November 20 - A Taste of the Holidays
December 4 - Foster Family Dinner
December 4 - RISE EVENT - Arcata Chamber Mixer at Coast Central - 5:30
December 11, 12, & 13 - Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament (AIBT)
Announcements
Last Friday, we met our 2015-2016 Outbound Exchange Student - Trula Rael. We will hear more from her in coming weeks, I'm sure. She was dressed in her Mary Poppins costume for Halloween.
Our current Inbound Exchanger, Mozara Abdalla from Brazil, dressed up for Halloween a couple of nights early. Although she was done up as a ghoul in the photo that President Barbara showed us, Mozara said that her costume for the day would be a Brazilian Soccer Player. And her Word of the Day was Halloween, which is "dia de las bruxas" in Portuguese.
Selling tickets and turning in raffle items are the two main focuses for A Taste of the Holidays, which is now mere days away. Also please be sure to sign up for a "day-of" activity. Check your inbox for an email with the link.
Recognitions Committee Chair Ceva Courtemanche brought in photos of various versions of Paul Harris Fellow pins and medallions, which she used in a quiz. She then presented a $25 PHF Credit to this month's "Selfie Raffle" winner - Karen Burgesser. Be sure to send Ceva a selfie to be eligible for the next raffle!
President-Elect Howard Stauffer talked a bit about the Cambodia Academy. Last year, our Club sponsored a class there, however we will not be continuing that support at the Club level. If you would like to sponsor an individual student, please contact Howard for more information.
Special Daze
October 12th was Karen Burgesser's birthday, and she told us that she celebrated in Boston with her two sisters. "We had a girl's weekend," she said, "starting October 5th, ending on October 14th". The festivities included a close friend from Sacramento who was in town on her birthday on the 10th. One evening, the group attended "Paint Night", where local professional artists are in local bars to teach patrons how to paint.
Joyce Hinrichs' birthday was on October 14th. She said that there were two weekends in a row that she was in San Francisco, so "there was a lot of stuff packed in that amount of time." She had a professional meeting followed by a get-together with friends from college. The Monday that she returned was a holiday for the court. Joyce was appreciative that she had the day off, but schools were still in session. On her birthday, her daughter invited her to coffee before work, and she had planned for dinner and a massage in the evening. The next morning, her husband Stephen Watson had to go see the eye doctor in Santa Rosa, which led to surgery later in the week. Joyce said that he is doing well. Joyce's daughter offered to attend to Stephen as he convalesced so Joyce could run in a race that weekend. She said that the whole time was "kind of a whirlwind".
New Paul Harris Fellows
It seems like every Final Friday brings a new crop of Paul Harris Fellows, which is testimony to the generosity of the members of our Club. Last week was no exception, as we welcomed three new PHFs: Tami Camper-Dart, Maggie Kraft, and Rotary Kid Alex Plocher. Alex is pictured in the photo below, with his dad Orrin and Foundation Chair Terri Clark.
Final Friday Foundation Auction!!
Another indication of our Club's support for the Rotary Foundation is our somewhat-monthly Final Friday Auction. Prizes are donated by Sunrisers and auctioned off. The proceeds go to the Foundation, and the PHF credit is split between the donor and the purchaser. Here is a rundown of the action:
- Chris Jelinek transformed some driftwood into a handsome, well-finished occasional table. The winning bid was provided by Ceva Courtemanche.
- Although he couldn't make it to the meeting, Dan Johnson sent his contribution - a "Giants Victory Package" with barbecue items and a cooler, most of which sported the team's logo. Lori Breyer was the purchaser.
- Susan Jansson donated a yoga and Pilates package, including sessions at HealthSport. Joyce Hinrichs may have been intrigued by the nanotech technology aspect of the yoga mat, as she was the high bidder.
- Our District Conference will be held next April at Yosemite National Park, and Dick Johnson provided a "Conference Countdown" package that included a calendar featuring photos from the Park, a poster of Half Dome, a jigsaw puzzle, a guide to Yosemite Trails, and a bottle of whisky. The winner was President Barbara.
- Although I didn't get many of the details, Karen Burgesser brought a Boston-themed package from her recent birthday excursion. Among the details I missed was the identity of the winning bidder.
- President Barbara donated a lovely set of 20 hand-crafted cards that were purchased by Susan Jansson.
- A beer and wine package came from Charlie Jordan. It included rare specialty brews from Mad River Brewery along with specialty wines. Gregg Foster will be enjoying those treats for a while.
- Romi Hitchcock-Tinseth's entry was a package from Arcata Artists - a welded metal candle holder that had multiple wheels (that looked like the Rotary gear wheel) surrounding a heart, and similar earrings that also looked like the Rotary Wheel. The winning bid was provided by Barbara Browning.
- Another artistic package came from Parasol Arts and Natural Selections (by way of donor Rina Brodhag). Jessica McKnight won the lot, which included a $20 gift certificate, a ceramic pumpkin container, and earrings with a matching bracelet.
- Joyce Hinrichs filled a Fire and Light bowl with Halloween goodies (including a bunch of eyeballs). Dick Johnson had the high bid.
- A set of "Lady Hamilton" pottery ware that dated from 1932 was donated by Karen Burgesser. The package was purchased by Joyce Hinrichs
