Jan 23 - Adopt-A-Highway - 9:30 to 11:30 am - meet at the Humboldt Coastal Nature CenterFeb 6 - RISE EVENT - AHS College & Career Center Pancake Breakfast - D Street Neighborhood Center
Mar 12 - Our Spring Fundraiser at the Arcata Community Center
Apr 8-9 - District Training Assembly - Ukiah Fairgrounds
May 6-8 - District 5130 Conference - Marriott Napa Valley Resort & Spa
May 29-June 1 - Rotary International Conference in Seoul, South Korea
- Several Sunrisers attended the recent retirement party for George Cavinta. Bryan Reeser was there, and he said that it was "a great party with great food". He said that George's kids said very nice things about their father.
- President Howard finds Sunrisers just about everywhere he goes! Most recently, he encountered Tami Camper and her husband Chris Dart at Mt. Bachelor, Oregon!
- Howard reminded us to fill in squares on the Activities Chart when you attend a RISE Event, do a make-up, attend a Board Meeting, or do just about anything Rotary-related. You'll be eligible for the next drawing for a Paul Harris credit!
- Carol Vandermeer announced that our latest SWOT Project was scheduled for the weekend - renovating "Little House A" at the Manila Community Resource Center. If you weren't able to make it, there should be additional opportunities soon.
- And ... Carol reminded us that there is an Adopt-a-Highway event coming on Saturday, January 23rd, from 9:30 to 11:30 am. We will meet at the Coastal Nature Center, barring a hard rain. (We'll brave the showers, if needed.)
- While you have your shiny new 2016 calendar in hand, turn to Saturday, February 6th and pencil in the AHS College and Career Center Pancake breakfast - you can help by selling tickets, working at the event, or having breakfast to support the Center!
- President Howard took a moment to express his (and our) appreciation for our Treasurer, Bryan Reeser. Your Editor has held the post before, and it takes a lot of time and effort. Howard noted that we are looking for an assistant or Co-Treasurer to lighten the load. Please contact him or Bryan if you are interested.
- President-Elect Susan Jansson is once again heading up our Spring Fundraiser, and last Friday, she announced the year's theme - Star Wars! She did say that she hopes that our costumes will be varied this year. After all, there a whole galaxy of possibilities ...
Exchange Student Sophia Waern-Bugge had a nice winter break. She went ice skating in Fortuna, had lots of sleepovers with friends, and she also went skiing and played in the snow. Her Christmas dinner was sushi!
Sophia was able to spend time talking with her family over the holidays. It was only the second time she has had a video chat with her family since her arrival in Arcata. "I actually did not feel very homesick during Christmas," she told us, "which was weird."
Claire Ajina presented a goodie basket and gift card on behalf of our Club for Christmas.
Capturing Wildlife On Video
Our Featured Speaker was Will Goldenberg, who is a cinematographer/producer/director who received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Wildlife Management and Conservation from Humboldt State University. His studies there included many classes in filmmaking, since his goal was to create videos and films of wildlife. His passion for filmmaking started early - he grew up in South Lake Tahoe, where he shot freestyle snowboarding videos with friends. Will's student film was the wildlife documentary "Ploverized", about the Western Snowy Plover.
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| Will Goldenberg |
Although Will's specialty is recording wildlife, his company His production company is Will Goldenburg Media, which also provides services to local businesses, academic institutions, government agencies, and nonprofits. His clients include Wildberries, Brio Cafe, Friends of the Dunes, and others. He noted that it is increasingly important for such entities to have compelling videos that can be accessed online. Videos can also be used for internal training.
To watch clips of Will's work, and to access his contact information, visit the Will Goldenberg Media website, or visit his Jacoby Storehouse office.
Recognition
Joyce Hinrichs provided the recognition of Your Editor last Friday. She began with a story provided by my sister, Geri Anne. She said that I saw Vice-President Lyndon Johnson on TV when I was young, and I asked, "Are we related to him?" We were not, but Joyce commented that I do have a lot of Brothers Johnson in our Club.
I was born in 1955 in Eugene, Oregon, with two older sisters and an older brother. Our family moved to Paradise, California when I was four. There I remained until I was 21. My father was a salesperson and my mother was a school secretary until her early death in 1966. Thanks to my siblings, I learned to read at an early age, and I followed in their "wakes", joining the Paradise Swim Team when I was six.
I graduated from Paradise High a semester early, for all the good that did me - after changing majors a few times, getting married, and moving, it took 15 years before I received my Bachelor's Degree.
My sister Geri Anne weighed in again, saying that "Dick was always smart, sweet, and devastatingly funny. As a kid and adult, we all loved him and we still do." When her children were very young, they found it difficult to say "Uncle Dickie", so they called me "Unkie", and they still do.
At 21, I moved to the Bay Area, where I attended San Francisco State University. In 1989, I was asked to manage the Business Volunteers program for the county Arts Council. The Executive Director was a Rotarian, I joined her for a make-up at the Belmont Rotary. I was later invited to join, and I've been a Rotarian ever since. (I began my "career" as a Newsletter Editor with that Club, editing the Belmont Hub.)
Marriage 1.0 was discontinued (primarily due to operator error on my part), and I moved to Humboldt County to get my business teaching credential, fully intending to return to the Bay Area to find a faculty position. But after living here for a year (and joining the Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise), I felt like I was home.
I worked for Redwoods United for four years, also teaching business classes in the evenings. In 2005, I began my current job as the Operations Manager for the Institute for Wildlife Studies. Although IWS is headquartered in Arcata, most of our work takes place in Southern and Central California. My three-person department deals with the accounting and human resources for the agency. Denice Pearce works for me at IWS as our Bookkeeper, and she told Joyce that when she started 9 years ago, that I was "patient and detailed" showing her the job. She told me that she believed that my introduction to the agency wasn't as smooth, and she said that in response, I looked at her with a sad face, twisted my hair, and sucked my thumb. We laughed, and we've been laughing ever since.
I continue to enjoy my upgrade to Marriage 2.0, with its significant upgrades and user-friendly features. I married Shelley in 1995, and welcomed her son James into my life. Our son Brody arrived soon after, and he became something of a fixture at Rotary meetings for the next decade and a half. Shelley is a Medical Assistant for a Cardiology practice; James works for an amusement park in Sacramento; and Brody lives in Arcata, attends CR, and works for Los Bagels.
My main avocation is music. My father played in a Big Band, and my earliest musical memories involve him playing hits from the 30's and 40's on our piano. I was in band and choir in high school, and I began college as a music major. I am currently a member of Two-Car Garage, along with co-founder Roger Woods and my son Brody. We started out in 2002, playing oldies, but soon transitioned to a playlist of original songs. After the 2011 release of our CD "S'Alright", we continued to play gigs locally, but in late 2013, we went on hiatus for about 18 months. We started practicing again last summer, and we hope to be performing live somewhere soon.
"Anyone who spends any time with Dick," Joyce said, "knows that he seems almost to burst with pride when the topic of Brody and Shelley comes up." Brody told her, "He's been great with helping me. I'm very lucky to have a dad like him." Joyce said, "Shelley told me that 'Dick loves music, family, and Rotary.' That was apparent when his niece set them up. Shelley was soon warned by one of his Rotary friends not to break his heart. She knows that Dick appreciates his Rotary family, and Shelley also feels blessed to be included. Dick is her best friend, and forever love. I told her I would try my best to make her proud, and I hope that I did."
Unsung Rotarian
President Howard's Unsung Rotarian of the Month is Carol Vander Meer. He said that Carol was honored for all the work she does for our Club, especially co-chairing our Community Service Committee, and especially for spearheading our upcoming SWOT project, and our Adopt-A-Highway efforts. Carol's recent election to the Manila Community Services District means that she perhaps has a higher profile than other "Unsung" Rotarians, but we greatly appreciate her, and we are lucky to have her in our Club.
