It was a “Triple Delight” this evening, as we actually had two programs and an Induction of a New Member. President Tom commented that it was a pleasure to see three full tables and 15 guests joining us for dinner tonight! Tom opened the meeting, as we joined him in saying The Pledge. John F. chose The Star-Spangled Banner to lead us in song, and the music melodically resonated through the room, as 45 voices lifted in unison to honor Our Flag. “Merciful, Heavenly Father, we thank you for Your Blessings,” said Steve R. “We thank you, also, that our club keeps growing,” he added.
Laurie announced each of this evening’s guests. We were honored to have these fine people join us: Erin Gentner, Ethan Gentner, Owen Gentner, David Moore, Damian Moore,Tonya Moore, Alicia Allen, Betty Zillmann, Sharon Fredericks, Mindy Richards, Jessie Norton, Tad Norton, Sheri Norton, Erin Norton, and Cris Martinez.
Skip reminded the members to sign up for the Annual Steak Roast which will be the Evening Meeting of September 9th. The steaks will be grilled to perfection, and we are asked to bring an appetizer, side dish, or dessert to share. The cost is $10 each, and please let Skip know by Monday, 9/2, if you plan to attend. This is always a nice “kick-off” to the Fall Season!
Tom scrolled down through the Club Calendar from now through September. Fall will be a busy time for us, with some important dates to keep in mind:
This Thursday, 8/29, will be the Walk of Life Wrap-Up Party at Hollerhorn.
The Grape Fest is the weekend of 9/21-9/22.
Tom suggested that in lieu of the Evening Meeting which would have been on 9/23, that as many of us as possible could try to attend the Eastern Cities Fellowship Dinner.
Frank spoke briefly about Camp O., giving three cheers to Bruce and Betty, and adding that 27% of the Naples Rotary Club helped out in some way! The frosting on the cupcake was when Pres. Tom presented a little slideshow of our visit to Camp O. on 8/22. Though we had some work to do, a good time was had by all!
Betty Zillmann Inducted to Naples Rotary
The first of tonight’s special events was the Induction of a very special lady who has won our hearts by her exemplary display of service, though she had not (yet) become a Rotarian. Betty Zillmann has become a “regular” as we have enjoyed her presence at many of our meetings. She has helped the club in countless ways, and tonight we were honored to induct her as the newest member of the Naples Rotary. Her dear friend, Bruce summed our feelings up in a nutshell…”We are grateful to have her!”
Next on tonight’s agenda was a double presentation by two of our younger guests, Owen Gentner and Damian Moore, both of whom are doing an Eagle Scout Project. Owen’s project is to restore the gazebo at Hospeace House. It will be handicapped accessible when completed. He thanked NRC for the donation. Damian’s project plan is to redo the Naples Bingo Hall sign. He will get pricing from Wilcox Lumber. He hopes to raise money by having a “scrap (metal) drive”.
Cris Martinez and Jessie Norton Tell Their Story About Rotary's Summer Exchange
In tonight’s Main Program we were treated to a pictorial visit of Spain and Portugal from “the Traveling Young Ladies,” Jessie Norton and Cristina (Cris) Matinez. Jessie had spent 41/2 weeks with Cris’s family this Summer in Spain, and Cris has been here in Naples with Jessie’s family for 5 weeks. The two girls have become close friends through their mutual experiences in each other’s country, and with each other’s family.
As each of the girls took turns talking, we enjoyed hearing about their travels through Spain and Portugal. In addition to hiking, swimming, camping, kayaking, viewing exquisite art and architecture, the girls even rode on a gondola! They even met up with a friendly stray cat!
One of their fondest memories was when they went to a Rotary Gathering with other exchange students, where they could share their experiences. Jessie enjoyed the seafood and the apricots!
Cris has had some pleasant experiences while spending time with Jessie’s family here in Naples. She has been to the Adirondacks and the State Fair, and she has tried some of “our foods” as well! We applauded these lovely girls for their spirit of adventure and each of them being an extraordinary example of youth at its finest!
As one would expect, in addition to the regular reasons for submitting fines, there was an outpouring of Happy Bills for many wonderful things that are happening within our club. Here are the reasons that we are so grateful to be a part of this wonderful service organization. We were pleased with the two programs. Our Naples youth are to be commended. We are glad to be a part of the Camp O. experience. It’s wonderful that our club continues to grow…welcome Betty! The Walk of Life yielded a great result in terms of profit. Some other reasons for happiness are that Billy was glad about the Baseball Tourney, Jack had a great Golf Outing with the Hamilton Rotary Club, and Nancy attended a nice wedding with family. The Fines were for missed meetings, (Suzanne, Billy, Jill, Marty, Blanche, and John). Pres. Tom had his cell phone ring during the meeting.
The Kitty was at $35.00 tonight. Cris was asked to do the drawing of the winning ticket. It was Ticket #8250, which belonged to Jill. Jill picked the 7 of Hearts, but not all of the cards were there! We weren’t “playing with a full deck”, so Jill drew again, and landed the King of Diamonds!
Bruce had the Win-Win for us. He had the first edition of Sports Illustrated, dated August, 1954. Many guesses were given, but it featured Eddie Matthews hitting a home run in Milwaukee!
Pres. Tom had the Rotary Moment for us. He had attended the Rochester Airshow over the weekend, and he had gleaned a nice picture of two thunderbirds in formation. Wouldn’t you know, Mike came up with a “similar” picture of two blackbirds in the same array!
There won’t be a meeting this Monday, September 2nd, as it is Labor Day. Our next meeting will be at the Annual Steak Roast on September 9th, at the VFW. Hope to see you all then! Have a great Labor Day weekend, and blessings to all!
Report from our Evening Meeting, August 26, 2019
by Patrice Lysell, secretary
Club Information
Welcome to Naples
Service Above Self
Monday's at Noon except 2nd and 4th Mondays at 6 PM
The Redwood Restaurant
6 Cohocton Street .
Naples ,
NY 14512 United States of America
