Jan 23, 2017

Rotary Club of Eureka Burl January 23, 2017

The menu was Swedish meatballs, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, garlic bread and salad bar. There was a brownie for dessert. Matthew Owen showed up again so we had to let him be president and ring the bell. Nathan Nilsen led us in the flag salute. Tom McMurray Jr. gave the invocation, then ratted on Greg Pierson who was on a trip to see his new grandchild accompanied by his fiancĂ© . There is a fine in his future. Jamie Carroll, president of Rotaract said that three of their members had just returned from a trip to Bangladesh. She reminded us that Rotaract was having a fundraiser dinner on March 11th at the Sequoia Conference Center. $25 gets you a ticket. Jerry Reece announced that the annual Rotary raffle dinner is coming up on February 17. The theme is “Mardi Gras for a Reason” and you should already have gotten your tickets in the mail. The main course is gumbo prepared by Mama Jennice. There will be specialty drinks, like the Big Easy Martini . A $4,000 cash prize is going to be hidden in the cupcakes so don’t forget to stick around for dessert and be careful what you swallow. Attendance is not mandatory, but buying the tickets is.

During the boast, roast and toast segment Pat Folkins bragged about taking a cruise with his family and that set him back 120 smackers. Bruce Rupp had (not literally) his 8th grandchild and his wife was going to England to see him. That reminded John Fullerton that he had a new granddaughter. In the “Young enough to have her own children “segment, it was mentioned that Rotarian Clark Swan was past her due date which was today. There’s still time, Clark! Sue Bosch admitted that she totaled her car. Finally Paul Nicklas shared that he caught footage of a butane fueled drug explosion on his drone camera. It remains to be seen why he was using his drone to cruise the neighborhood-unless of course the explosion was at his house. If you live in Arcata pull down your shades.

Our presenter was Connie Lorenzo from the Department of Health and Human Services. She is heading up Humboldt’s 2nd Chance program, (H2CP) which is a pilot initiative to get individuals under formal probation back to work with skills readiness training and subsidized wages during on-the-job training. Humboldt aims to serve up to 75 probationary job seekers during this one year program. Probationary participants are screened an then attend a 2 week readiness training course and a minimum of six weeks of vocational training. Work placements include 50% wage reimbursements to employers for up to six months as an incentive to hire. Services to the employer include access to ready-to-work job seekers motivated to perform. You interview and select as you would any other job seeker. There is the previously mentioned 50% reimbursement of wages for the first six months, and tax credits through the state’s Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program. She said they are no different than any other employee you might hire, except “they got caught”. With that hearty recommendation, we close yet another chapter in the Book of Burl.
Authored by Hank Ingham

Jan 11, 2017

Eureka Rotary Club Meeting January 9, 2017

The meal consisted of beef goulash or fried chicken accompanied by mashed potatoes garlic bread and salad bar. Bread pudding was the dessert. President Matthew Owen invited Past District Governor Larry Meyers to lead us in the flag salute. Bill McAuley gave the invocation, noting that President Elect Bruce Smith is out of the hospital and doing well. Owen then gave us a brief history of the Rose Parade. He’s been attending as a volunteer for 15 years. The Parade started in 1890. It didn’t always have a football game as part of the festivities. For 15 years they did chariot races.

Jerry Reece announced Mardi Gras for a Cause would be held February 17th. Tickets are 50 in advance or 75 at the door. There will be a parade, cocktails, live music, Gumbo, red beans and rice, corn bread and cupcakes. He didn’t say what the cause was. Ted Loring Jr. boasted that he had vacationed with his in-laws in Upstate New York. He said that ”Vacation with your in-laws is an oxymoron”.

Our speaker for the day was the previously mentioned Past District Governor Larry Meyers. He’s chairman of the Polio Plus Campaign in our district. He was a victim of polio, contracting the disease at age 6. One day he woke up paralyzed on his left size. He was placed in a hospital and given treatments like blankets soaked in scalding water draped across his body. He recovered, but now is feeling the effects of Post-Polio Syndrome. He said that we are close to eradicating Polio world-wide. Last year there were 35 cases. There is a risk of its return, because fewer children are being immunized against these childhood diseases. If you donate to Rotary’s Polio Plus campaign, the Bill Gates Foundation will match each dollar you contribute with two more dollars. Last year our district raised 238,000 dollars. He would like to see us do better this year.
Cheerfully submitted by Hank Ingham