Winter has decided to make its debut in March this year, but we were all nice and cozy at The Redwood last night for our Evening Gathering! We were warmly greeted by JoAnne and Albie as we entered the restaurant, and the smiles of Laurie and Karen were just as pleasant, as we checked in at the desk. The 15 Members in attendance joined each other at the big table, and we welcomed Guest, Jill, who is soon to become a Club Member! Liz was with us online. President John gave The Blessing, thanking Our Creator for all our blessings, and asking Him to promote our good will in serving others. "You're A Grand Old Flag" was Jack's choice again this week to lead us in song. Not having to rely upon the words so much this week, Jack thought we sounded pretty good! Today's Program was entitled "Rotary 101" and was presented by Pres. John. The Rotary Moment was given by Albie.

Here are some Calendar Dates that John shared. Next week, March 20th, we have a Board Meeting at 10:30. The District Training Assembly is slated for April 22nd in Bath. There is no Registration for this event, and it will be a "Trade Show Format". A light breakfast is included, with snacks being offered, so we decided to do "lunch on our own" afterward, for those who plan to attend! May 6th is the District Conference in Bloomfield. The cost for attending is $50. Lasting from 9:30AM to 7:30PM, there will be food included, as well as attractions such as Live Music, Face Painting, Argun Range, and a Caricaturist! These attractions and activities are included in the cover price.

Shortly after the Program began, Jack made a phone call to Bill Cooper! We all sang "Happy Birthday", wishing him good health and good spirits. Coop really seemed to appreciate our remembrance of him!

In presenting "Rotary 101" to us this evening, John's goal was to bring us all up to date on the progress of Naples NY Rotary, as it navigates some changes. It is important to have us all "on the same page", as our Club makes these transitions, and it is necessary that we are all equally informed. John's diligent preparation of this evening's information assured us of this!

The Season was "kicked off" with the installation of the Strategic Planning Committee, consisting of 10 Members divided into five teams, each of which have focused on a specific area. The SPC began with a Club Health Check, to which about 70 percent of the Membership responded. A "SWOT" Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) was conducted, and a Vision Statement was created. The Committee has met a few times since last Fall. Each Team met individually and focused upon its specific goal(s). The Teams then met as a large group and worked collaboratively to create a focus. The Goals have been established, and they are Focusing on Membership, Communications, Collaborative Tools, Upgrading Club Runner, and Consistent and Conforming Our Branding.

John went on to elaborate a bit more on each of these "Subsets", if you will, giving us specific examples of how some of these Goals can be achieved. In terms of Communications, less, yet more informative E-mails shall be sent. Our Website is being upgraded. There have been modifications to our literature with the Naples NY Rotary Brochure being upgraded also. Pictures that are taken at events can be sent to Sherry, and they can be put in the Club Runner Folder. The New Brochure will be much more effective, as it will contain more pertinent information that will draw others to us. This is our hope! Pictures, the Four-Way Test, Events, The Rotary 5 W's, and the 7 Areas of Focus are specific examples of this endeavor to make Naples NY Rotary a "spotlight" in the Naples Community!

Making effective changes within our club requires setting specific goals in many various Areas. Some of these Areas that John talked about were Club Membership, Service Participation, Better Use of Club Runner, Rotary Action Group Participation, Leadership Development Participation, District Conference, Rotary Fellowship, District Training Assembly, Annual Fund Contribution, RI Polio Plus, Major Gifts, Bequest Society, Benefactors-Estate Planning, Service Projects, Rotaract Clubs, Interact Clubs, Inbound/Outbound Youth Participation, RYLA Training, Strategic Planning, On-line Presence, Social Activities, Update Website and Social Media, Media Stories-Club Projects, and Use of Promotional Materials. As is evidenced by this lengthy list of Rotary Areas of Involvement, there is a plethora of opportunities for members to become (more) active Rotarians! John set those specific goals in his planning for our Club's future, and in many of these Areas we are in the process of meeting several of these goals!

"Meeting Club Goals boils down to communication!" exclaimed John. How true! We certainly appreciate the time and effort that John put into this informative Presentation that he gave tonight!

The Ace of Hearts was at $24.00 tonight. Sue's Ticket, #6057 was drawn, and she drew the Ace of Hearts and won the Jackpot!!

The Happy Bills and Rotary Reflections were focused upon the very informative Program that John gave us, Albie being the "timekeeper" at the GF Meeting, held earlier, and Jack and Sharon having visited Alex in Cooperstown, and finding her to be doing fairly well. Also, please keep Jo and family in your thoughts and prayers, as she recently lost her Mom. Let's be thinking of, and sending positive vibes to Tom also, as he faces a new step in his health journey.

Albie shared a wonderful Rotary Moment tonight! He has donated one of his exquisite paintings to the Trout Derby! Wouldn't you know that it portrays a fisherman casting his line into the Creek! Albie also commented on the youth of our Naples Librarian, Kendyl! He didn't remember the Librarian in his high school looking like that!!

Just to beat the Winter Blahs, Sue passed out Trout Derby Information Sheets that included the QR Code for online registration! Think Spring, everyone!

As the Gathering drew to a close, we joined John in reciting the Four-Way Test. John left us with this RWE Quote to ponder: "It is one of the beautiful compensations in life, that one can't help another without helping himself!" Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone, see you next time!