What Is A Sunrise Rotarian?

Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise is a very special group of Rotarians! Below, some of our core members talk about what being a Arcata Sunrise Rotarian means to them.

I have been a Rotarian for over 24 years. As a member of two Rotary clubs, past club president and former Rotary district governor I have had the experience of visiting literally hundreds of Rotary clubs in the United States and many foreign countries. The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise has from its charter date in 1992 demonstrated the highest level of enthusiasm for the principles of Rotary. Service Above Self has been the underlying strength of this club and its members for nearly twenty years. The services that The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise and its members have provided both to the local and global communities is worthy of great pride.

~Harry N Johnson, PDG 2000-01

I had been in Rotary 14 years and served as District Governor before I joined the Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise. While a member of a different Club, I made up so often at Arcata Sunrise that I think some people were surprised when I was proposed as a member because they thought I already was one! I love the energy of our Club and I love seeing the people each Friday morning. We do great work in both our community and the world; we bring honor to the title "Rotarian". Many long time Rotarians have 2 Clubs - the one to which they belong and the one where their heart resides. Since 2006, those 2 have been the same for me and it will never change.

~Terri Clark

I joined Rotary because I became convinced that it is the premier Service Club available in our area and probably anywhere in the world. One of the greatest facets of our organization is the internationality of it. Rotary is in almost every entity that even calls itself a nation, with the exception of communist countries, which do not allow groups of people to gather either publically or privately. Rotary serves people in a number of ways. My Rotarian wife, Janice, and I have had the pleasure of hosting a total of 13 Long Term Rotary High School Exchange Students from 11 different countries in our home since 1998. Over the last 20 years or so, I have been lucky enough to have been involved in countless local area community service projects, both where the Arcata Sunrise Rotary Club has funded a project to make a difference in our community, or hands-on service projects where we have applied our skills and labor to make a difference. I have also been able to participate in international service projects where we have travelled to another county to do hands-on work to help people in need. One of my most rewarding experiences associated with our Rotary Club has been working with youth at Sunny Brae Middle School and Arcata High School through Rotary sponsored and supported Interact Service Clubs. Rotary sponsorship of youth service organizations also extends to sponsoring and supporting Rotaract Clubs for young adults aged 18-30. The only limit to what an individual can get out of involvement in the Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise is the amount of time and dedication that they choose to put into it.

~Craig Newman, Member since 1992