The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise

Volume VII, Issue 32 — February 20, 2008

Club President 2007-2008: Lori Breyer

Editor: Dick Johnson

editor@arcatasunrise.org

Business Spotlight

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Notes From Our Last Meeting

Crime Blotter:  Last week, our Club Banner was missing, as was our Bell. The investigative report from Police Chief Randy Mendosa noted a similar crime spree during Kathy Moxon's term as Club President, but was otherwise inconclusive.

Former Sunriser Catherine Andrews joined us last week. She said that she was recently hired as the Executive Director of the Humboldt Community Breast Health Project.

Our Exchanges Student from Italy, Jessica Bono, has been sick but "I don't know what I have," she said last Friday. Sounds like the (in)famous Humboldt Crud. President Lori asked her what happened when she was sick back home. "My mother would give me so much medicine!" Jessica did make it to school for Valentines Day, which was much the same holiday in Italy - sending hearts to sweeties. What were her plans for the Presidents' Week break? Getting some much-needed sleep.

The Wild West Firehouse Fundraiser at Blue Lake Casino is only a few weeks away, and Brian Stephens reports that, while we have about 33 tables sold, we need a final push for major sponsors, table sponsors, and individuals to attend the event. Bob Moore said that things are going well with the Live Auction - the goal is 45 major items, and we are up to 40 or 41. We will receive the itemized list in about two weeks. Your Silent Auction items should be delivered to HealthSport, says Susan Jansson. These are due by March 1st. Jessica McKnight is looking for meeters, greeters, and seaters at the beginning of the event. These folks will be doing double duty as Silent Auction runners later in the evening. Spouses and significant others are welcome to join in the fun. The next committee meeting will be February 28th at the Fire Station.

If you're a Red Badger - a relatively new Sunriser who still has some tasks to complete before receiving the coveted Blue Badge, please contact Lynda Moore. She and her committee are working on a Red Badge update.

Randy Mendosa provided what he called a "Feel Good Report". He said that there was a retired firefighter who had been in the ICU in a hospital in Colima, Mexico. His family had been unsuccessful in contacting him or getting information about his condition. Sunriser Harry Johnson contacted Ted Rose at Project Amigo for assistance, and now the fellow is doing much better, with his wife at his side.

Amy Bohner and several members of the Community Services Committee recently gave a presentation on the RUOK program to a group of seniors at the Senior Dining Center. The talk was a success, and they plan to offer more presentations in the future.

Our Scholarship Committee is casting a wider net beginning this year, according to Chair Leslie Lawson. The group will now be accepting applications from seniors at Six Rivers Charter High School as well as from Arcata High. Leslie also said that there will be a meeting for those interested in expanding the scope of our work helping foster children. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 26th from 2:30 to 5:00. I didn't catch the location, so please contact Leslie if you are interested in attending.

Romi Hitchcock Tinseth said that the Interact Club at Sunny Brae Middle School is in high gear. The Friday before last, they were at our meeting, selling handmade valentines, with the proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association. Now, they are getting ready to put together Easter baskets for needy children. If you can provide something for the baskets, please let Romi know. Romi also noted that students at Coastal Grove Charter School are gathering children's clothing to be sent to Colima, Mexico for the kids of Project Amigo.

Ralph Puts Out the Fire in Your Wallet!

Ralph Altizer did most of the fining last week, but before she called him to the podium, President Lori asked Jenny Bowen whether she had been "a bit busy lately". Well, Jenny said that there had been the Chamber's Annual Dinner, but Lori was referring to a recent conference for leaders of Chambers of Commerce from throughout the state. Each city's representative brought a gift that was representative of their area, and Jenny drew the gift from Fortuna. President Lori delivered the prize and assessed the fine.

Ralph then took over, saying that he had received a "suspicious-looking brown envelope" in the mail, from Bob Johnson. Despite taking all the proper precautions, he still had a list of folks to fine, starting with ...

... Jason White! "Has your head been cold lately?" asked Ralph. Jason was puzzled until Ralph waved a Humboldt State Football cap. The fine was probably more than it would have cost to buy a new hat!

So Ralph turned to Joyce Hinrichs. "Last week I was in Mexico - Cabo San Lucas." It seems that while she was there, she received a bill from the spa for $1,500. Fortunately, the $ stood for pesos, not dollars. "I better look better than this if I spent fifteen hundred dollars at a spa!" Joyce had other news as well. Superior Court Judge J. Michael Brown is retiring, and Joyce filed papers to run in the next election. One other person also filed papers, but did not pay the requisite fee, so Joyce will be running unopposed. Ralph noted that the Get Out of Jail Free cards that Joyce handed out during her recent stint as finemaster "have just gone up in value".

Although Jacqueline Debets had already been fined for her trip to Hawaii, she did tell us that when it rained while she was there, she went bodysurfing.

Jose Quezada of the Workforce Investment Board

Last week, our guest speaker was Jose Quezada, who coordinates the StepUp program for Humboldt County. Jose is proud to be a member of our community, and he has been working to help the young people here for about 35 years.

Jose discussed three programs that arose to help young people enter the workforce. In the late 70s and during most of the 80s, the CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) program was in place. CETA placed between 500 and 600 local youth in jobs. It was succeeded by JPTA (the Job Partnership Training Act), which provided about 200 placements by 1998. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) provides less funding than its predecessors, and creates only about 40 to 50 placements each summer.

These early programs were valuable, according to Jose. They taught young people work maturity skills, and they provided valuable work experience. Many of the graduates of these local programs are doing quite well. One is the assistant to the St. Joseph Hospital CEO, and another is a county probation officer.

Jose said that the big challenge today is that there are fewer people entering the job market, with less funding to support work experience programs, and a greater need for entry level workers.

Step Up for Youth Jobs is a partnership between the private and public sectors to help deal with this challenge. The only eligibility criteria for the program is a desire to work and a willingness to make a commitment. In the summer of 2007, the program placed 65 young people in jobs. Of those, 51 were high school students, and the other 14 were out of school.

The program matches employers with potential employees. The employer places a job order, which is entered into a database. The job order is access by young workers. The employer interviews the prospects, and makes the hiring decision. The program then provides follow-up services that benefit both the employer and the new employee.

To help spread the news to potential employers, Step Up for Youth Jobs holds employer kick-off breakfasts, speaks at Chamber events, and provides public service announcements to local media, including KHSU Radio, the Times-Standard, and KIEM Channel 3. Outreach to young people takes the form of visits to local high schools, College of the Redwoods, and the local offices of the Job Market.