The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise

Volume VII, Issue 35 — April 2, 2008

Club President 2007-2008: Lori Breyer

Editor: Dick Johnson

editor@arcatasunrise.org

Notes From Our Last Meeting

President Lori has recovered the missing bell and Club Banner! She said that both were on display at the HSU Natural History Museum, and a $100 donation brought them back to our Club. Legend has it that this bell thievery originated in 1998, when some nefarious hammer hound took off with our Club's gavel. Since that time, occasional petty thefts have taken place. We had a brief discussion as to the appropriate response - do we retaliate, or do we kill them with kindness?

Our Exchange Student from Italy, Jessica Bono, said that the previous weekend, she visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While she was visiting the aquarium with her host family (the Breyers), an empty tourist bus slipped its moorings and crashed into the building. Fortunately, the only injury was to the building's facade. Jessica wrapped up her Spring Break last Thursday in Eureka for the Taste of Main Street, the annual kickoff to the Jazz Festival.

Spring Fundraiser Chair Dan Johnson reported that the results from the Five Alarm Round Up were a bit disappointing, with our gross receipts down a little from previous years. Still, a $91,000 take is impressive! George "Big Sombrero" Cavinta was singled out for special appreciation, but all of the members of the event committee deserve a round of applause (and drinks), with an extra tip of the hat to Marshal Dan.

Amy Bohner's Community Service Committee is on the move, with a walk/run event planned for this Sunday, April 6th. The event will take place in McKinleyville's Hiller Park, and it will be co-sponsored by HealthSport, and it begins at 9 am. For more information and registration forms, click here: CLICK. The committee also recently restored mobility to an elderly gentleman whose only means of transportation - his bike - was recently stolen. The gent, who is on a fixed income, now has a brand-new bike, helmet, and (perhaps most importantly) a new lock, courtesy of our Club.

Foundation Chair Terri Clark has written a missive to each of us, to let us know the credits in our Paul Harris Sustaining Fellowship accounts. The Club's goal for contributions to the Rotary Foundation this year is $125 per Rotarian. "Sadly," said Terri, "we're not even close." There will be Final Friday Foundation Auctions in April and May, but you can avoid the rush and write your check now.

Special Daze

Matt Babich had a birthday recently, and I'm sure it was spectacular, but since I don't have any notes on it this is all I can say ...

Charlie Jordan's birthday was last Friday, and she was at our meeting! Good news for her, since President Lori waived her birthday fee. When asked about her plans, Charlie said, "I'm going to work." She opined that there would probably be a good dinner in the mix, and then she planned to "look for the sun this weekend".

Craig Newman spent his recent birthday on a plane. He was headed for Mexico, where he visited former Exchange Student Jorge Castro and his parents. The foursome celebrated Craig's cumpleaños by attending a Rotary Meeting. Craig extended the celebration week by heading for Project Amigo.

Finemaster Jason Rips Open Your Pocketbook

Jason White took to the podium last week for a fining session, and he started by displaying an image of a young actress. Randy Mendosa said, "Hey, that's my daughter!" The photo was from a recent play at Jacoby Creek School, and she looked adorable. Still, Randy protested, "She's not one of the principal actors!"

Finemaster Committee Chair Bob Johnson has a way of wresting cash from Sunrisers even when an ocean separates him from us. In a condo in Hawaii, Bob discovered a John Wesa print - "Orchids at Dawn". The Wesa touch is everywhere.

George Cavinta and Michael Boreing both forgot something at the Firehouse Fundraiser raffle - They were both big winners! George won a coffee basket, and Michael won a coffee maker. Naturally, they each blamed their wives for bidding and winning, but we know the truth. And the truth shall set you free, or at least it will liberate your cash.

Mark Bruce was recognized for a recent appearance in the paper. He was giving closing arguments in a murder trial. Mark said that he took the case pro bono, and spent about 200 hours on it. He told us that he accepted the case since he had never worked on a homicide case. Even though he lost the case, it was a good experience for him.

Don Andrews said, "I knew I would be fined", since his wife Catherine was recently named the Executive Director of the Humboldt Community Breast Health Project. He noted that "she leaves very early in the morning now".

President Lori provided a self-inflicted Presidential recognition, letting us know that her daughter Katie had cut off a major portion of her hair. She sent the tresses to "Locks for Love", a nonprofit organization that uses donated hair to make hairpieces for children who have lost their hair for medical reasons.

Maureen McGarry and the New Orleans Youth Project

When Arts in the Afternoon Director Maureen McGarry saw the scenes of devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina broadcast from New Orleans in 2005, she was stunned. Soon she began to wonder how the children of the area had been affected by the disaster. "What's going on with the kids," she asked.

In an effort to find an answer to that question, she is planning to take three local youths to New Orleans to explore the area and discuss the effects of the hurricane with young people there. The group plans to record a video of the project and share it on their return.

Maureen said that she made a preliminary visit to the area, and found it a "most disturbing experience". Although the city is coming back, people are scarce. But while she was there, she met a family who had relocated briefly to McKinleyville after the hurricane - a single mother, her high-school-age son, and her daughter, who is in first grade.

The students who plan to travel with Maureen are Jules Coronado-Brown, a student at Jacoby Creek School who will serve as videographer; Ally Prater, a freshman at Arcata High School, who is an accomplished artist; and Haley Van Geller, an AHS junior who designed the mural at Wildberries Market.