March 7, 2022

There were no minutes for today’s meeting. There is however, a photo taken by Klark Swan of the meeting held at the Inn at 2^nd and C in Eureka.

February 28, 2022

The meeting was opened at 12:05pm on Zoom by President Klark Swan. Darus Trutna led the pledge of Allegiance.  Klark provided the thought of the day- “There’s a lot going on in the world right now, I am proud that Rotary continues the good work that they do. Unfortunately, 8 frontline workers on the Afghan polio frontline were recently slain while conducting their duties.”

March Madness – starts tomorrow.  Arny King will be providing more information soon. 

Meeting in Person NEXT week March 7^th  – @ the Inn at 2^nd and C.  Chapala will be catering. We will not be doing hybrid meetings for now. Eventually the Inn at 2^nd and C will have in-house catering. For now we will be rotating caterers about once per month.  Please bring cash for lunch and raffle tickets.  $15 for lunch.  $5 for raffle.  Raffle prizes are waiting for you. Donna from Eureka Chamber will be the speaker.

RSVP to the meetings via Google – you will get an email with a link.  Follow the link for details about the meeting and to RSVP.

Outbound exchange student Naomi – Naomi is going to Denmark.  She is looking for help to reach her financial goal. She will be coming to the meeting on March 7^th to sell cookies and other things.  Please help. Carlton is donating his recent winnings from the football pool to her on Monday.

District Assembly/Conference – Assembly happening on April 2^nd in Ukiah. Lots of new topics being addressed this year.

District 5130 Conference – May 20-21 at Fortuna River Lodge. The theme is rockability. District Governor Dustin Littlefield is a musician and may even perform at the conference. Dale Warmuth is helping to create a car show.

Sign Smith – Tom Schallert reported that we have made a $40,000 donation plus we have worked with many other donators and together have raised enough money to purchase a big mower for the trails. 

Upcoming election:  Nominees include: President-elect Annalise von Borstel, Treasurer – Kris Marquez has offered to continue her service.  Nancy Dean – Secretary.  We will hold an election with two weeks to dispute if you have any objections.

TODAY’S SPEAKER: Dr. Peter Stoll, Humboldt County Office of Education, (HCOE) Coordinator of Prevention and Intervention Services.   Dr. Stoll is a Behavioral Psychologist by training.  He formerly worked in special education but he found that much of this work was reactive to situations developing. Unfortunately, you can’t really help if you are not being preventive in your work.  That’s what he is doing now.  Their focus is on ‘Restorative Practices’ – History has shown that punishment is the least effective way to establish lasting change. Their goal is to provide solutions /work that are 80% prevention & 20% responsiveness.

In the classroom the goal is to create emotional safety, encourage respect, teach empathy and provide a space where all students feel like they belong. Behaviour changes come more often when those in authority do things with them rather than to them or for them. Statistically students who receive just one suspension are 5X more likely to drop-out of school. They are also 3X more likely to be involved in the juvenile justice system within one year. Bullying is often a lack of understanding so it’s important to work with kids to understand, protect and support each other.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:55pm.

February 14, 2022

The meeting was opened at 12:00pm on Zoom by President Klark Swan.  Happy Valentine’s Day! Mike Martin led the pledge of Allegiance.  Jerry Reece provided the thought of the day.

Carly Robbins – Past District Governor Kenneth Moulton passed away recently.  He was an amazing Rotarian and friend. Donations to the Ken Moulton Educational Fund may be made to Rotary Club of Windsor Community Foundation, attn Ken Moulton Educational Fund, P.O. Box 2295, Windsor, California 95492. or to the The ALS Association Golden West Chapter (www.alsagoldenwest.org,) PO Box 565, Agoura Hills, CA 91376.

Super Bowl Points Square – Arny King provided the results of the pool. He sold out the squares quickly. Mike Martin won $25 for 1^st quarter, Jay Reed $25 3^rd quarter, Carlton was the big winner $150 and halftime $50.  Carlton donated all of his winning to outbound exchange students fundraising efforts. And Jay donated his back to the club.

March Madness – Arny King is running this event.  There will be an auction and blind pool on March 14^th. 

Rhododendron Parade- Old Town Rotary is putting this on in April.  They are asking our club to participate. Details will follow.

Carson Park Update- Klark said there are a lot of meetings happening with the City of Eureka to plan this project and lots of forward movement.

Voting on new meeting location – 44 people responded to the survey. 33 people voted to move to the Inn @ 2^nd and C. So that will be our new meeting location. They are not sure when we will start meeting in person again

Colby Smart– is starting to look at Rotary Scholarships.  He will send out an email to find folks who want to be on the committee.  It’s not a big time commitment but it’s a fun committee.

TODAY’S SPEAKER:  Kate Witthaus.  Humboldt County Sheriff’s Posse Search and Rescue.

Kate said that Search and Rescue is made up of all volunteers. There are over 40 members.  The organization is over 70 years old. Members pay for their own equipment and volunteer all their services.

There is a marine, mounted, ground and K9 units.  Searches can be missing person searches, mutual aid, preventative, evidence. Evidence searches mean that they are generally searching for small evidence on the ground on their hands and knees, clearing out brush.  Kate provided many examples of situations that the various units have participated in to find lost or missing individuals. There’s a lot of ground to cover in Humboldt County.  They are currently starting a youth group and encouraging more people to join.  They have purchased some E-Bikes and a drone to help with rough terrain experience.

No meeting next week as it is President’s Day.  The meeting was adjourned at 12:45pm.

February 7, 2022

The meeting was opened at 12:06pm on Zoom by President Klark Swan.  Steve Lafferty led the pledge of Allegiance.  Linda Wise provided the thought of the day.

• Arny King provided an update on the Centennial Committee. 2023 will mark the 100^th anniversary of Rotary Club of Eureka.  He is looking for committee members who are willing to meet once a month. Arny will be sending out an email.
• Super Bowl Points Square – buy a square and if the numbers you purchased match up you would win that square. $5 squares. Club gets ½ $250 and winners will receive a percentage of the other $250. Purchase your tickets online at rotary1.org or email Arny King. Make sure you note what you are purchasing if you buy them online.
• Membership voting on the new meeting location closes at midnight tonight. We will be announcing the new venue soon. If you haven’t voted please do.

TODAY’S SPEAKER:  Scott Thompson, Nordic Aqua Farms

Recently released environmental draft report now going thru public comment.  The plan is to build a recirculating aquaculture system.  This system prevents escape, waste, removes parasites, bacteria and viruses, it’s efficient since it recycles the water.

Fish take 2 years to grow prior to being harvested.  So once the plant is built and up and running there will be a delay prior to actually harvesting the fish. There will be about 150 jobs.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:53pm.

January 31, 2022

The meeting was opened at 12:05pm on Zoom by incoming President Jerry Reece who was filling in for President Klark Swan.  Steve Lafferty led the pledge of Allegiance.   Lynn Dugaw provided the thought of the day.

Jerry noted that the Super Bowl will be Cincinnati Bengals vs Los Angeles Rams on 2/13/22.  There are a  lot of disappointed 49er fans, but we will have a club pool anyways.

CLUB BUSINESS:

Challenge by Southwest Rotary – Saturday there is a virtual Yahtzee tournament.  Klark wins a free lunch if a lot of people from our club join in.

Membership voting – We are voting on our future meeting location. Check your email for more information.  We need 26 votes so if you haven’t voted please do.

Kate Witthaus- talked about a recent small grant award.  The Rotary Club of Eureka is helping with upgrades on the AHHA shower trailer with a grant for almost $3,000.  This is a place where homeless can have a mobile shower.  Nezzie Wade from AHHA was at the meeting to talk about their program. AHHA’s request was for a wireless back up camera system to aid in safety and a sway bar for their trailer/van hookup. They currently serve 5 locations in Humboldt. They partner with other groups to provide other services like food, clothing, medical insurance assistance, haircuts, dental services and many other things.

TODAY’S SPEAKER: Anthony Stubbs talked about the club’s Youth Literacy Project. The identified goal at the board’s strategic planning meeting was to focus on youth literacy, building on the dictionary project we have had in place for many years.  Anthony said that according to the Humboldt County Office of Education about 50% of Kindergarten thru 3^rd graders are reading below their age level.  The committee selected a book to distribute to 3^rd graders, “Dictionary for a better world.” This will replace the dictionaries we have distributed in the past.  It is geared for ages 8 – 12. This is a highly recommended book by many groups.

Meeting was adjourned at 12:40pm. 

November 1, 2021

The meeting was opened at noon on Zoom by President Klark Swan.  Jay Reed led the pledge of Allegiance. Thought of the day was provided by Jay Reed as well.

CLUB BUSINESS:

• Register for the Foundation Dinner now if you are going.
• Annalise von Borstel – Real Estate update. Average list prices are up 20% from last year but still down from the California median price. There are still not a lot of listings- 204 active homes at the moment.
• Carson Park survey – please take it.
• Foundation Giving Challenge! – help us become a Million Dollar Club! More information coming. Kim Bauriedel gave us an overview of the Foundation and our participation in various projects.
• Remember to Vote for new board members. Today’s the last day. Check your email.  Only ¼ of the club has voted.
• McKay Veteran’s Day run is coming up soon – volunteers still needed. Contact Klark for information.
• Rotaractor event is happening this weekend – Bollywood night. Buy your tickets online at Arcatatheater.org
• Done in a Day- Clean up at Carson Park 11/7 from 10-1pm. Weather permitting. There are alternate plans being made if it’s raining.
• As mentioned last week we will be starting to meet in person again next week on 11/15. There will not be an online option.  Meeting will be at the Inn at 2^nd and C.  There will not be food service, just coffee.
• This month our speakers will be related to Hunger and Homelessness.

ROTARY MOMENT: Naomi Garcia Martinez is our new Youth Exchange Outbound Exchange Student.  She is going to be graduating prior to going which is unusual but has to do with delays because of COVID.

HALLOWEEN Photos:

Klark showed us a photo slide show of various Rotarians and their families in Halloween costumes.

TODAY’S SPEAKER: Carly Robbins, Food for People

The pandemic massively changed things.  All distributions are now outside- walk up or drive-up distributions.  They have had to serve a lot more people.  They are now serving 16,000 people per month, compared to 12,000 before the pandemic. Food for People currently has about 25 staff members and partners with about 100 organizations in Humboldt for different programs.  Food prices are rising quite a bit, there have been food shortages in some areas.  They are trying to secure food now, at a decent price point.

The new faciility building is coming along. The old facility has been completely removed.  The City of Eureka has helped them find temporary facilities.  They are currently spread out and overhead has increased quite a bit because of all of the leases.  The construction has been delayed because of COVID supply issues, but is expected to start in the next few months and they hope to move in by the end of 2022.  The budget has increased as prices have risen as much as 45%.  The total building is estimated to cost 5.6 million. They have raised 5.3 million at this point thanks to our generous community.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:43pm.

October 25, 2021

The meeting was opened at noon on Zoom by President Klark Swan. Alicia Cox led the pledge of Allegiance. Thought of the day was provided by Greg Williston who talked about as a Rotarian being open to providing mentorships to others is a good thing.

CLUB BUSINESS:

• Reminder that the Rotary Foundation Dinner is November 7 From 7-8:15 pm  on Zoom.
• Nancy attended the District Converence and said it was good to go and valuable time to spend.
• Please fill out the survey regarding Carson Park. It’s been emailed out or contact Klark.
• Backpacks for kids – come help pack backpacks on Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:30.
• Annalise von Borstel- is sending out the link to vote for Board of Directors. She sent it last week but if you haven’t responded yet please do.  Please check your spam if you don’t see it by the end of today.
• You can help us become a Million Dollar Club by giving to the Foundation. More information to come.
• Special Recognition- Jim Sessa. Jim donated 1,000 for polio and money to sponsor two kids for Backpacks for Kids, in thanks for being recognized for the District 5130 Rotary Ethic Award in business.
• Volunteer Opportunities – Veteran’s Day at McKay is 11/13/21. Please email iestes@humboldtipa.com if you can help.
• Done in a Day – November 7^th 10-1pm @ Carson Park. Bring a sack lunch, tools and help clean up Carson Park.
• Rotaractor Bollywood Event – November 5^th    Buy your tickets at arcatatheater.com

ROTARY MOMENT:

Lynn Dugaw read a past youth exchange testimonial.  Brice Hutchins, was our outbound to Bolivia in 2015-2016.  He wrote an essay talking about what an impact the exchange year had on his life that Lynn read.

BOARD RETREAT:

• A recent poll of over 50% of members attending meetings said yes to meeting in person
• SW Rotary is meeting again starting November 5^th
• Many members have said they will ONLY come to in person meetings.

SOLUTIONS

• Starting 11/15 meetings will be in person @ the Inn at 2^nd and C.
• Food will NOT be served
• Coffee service will be available
• They will NOT be offering hybrid meetings
• Speakers will have the option to zoom in
• After 6 weeks they will re-evaluate

TODAY’S SPEAKER:

BOB ROGERS IS A MEMBER of Rotary of Sebastopol and a Past District Governor. He is a polio survivor.  While he was District Governor he organized a pedal for polio event to raise money for polio. It raised $140,000 for polio which was matched to become $420,000 thanks to the Gates Foundation.  He is a retired airline pilot.

World Polio Day was yesterday.  When Rotary started working on polio 35 years ago, 125 countries had polio.  Today two countries have it, (see chart). It is very difficult to access those two countries Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Polio tends to attack young children. It can maim for life or even kill. Very few are lucky like Bob and recover almost unscathed. A new Vaccine is now available that has been improved to help reduce/eliminate outbreaks when Polio morphs.  There are no known side effects at this point.  The goal is to completely eliminate polio by 2026. The Taliban has agreed to allow the Polio Vaccine program to restart in Afghanistan.  They also agreed to allow women to be frontline workers for the effort. This is big news.

By donating $100 a year you or your friends can join the Polio Plus Society. Donators will receive a wristband, certificate and a pin.  All money will be two for one matched by the Gates Foundation making it $300 going to Polio.  Bob has emailed the forms to everyone in the club.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:20pm.

October 18, 2021

The meeting was opened at noon on Zoom by President Klark Swan. Scott Thompson led the pledge of Allegiance. Thought of the day was provided by Darus Trutna.

CLUB BUSINESS:

• The Rotary Foundation dinner – November 7^th 7-8:15pm. This is virtual.  You provide your own dinner and drinks, they’ll provide the entertainment. Check your email for details.
• Carson Park – If you haven’t taken the survey yet, please do. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S7HH7YQ?fbclid=IwAR1Wggn5GHcfJ4jjDKB7ytyM0vT5SmgRLMVFWbWyvswXQxoYRLiucYny2v4
• Backpacks for Kids – is going. Please volunteer to pack.  Thursdays 3:30-4:30 at @Old Growth Cellars.
• Foundation Challenge – help us become a million dollar club more details coming.
• Social Night last Monday – 15 Rotarians and 8 Rotaractors came out. It was cold but fun and very Covid safe. Thanks to Jera for getting this organized.
• Volunteer Opportunities – Veteran’s Day at McKay. Sponsored by Humboldt IPA. Looking for volunteers to help with parking registration, etc. on November 13. If you are interested email:  irina@isshumboldtipa.com
• Lyshwerya Rotaractor – Event coming up at Arcata Theatre Friday November 5^th. A night of Bollywood Dance and Performances. https://tickets.vemos.io/-LvvzSYm6udEnGfKIRLa/arcata-theatre-lounge/-MlkkCLKopGIZUuT1Ylp/diwaliwood-dance-night
• Done in a Day – With 3 clubs at Carson Park. Date and time TBA.  Will be a clean up and BBQ.
• Rotary Southwest- Veteran’s Day event is cancelled for COVID safety reasons.
• Internal vote on chat – Are you ready for in-person meetings?

ROTARY MOMENT: We have gone over 8 months with no new cases.  Very inspiring.  Since January 1^st 1 case in Afghanistan and 62 in Pakistan.

RECOGNITION: Coast Central Credit Union recently won the Ethics in Business award for Rotary District 5130.  There were many interviews.  Jim Sessa said that CCCU basically won because of their long-standing commitment to their members.  He donated $600 to sponsor 2 kids for Backpacks for Kids.

SPEAKER: Past President Carly Robbins talked about Rotoplast.  Rotoplast was established to treat children with cleft lip and or palette and burn issues.  They provide free reconstructive surgery for kids. About 7 years ago Carly went on a mission to Bangladesh with 3 other Rotoractors.  (Carly was a Rotoractor at the time).  As a non-medical volunteer she helped with patient transport.  The other volunteers helped with sterilizing, medical records, etc.  You work every day you are there, all day every day.  It’s a lot of work that is very rewarding as it provides such an improved life for these people.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:48pm.

October 4, 2021

The meeting was opened at noon on Zoom by President Klark Swan. Thought of the day was provided by Phil Nicklas. Phil reminded us to be grateful for all the good in our lives. Dave Dillon is in Timber Ridge, Renaissance Unit, McKinleyville and feeling lonely.  He would love some guests. Please bring proof of vaccination and a mask. Mike Martin led the pledge of allegiance.

CLUB BUSINESS:

• District Conference is now virtual -you have been sent emails with the details. Friday, October 8^th Ethics in Business Awards.  Saturday, October 23^rd  Watch your emails for details or let Klark if you need more info.  Foundation celebration will be online on November 7^th .
• Carson Park Improvements – survey being taken about needs. Klark will be emailing the survey out. Here is a link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S7HH7YQ
• Food for People fundraiser – Veggies Monster signs being provided to various homes who have to make a donation in order to get rid of them. Email Carly or Klark if you’d like to be veggified.
• Social – Monday October 11^th at the Humboldt Social Club @ 5pm. Bring your family.  There are games, a bar to purchase drinks, and a place to purchase food.
• Annalise von Borstel monthly real estate market update – Seller Market. Prices increased 21% YTD from last year.  More homes on the market than ever before but more buyers than ever before. Slower now which is seasonal but also unprecedented times.  Anticipates prices leveling off but not dropping.

ROTARY MOMENT:

• Lyla Smelser is a past youth Exchange student.  She spent a year in Sweden.  She gave a short presentation and talked about what a great experience it was. Ted Loring said that they are restarting Youth Exchange again. Let Ted know if you want to be involved.
• Dr. Kim Bauriedel let us know that October 10, 1923 is a special anniversary date. That is the date an organizational meeting was held at the Eureka Inn to start forming Rotary Club of Eureka.  2021 will be our 98-year anniversary.

RECOGNITIONS:

• Klark is now working with the North Coast Health Improvement and Information Network as a Project Manager.
• Jim Sessa was recognized because Coast Central Credit Union is one of the nominees in the non-profit category for Rotary’s North Coast Ethics in Business Awards for District 5130.  Coast Central went through extensive interviews with many individuals before receiving the nomination. The recognition is primarily because of support Coast Central gave to the community and members in the community during the pandemic. Klark commented that there were 73 applicants and it was a big deal that CCCU is one of the finalists.
• Food for People – Carly was recognized for their recent participation in Pastels on the Plaza.

SPEAKER: Carly introduced Neal Carnam. A few years ago, when Carly was President she was looking for a way to apply for a district grant.  She talked to Neal Carnam and things moved forward.  grants and now Neal is going to talk about it.

Neal used the money that was raised by the District Grant and locally from The Rotary Club of Eureka, Mad River Rotary, Old Town Rotary and GHD to build the Tashinam Computer Lab in the Gurashanker Conservation Area in Nepal. This is a village in Nepal that Neal visited in 2013. There was a big earthquake while they were there.

Previously Rotary, with Neal’s guidance, installed a water system for the village and the villagers now have clean water available to them right outside their homes.

The goal for this project was to provide a computer lab to help connect the village to the world and hopefully provide a way for people to stay locally or to communicate with family who have had to leave for employment opportunities. It is a very rural area located at a very high altitude and it takes a lot of stair climbing to get to the village.

Part of the funding was to refurbish the building and build furniture and cabinets.  When the building was finished the village dressed up and provided flower leis and tea to thank them. The villages youth organization will be maintaining and taking care of the computers. There was a little money left and the village is investing that in cash crops – like kiwis and beehives.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:05pm.