in 2010. He told the committee of the need for educational materials for children in that country, and our Club has pledged $3,500 to purchase textbooks and workbooks. Since Dr. Hooper will be working directly with the publisher, he will be able to maximize the impact of our contribution, providing materials to about 160 kids.

The other project that John talked about is the Shoe That Grows. This program was begun by Kenton Lee, a pastor in Nampa, Idaho who is also a Rotarian. While in Kenya, he noticed that a young girl was wearing shoes that were several sizes too small. They had been cut open to accommodate her growth, but her toes still extended beyond the soles. Pastor Lee developed the idea of making a shoe that could be adjusted as a child's feet grew. The Shoe That Grows was the result. The shoes help protect children from diseases and parasites that can enter their systems through unprotected feet. Our Club donated $1,000, which was matched by District 5130. That $2,000 will provide shoes for 135 children. Brenda Bishop, who alerted the Committee to the program, brought two pairs in for us to look at. The shoes are very durable and functional.


Approaching Zero (Waste) 
Maggie Gainer has been working in economic development for most of her career. She is on the board of Zero Waste Humboldt, an organization that seeks to develop solutions for businesses and individuals in our region, to help them reduce the amount of waste they generate. 

Maggie said that there has been an over-emphasis on recycling since the first Earth Day in 1970. She argues that this has led us to feel that this step is sufficient. However, recycling can lead to a complacency that has led us to create more waste per person in our country. 

She told us that the solution can be found "upstream", by making waste prevention our priority. if we can avoid creating waste products in the first place, we will not have to deal with them later. Many items are difficult or expensive to recycle, and if those can be avoided, the waste stream is reduced at the outset.

Maggie Gainer

Zero waste is based on a set of international principles. It is comprehensive, combining prevention, reuse of materials, portion sizing, composting, and food digestion. To the degree possible, recovered materials are reused locally, and the process should be monitored to ensure that the data support the efficiency of the entire effort. 

The three main services provided by Zero Waste Humboldt are public education, including providing demonstration models; advocacy and policy development; and providing training and technical assistance. Maggie said that the last aspect has become leadership training, as the participants gain confidence in their abilities to work collaboratively with various community members. 

The group is developing an online guide to help businesses and event organizers analyze potential purchases, to determine the environmental impact of each alternative. They are also partnering with the City of Eureka to reduce purchases of plastic water bottles by providing "Refill Not Landfill" refilling stations for reusable containers. 

Maggie said that the organization seeks to ask difficult questions about waste issues. She encourages people to establish baselines for their waste production. If you are recycling more, is it because you are generating more total waste? She wants us all to avoid products provided in single-use containers, and to emphasize prevention. And when we can't avoid single-use containers, we should avoid plastics and seek out paper that can decompose (without coatings, chemical additives, or bleach). We should also purchase products made with recycled content.

On October 29th, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Zero Waste Humboldt will present "Food Waste Solutions" as part of its Zero Waste Solutions Series. The program will be held at the Humboldt Area Foundation, and more information can be found at the Zero Waste Humboldt website.


Recognition  
Dustin Littlefield recognized Nick Torres last Friday. Nick was born in Fresno in 1983. He has an older sister and a younger brother, three stepsisters and "a lot of nephews and nieces". Nick remembers that his grandmother's house often smelled of tortillas and menudo (the soup, not the boy band ... I'm pretty sure).

When Nick's mother remarried, the family moved to the foothills just outside the city, where he "learned a whole new way of life" - he learned to raise animals for food, he built buildings for animals and for storage, and he developed good mechanical skills. 

In 2001, following his high school graduation, Nick decided to join the Marine Corps. The choice was very meaningful for him. Following the events of 9/11 Nick began ground combat training, where he became an Amphibious Assault Vehicle Operator, running a vehicle the size of a tank. The job was difficult, with long hours of maintenance and repair, but Nick's vehicle - "The Hog" - performed well. It's top speed was 8 miles per hour. 

Nick thrived in the field training, since it allowed him to develop his leadership skills. He also had the opportunity to train military representatives from Spain and Thailand in amphibious vehicle operations. 

Nick's sister, Angelica, said that Nick loves music, and his taste is eclectic. That made road trips a blast, she said, and he knows all the words. She said that Nick loves microbreweries, and he enjoys traveling. Wherever he goes, he embraces the local culture, and quickly becomes a local. "Nick is an awesome brother," Angelica said. "He really is so easygoing, and he fits right in and makes quick friends. Anyone who knows Nick knows that he's not an overly sentimental guy, but he's extremely generous with his time, his resources, and his dedication. He's had so many experiences that conversations are effortless, and he usually has some fine story that keeps everyone smiling and keeps the conversation going."

Nick also loves Spanish cinema, which helped inspire his career as a translator. We are happy to have Nick as a fellow Sunriser!

Volume XIII, Issue 14: October 9, 2015

Coming Soon ...
Oct 22/23 - District Governor Erin Dunn visits our Club (officially!). Thursday night Board Meeting and Social, Friday Morning Club Meeting.
Oct 23 - World Polio Day! For more information, please click here
Oct 30 - Pumpkin Carving Contest (at our regular spooky meeting). Bring your creepily carved creation!
Oct 30 - Arcata Sunrise K-8 Cross-Country Championships at the Arcata Community Center

Oct 30/31 - RISE EVENT -  Lost Coast Rotaract's 5th Annual "Spirits & Spirits" in Old Town - Three tours each night!! (The RCAS group will take the 7 pm tour on Friday.)
Nov 14 - RISE EVENT - Foundation Dinner North in Ferndale - "An Evening in the Enchanted Forest"
Nov 19 - A Taste of the Holidays at the Arcata Community Center 
Dec 5 - RISE EVENT - Christmas Caroling for Arts Alive in Old Town Eureka
Dec 10-12 - The Jerry Paul Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament (AIBT) at Arcata High School 

Rotarian News 

• Ceva Courtemanche is back from her leave of absence! He took some time away from Rotary to completely renovate and remodel Hensel's Ace Hardware. Be sure to stop in and check it out!

• As usual, we supported Northcoast Children's Services by sponsoring one of the Pastels on the Plaza. However, there was a twist this year - one of the two artists from the Arcata Arts Institute was Rotary "Kid" Janie Mendosa. She worked with Annika Mauro to come up with the great panel shown below:

Thanks, Janie and Annika!







•  Sunrisers showed up to support the North Bay Rotaract Team at the recent CASA Kids Walk! Thanks to Dustin Littlefield, Joyce Hinrichs, and Romi Hitchcock Tinseth for representing our Club, and helping the Rotaractors raise over $1,300 for a great cause!
• The Transitional Youth program, which we present in conjunction with Jim Ritter and the Humboldt Live! program, is underway. Coordinator Ceva Courtemanche said that we are trying to improve the program each year. If you haven't responded to the SignUpGenius request yet, please consider doing so. There's still a need for people to provide food for meetings, and there may be additional opportunities to volunteer to provide child care.
• Alberto Taylor of the Rotary Club of Arcata (Noon) is "leading the charge" to bring the Costa Rica Microcredit Program to fruition. RCAS is co-sponsoring the project along with the Nooners, the North Bay Rotaract Club, and the Club Rotario San Josè Noreste. The initial goal is to provide small loans to family businesses in the La Trinidad area. A second phase, involving infrastructure improvements, is planned for future years. President Howard said that there will be an opportunity for members of our Clubs to travel to Costa Rica in the spring, to get a first-hand look at the villages in the area. Watch for more information. 
• A Taste of the Holidays is less than six weeks away! Thus spake co-chairs Ron Sharp and Ray Noggle. The magical date is Thursday, November 19th. As of press time, we do not have a group of athletes to provide a cleanup crew, so be thinking about volunteering for that activity. If you attended last Friday's meeting, you received your initial bundle of ten tickets, but more are available for those who need them. Ron said that we need to be focusing on three things right now - selling tickets, deciding how we each want to participate, and collecting raffle items (which should be ready to go no later than November 6th).
• Barbara Browning said that we are going to organize dinners with HSU students over the Thanksgiving break. Last year, many of us were surprised to learn that a number of students at the college suffer food insecurity. This is exacerbated during school breaks; although the dorms are open, there is no meal service during those times. We are asking Sunrisers to open their homes for a meal for two or more students during the holiday week. (We plan an encore for winter break.) Please consider hosting these students during these times.
• President Howard reminded us that Erin Dunn, District 5130 Governor, will be making her official visit soon. She will meet with the Board and Committee Chairs on Thursday October 22nd in the evening, and she will address our regular meeting the following morning. After the meeting, we will head out to visit President McKinley for our official photo.

Sophia's Week
Our Exchange Student from Sweden, Sophia Waern-Bugge, told us that the AHS Cross-Country team won its most recent meet. She also said that she attended a symphony concert. She told us that she has "into drawing lately", and she showed a very nice sketch of her friend Margaret. 

Sophia attended the Arcata Noon Rotary, and she was asked to draw the raffle ticket. So she drew her own! 

Finally, she said that about 15 or so Exchange Students met in Eureka. She said, "I met a Swedish girl there, and that made my day!"

Committee Report
Rebecca Crow provided a report from the Youth Activities Committee. The Committee is chaired by George Cavinta, and the other members are Dustin Littlefield, Bryan Reeser, and Joyce Hinrichs.

Rebecca said that the highlights for the coming year include the Cross-Country Championships, which will be held on the last Friday of this month; the Jerry Paul Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament (AIBT), scheduled for December 10-12; Kids, Crabs, & Rotary, which takes place in June; Special Olympics Bocce Ball sponsorship; the Dictionaries for Third Graders, in early 2016; and the Foster Family Dinner, which will be served on December 3rd.


Special Daze
We breezed through the birthdays and anniversaries segment of the meeting, but we did recognize Ian Schatz for his birthday on September 20th. He initially struggled to recall the events of the day, but he acknowledged that it was a "nice day". Terri Clark and Romi Hitchcock Tinseth share a birthday - August 4th - although Terri (and maybe Romi, too) embraces the Arcata Sunrise "Birthmonth" tradition. Romi spent her birthday with her family, noting that Rotary has made a world traveler out of her daughter Zoë.

Jeff Stebbins and his wife Rachel Chandler celebrated their September 6th anniversary with a breakfast on the Plaza. Karen and Steve Burgesser's 43rd anniversary activities included a quiet dinner on September 9th. Bob and Sue Johnson were on the banks of the Trinity River on September 20th for their 35th anniversary. Terri Clark and Marty Lay are only about two years behind - their 33rd anniversary was August 21st, and they spent the day at the Hunter, Hunter, and Hunt annual summer outing. 


We Are This Close
District Governor Nominee Bob Rogers was our Featured Speaker last Friday, and he discussed Rotary's role in the fight to eradicate polio. As a polio survivor, Bob has first-hand knowledge of the disease. 

"You guys rock," he said. "I can't believe all the things that you are doing! It wore me out just listening to all that you do." He pointed out that the power of our organization comes when the things we are able to do as individuals is multiplied when we come together as a Rotary Club.

Bob told us that he was in Victoria, B.C. last year, attending the Rotary Institute. At one of the plenary sessions, the speaker - Ramesh Ferris - was announced, but no one saw anyone at the podium, which remained unoccupied for a while. As the audience was wondering who had made the scheduling error, or if Ramesh was late in arriving, there was a commotion at one end of the hall. Ramesh, a polio survivor, was making his way to the stage by crawling. "In that room of 500 Rotarians," Bob said, "you could have heard a pin drop. We were all silently cheering him on." When he reached the stage, he sat beside the podium and introduced himself. The room exploded into a thunderous ovation. 

Ramesh told the group that he had contracted polio as an infant in India. Although the preventive vaccine had been discovered 25 years before he was born in 1979, but like many in India, he went unvaccinated. The disease disabled Ramesh to the point where his mother was unable to care for him, so she reluctantly placed him in an orphanage. He was adopted by a couple from Canada about a year later.

As Ramesh grew, he used leg braces, crutches, and walkers to get around. He would check to see how long it took him to get from his home to the fire hydrant on the corner. Initially, it took him 45 minutes - one way. 

Twenty-five years later, Ramesh was a strong young man, with the exception of his legs. Now, when he walked to the hydrant, it only took him two minutes - with only braces on one arm brace and one leg. This drive is what propelled him on his mission to raise awareness of polio. He decided to hand-cycle across Canada, talking to anyone who would listen, encouraging them to join the fight to end polio. He completed the 174-day ride across Canada, raising $310,000 in the process, and he continues to work for polio eradication.

Polio has been around for a long time. Bob showed a picture of an Egyptian hieroglyphic that showed a Pharaoh with a withered leg and staff. The first recorded outbreak occurred in 1894 in Vermont - there were 132 cases, and 27 children died. In 1916-1917, a massive national outbreak of 27,000 cases, with 6,000 fatalities. About 2,000 of those deaths occurred in New York City. The most recent epidemic in the U.S. took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Many parents would not let their children go to the movies, drink from public fountains, or swim in public pools, fearing that their kids would contract polio. By 1952 there were 57,628 cases in this country, resulting in over 3,000 deaths. Worldwide, there were about half a million cases, with about ten percent of those resulting in deaths.

The poliovirus attacks the central nervous system, affecting neurological signals to muscles. If leg muscles are attacked, the disease leads to atrophy and the ability to walk is compromised. If respiratory muscles are targeted, the victims are often unable to breathe without assistance. In the 1950s, many polio patients were placed in iron lungs that helped them breathe.

Bob feels that he "dodged a bullet". He said, "I have one leg shorter than the other, and other than that, I've had a normal life. I'm very lucky." He was a five-year-old at a picnic when he was found under a table, crying because his legs hurt. The next morning, he was unable to get up. He was diagnosed with polio, and taken to the hospital. He was there for about three weeks, isolated from his brother and sister (although he could wave to them from his third floor window). His leg was wrapped with steaming hot woolen blankets, and the nurse would move it through the full normal range of motion. 

President Howard with Bob Rogers and Bob's wife Peggy

In 1954, Dr. Jonas Salk developed an injectable vaccine. This was followed in 1961 by the oral polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Albert Sabin. A massive campaign was launched in the U.S. to vaccinate children. Often, the oral vaccine was delivered as a drop on a sugar cube. By 1979, this country was polio-free. Not so for much of the rest of the world. In stepped Rotary International. 

Clem Renouf was the Rotary International President in 1978-1979. He was seeking a project that would leverage Rotary's large membership to really make a lasting difference in the world. He wanted something that all Rotarians could support and participate in. Dr. Benny Santos of the Philippines said that, if Rotary would supply sufficient vaccine, he would ensure that all 6 million children in his country would be inoculated. This led to the concept that polio could be eradicated worldwide. 

The gauntlet was taken up, and 1984-1985 RI President Carlos Canseco set a target of eradicating polio by 2005 - Rotary's 100th anniversary. The immediate (and daunting) goal was to raise $120 million by 1985 for the project. Rotary being the force that it is raised more than double their goal - a total of $247 million was donated to the effort. 

The organizers approached the World Health Organization, offering nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to eradicate polio, and a worldwide network of volunteers to help immunize children. This was the beginning of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which now consists of Rotary International, the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control, UNICEF, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The project moved forward quickly, and was very successful. Over the years, countries and continents were declared polio-free. However, the last stretch has proven to be the most difficult. Rotary didn't make its goal of polio eradication by its anniversary, but we are this close. 

We won't give up. In the words of Bill Gates, "We don't let children die because it is fatiguing to save them."  As Bob said, "We have to go all the way. We have to end this; we have to get rid of this parasite from the face of the earth." Bill and Melinda Gates have pledged to donate $2 for every $1 donated by Rotarians for eradication. One hundred dollars thus becomes $300, which will inoculate 500 children. Your donations matter - a lot! Click the button below to save lives and End Polio Now ...

Volume XIII, Issue 13: October 2, 2015

Coming Soon ...
Oct 10 - RISE EVENT - HSU Homecoming Tailgate Party!
Oct 22/23 - District Governor Erin Dunn visits our Club (officially!). Thursday night Board Meeting and Social, Friday Morning Club Meeting.
Oct 23 - World Polio Day! For more information, please click here
Oct 30 - Pumpkin Carving Contest (at our regular spooky meeting). Bring your creepily carved creation!
Oct 30/31 - RISE EVENT -  Lost Coast Rotaract's 5th Annual "Spirits & Spirits" in Old Town - Three tours each night!! (We're shooting for the tour at 7 pm on Friday.)
Nov 14 - RISE EVENT - Foundation Dinner North in Ferndale - "An Evening in the Enchanted Forest"
Nov 19 - A Taste of the Holidays at the Arcata Community Center 
Dec 5 - RISE EVENT - Christmas Caroling for Arts Alive in Old Town Eureka

Rotarian News 

• Our Club was well-represented at two District 5130 events recently. The Foundation Seminar took place on Saturday, September 26, and President Howard, President-Elect Susan Jansson, Alyson Hunter, and Nick Torres all traveled to Fortuna for the experience. District Governor Nominee Bob Rogers provided a moving presentation about the fight to eradicate polio. (DGE Bob will be the Featured Speaker at our October 9th meeting.)
• The following day, the District presented a Membership Seminar in Eureka. President Howard again attended, along with Tomas Chavez, Nick Torres, and Rotaractor Jose Zapata. Tomas said that we're doing a great job of attracting and retaining members, but a lot of great ideas were provided. 
• The Boys and Girls Club of the Redwoods invited President Howard and Past President Barbara Browning to their "Bids for Kids" Dinner and Auction. Ours was among the local Rotary Clubs that were honored as the organization's "2015 Lance Madsen Champions For Youth", in recognition of their support of the renovations to the Teen Center. Our Club was also thanked for organizing the SWOT Project to upgrade the BGCR Club House.
• We have closed the (funding) gap! Thanks to the support of our Club, the Arcata Noon Club, local Masons, and individual Sunrisers, we have full funding to provide healthy meals for 43 kids at Arcata Elementary School and Trillium School for the current year. The Backpacks for Kids Program now needs Sunrisers to sign up to pick up the food, pack the bags (following our meetings), and deliver them to the two schools. Watch for the SignUpGenius emails. President Howard thanked the leaders of the Backpacks program - John Gullam, Julie Schaefer, Carol Vander Meer, and Mary Crow.
•  Jessica McKnight told us that the Transitional Youth Program is on the roll. She encouraged us to sign up to help, noting that a new way to assist has emerged. "Some of the youths," she noted, "have youths themselves." We are hoping to provide child care for those youngsters (from one to four years old), so their parents can focus on the meetings. These take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 6 pm at the Samoa Women's Club, and there will be some Saturday field trips in the mix. Currently transportation is not an issue, but there are still slots for those who would like to provide food for the meetings. 
• Jessica also said that the Vocational Service Committee is seeking nominees for this year's Vocational Service Award(s). Candidates should exemplify the ideals of Rotary by providing service to the community, but should not be (currently) affiliated with Rotary.  
• It's almost time for the Arcata Sunrise K-8 Cross Country Run. The event will take place on Friday, October 30th, and Event Organizer Rebecca Crow told us that we will need Sunrisers to serve as spotters on the course, to guide runners as they complete the race, and to help with award presentations. Watch your emails for signup info.

Sophia's Week
Exchange Student Sophia Waern-Bugge said that she had a "normal week" - just school and cross country. She told us that the Cross Country team won its most recent meet, and that she continues to improve individually, day by day. When a Sunriser asked what her favorite classes are, she said that they are Art and French.

Committee Report
We heard from the Competitions and Scholarships Committee last Friday. Co-chairs Jeff Stebbins and Bryan Plumley reminded us that each year our Club awards the Arcata Sunrise Memorial Scholarships - three $1,000 scholarships and a renewable four-year scholarship that provides $1,500 per year to a deserving student. 

We also provide travel scholarships to local History Day winners who plan to compete in the State History Day competitions. And each summer, we send two incoming Arcata High seniors to RYLA camp (RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.)  

Bryan and Jeff said that working on the Committee is very rewarding, as it gives them the opportunity to meet a lot of highly motivated young people. They agreed that it is inspiring.

Recognition
Lori Breyer provided last Friday's recognition of Rebecca Crow(e), or "Becky", as she is known to her parents. She was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, but she grew up in Pepperell, Massachusetts, which is about an hour away from Boston. When Rebecca was in 10th grade, the family moved to Pleasanton, California for her father's job.

Her mother said, "When Rebecca tackles a job, she puts 120 percent in. And if she's not happy with the result, she persists until she is happy. This effort includes her job, her family, and all of the activities she gets involved in."

Music became an important part of Rebecca's life at an early age. And music has served purposes for her that are ... unusual. Her mother said that when Rebecca got her first engineering job in Maryland. Mom didn't understand all the terms that went with the position, so she would take notes, and put those notes into a song. Below is a video of Rebecca singing one for us:

Although her father and grandfather were both engineers,
Rebecca did not initially plan to follow their paths. But her aptitude in math and science led her to the field. She attended Humboldt State to pursue a degree in Environmental Engineering. It was there that she met her future husband Abe, when both were members of the Marching Lumberjacks. 

Rebecca has been with GHD (née Winzler and Kelly) for almost 15 years. Sunriser Steve McHaney is her boss, although he first met her via the Marching Lumberjacks. "I was an alumnus," he wrote, "who periodically came back into town to play gigs with the band, and Rebecca was still in school." He praised her enthusiasm for playing trumpet, and he said she had a great time. After Rebecca's graduation and her stint in Maryland, he hired her to work at Winzler and Kelly. He said that Rebecca was "a bit timid at first when it came to making public presentations", but she grew in the job. He noted that "Rebecca is a 'can-do' person".

As we all know, her family is very important to her. Her husband Abe had this to say:

All I can say about my wife (without getting too mushy) is that Rebecca has made my life completely wonderful for the last 20 years, and I cannot thank her enough for that.

Their first child, Mary, is very well-known to all of us. Mary and Rebecca share a love of cooking, which (as Lori noted) has benefited many of us, along with the Rotary Foundation! Rebecca learned how to decorate cakes as a fourth grader, and she has shared that skill with Mary. They enjoy many other activities together, including working with the Girl Scouts, where Rebecca serves as Cadet Leader. Mary had this to say about her mother:

Mom is the most awesome and nice person in the world. She is always there when I need her. When I need help with my homework, she will always help me. She is the best mom in the world.

Rebecca's son Max is a Cub Scout, so Rebecca also volunteers as a Pack Committee Chair. She is also the coach of the Fuente Nueva School Cross Country team. Max said, "My Mom always helps me when I need help. She is very nice and helpful."

In closing, Lori shared this from Rebecca's father: "Becky, you are amazing. Thanks for the grandchildren!"


Protecting Land on the North Coast
Our Featured Speaker was Mike Cipra, the Executive Director of the Northcoast Regional Land Trust (NRLT). Michael has been involved in conservation for most of his career, working as a park ranger and as a Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. He returned to Humboldt County in January of last year when he assumed his current position. 

The NRLT was started in 2000 "by folks from every walk of life," Mike said. Those involved included ranchers, farmers, foresters, land use planners, and others who wanted to protect the environment and quality of life in our area. He said that the group focused on "the 80 percent we can agree on" in moving forward to protect the land. The goal is to keep land in production - in agriculture or timber production - while keeping it intact. 

NRLT's service area encompasses Del Norte, Trinity, and Humboldt Counties, and they have a few projects in Mendocino County as well. A core belief is that we can have local economic production from the land while protecting the landscape and wildlife habitats.

Mike's family history drew him to the conservation field. His grandfather hand-built a cabin in the Tehachapi Mountains, and Mike and his family spend a lot of time there. Over the years, the family's ownership of the land around the cabin was divided up and sold until only the cabin remained. When someone broke into the unattended cabin, Mike's father had a heart episode while arguing with one of the neighbors. This led him to sell the cabin. 

Similar things are happening locally, as landowners are aging, and they often have no succession plan in place. Mike said that over a third of agricultural producers do not have an heir who will continue their operations, and 18 percent may sell their land within the next 15 years. The NRLT helps these landowners understand the risks to their land as well as its economic and wildlife habitat values.

In some cases, a funding source can be found to pay for subdivision rights, which are then held by the state, and monitored by the NRLT, which means that the land is kept whole. "Using these types of tools," Mike said, "we've helped protect 25,000 acres in Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity Counties. That's the size of some National Parks."

The easements that are sought do not necessarily mean that the land becomes publicly accessible. The landowner does not lose control of the land, and it can remain productive. Each agreement is crafted differently, and the goals differ. Mike said that, while the NRLT does own some of the property it protects, a large portion of the land it protects continues to be privately held.

Mike showed us slides of an area they own in the Freshwater Slough area where agricultural activities co-exist with restored salmon spawning habitat. The salmon there are growing 40 times more quickly than those in the main stem of Freshwater Creek. "We have cows and coho on the same property," Mike said with a smile. "When we started this, people said that you can't have both, you can't do both. But we're stubborn that way."

The NRLT partners with Friends of the Dunes to provide environmental education opportunities for local schools, with field trips to the Freshwater property. The relationship between working lands and natural landscapes is explored.

For more information, visit the NRLT website.