The Sunrise Spirit

The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise

Volume VII, Issue 28 — January 23, 2007

Club President 2007-2008: Lori Breyer

Editor: Dick Johnson

Notes From Our Last Meeting

We had a musical treat before the bell last week - Delaney Goodman and Katie Breyer played their recorders, serenading us with a few songs.

Our Exchange Student from Milan, Jessica Bono, told us that she was busy last week. She's been working on a project for her Economics class - a business plan for the Arcata Theater. When asked how much her business would make, she replied, "$7,000 per month." She would have bands and other acts, and it would all be done "Italian Style", according to President Lori.

Bryan Reeser announced that the first two of this month's three Dictionary Project distributions went very well. The third graders at Jacoby Creek School and Pacific Union School now proudly possess new dictionaries, and the thirdies at Arcata Elementary School were scheduled to get 'em earlier today (Wednesday).

Barbara Browning gave a brief report on her recent working vacation at Project Amigo in Colima, Mexico. She said that she helped with their semiannual Vision Week. The staff and volunteers matched 1,170 people with much-needed glasses. Barbara said that many of the women they helped needed the glasses to thread needles. "It was incredibly hard work," she told us, "but incredibly rewarding."

Our Club has ordered its second wheelchair this year, according to Janice Newman. We make a contribution to the Wheelchair Foundation in the name of each week's guest speaker, and we have now provided 26 people around the world gain an additional measure of mobility.

President Lori said that the recent Presidents' Challenge Blood Drive was quite a success. A total of 107 pints were donated by local Rotarians, at a time when the Blood Bank is in need. Twelve Sunrisers contributed, which placed us third on the list, on a per capita basis.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a pen pal with a child in Cambodia, contact Howard Stauffer. The students at Rotary Elementary School of Mongkol Borei are looking for correspondents with whom they can practice their English skills. Our Club supports two classes at the school - providing materials, uniforms, and salaries for the teachers.

Members of the Sunny Brae Middle School Interact Club will visit on February 8th, offering handmade Valentines at a very reasonable price. Be sure to bring a few (several) bucks to support this energetic group.

Kathy Moxon Finds a Few Fines

Julie Vaissade-Elcock was supposed to get two bottles of wine, which she won in the Taste of the Holidays raffle. However, when it was time for Kathy to deliver them, and charge her exorbitant "handling fee", the vino was incognito! It seems that unclaimed wine, after a certain number of meetings, is donated to the AIBT Coaches' Celebration. Julie dodged the fine, due to her inadvertent contribution. However, she was not to escape scot-free. Kathy asked Jenny Bowen to rise (she obliged). Then Kathy asked what they have in common. Wow - lots! The twosome guessed that Kathy was talking about the receive kickoff for Arcata's 150th Anniversary Celebration. (Word to the wise - never guess ... here's why.) That wasn't it, but that raised the recognition a bit. No, what Kathy was referring to is the fact that Julie and Jenny are both featured on the Prosperity! website.

Our favorite winter target seems to be John Wesa. Between Barbie and his frequent appearances in the local papers, it's surprising he can afford gasoline to get to our meetings. This time, he was recognized for being selected as the Redwood Memorial Hospital Featured Artist. John has warm feelings about the hospital - about 15 years ago, they allowed him to barter a portion of his bill with his artwork. John said that the culture at Redwood Memorial is sweet and nice - a good complement to his work.

Lights, Camera, Humboldt!

Our Guest Speaker last week was Patti Stammer, owner and operator of Scout Humboldt, a company that helps production companies find suitable locations for filming commercials, TV shows, and commercials. Patti said that most of the crews that film in our area are shooting commercials, and the majority of those are automobile ads.

Patti works closely with the Humboldt County Film Commission, which recently separated from the Humboldt County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The split was a good move, Patti said. The Commission markets directly to the industry, and although the crews bring an influx of money to our area, they are not tourists. They are businesspeople who come here to create a product.

Patti told us that a recent commercial, "A Day in the Life of a Goodyear Tire" was filmed here in part because the director has worked in Humboldt before. He knows that the people here - the Film Commission and agencies like Scout Humboldt - are able to "make things happen". Our area enjoys a very good reputation in the film industry.

For more information, visit the Humboldt County Film Commission website.