The lengthening shadows of this late July evening have reminded us that Summer is waning, but the zeal that we have for our goals in the Naples NY Rotary is enkindled by the theme, "Imagine Rotary!", as we enter into the New Year!

The Meeting began as President John invited us to stand for The Pledge. Jo Anne gave the Invocation, thanking The Lord for the strength and resilience our club has seemed to have had over the course of these challenging times. Jack chose "God Bless America" to lead us in song, and Cindy had greeted us warmly, as we entered The Redwood. We welcomed guests DG Ralph Brandt, Assistant DG, (for our sector), Nancy LaTour, along with Judy, Lisa, and Sharon, who joined the 19 of us (Members) who were in attendance. This evening's Program would be "twofold", with Ralph doing the first part, and PE Liz giving the second half. Jack would do the Rotary Moment.

Per Pres. John's prompt, we sang "Congratulations" to Sandy and Alex for having July Birthdays, and to Jack and Sharon, John and Sherry, and Jodi and Mark for having July Anniversaries. Jack has stepped in to be the Song Leader.

Here are some announcements that John shared. There is a "handful" of days, (until the 31st), that one can still bid on the Online Auction Items. There are two items that require an initial bid.

With August approaching, John noted that it (August) is Membership and Club Development Month. On Monday, there will be elections. August 8th is an Evening Meeting with the Program TBD. Charlie Grove will be giving the Program about RYLA at the August 15th Noon Meeting. The Camp. O. Set-Up will be August 13th. The Camp O. Carnival is August 21st. (Will Alex do the face-painting?) One can purchase Raffle Tickets. They are $5 each, or three for $12. There is a "new home search" being conducted for Rotary Camp. O. Most likely, it will stay in the region.

Here are some more August Dates for the calendar.  "Blind Wine Tasting" will be August 4th in East Rochester. "Dragnet" in Bloomfield will be August 15th, 16th, and 17th. The Avon Corn Festival will be August 13th. Coming up in September is the 0.5K Walk (Canandaigua Rotary), on September 10th, and the Brisket Pulled Pork Dinner, sponsored by the Wayland Rotary will be on September 17th.

We'll be voting on Club Leadership soon. Here is the status of Club Positions. Karen has thrown her hat into the ring, and she is seeking the Position of Vice President. The Position of Sergeant at Arms will be filled by the Board. Jack, Sherry, and Nancy are Directors through 2023-2024. Slots are open for 2024-2025. Interested Members include Skip, Sue, Micah, Jane, and Rose. The Rotary Club Foundation President is to be determined. Currently, we have John (French) as President, President-Elect is Liz, Vice President is Karen, Secretary is Patrice, Treasurer is Laurie, and Immediate Past President is Bruce. 

Nancy LaTour introduced Ralph Brandt, the District 7120 Governor for 2022-2023, who gave an engaging talk this evening! Ralph, who is a 31-year Member of Rotary, has had an impressive career in Rotary! He has been President (in Bloomfield) 3 times, along with having served in the positions as Secretary, Treasurer, and Bulletin Editor! Having grown up in Irondequoit this multiple Paul Harris Fellow had been in the Restaurant Business. Having felt that a change was necessary, he moved to Canandaigua, and became a "Lifetime Certified Packaging Professional". His retirement years saw him driving school bus for the Bloomfield School System, thus Ralph was devoted to the kids as well! 

Ralph now devotes his time to the District (7120), and he feels that it's a great honor to serve at this level. With the theme for this year being "Imagine Rotary!", he feels that there are plenty of reasons to become involved. He talked about Jennifer Jones, the first female RI President, and her commitment to the Theme of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Ralph sees this focus as being a building block upon which we can expand our initiatives, and, hopefully, continue to grow. He prompted us, (the Naples NY Rotary Club) to "expand our reach" by becoming innovative, and by creating changes that transform. Ralph noted that a Rotary Club in California had been persistent in including women, (in their club), and they succeeded! In fact, the first woman President in District 7120 was in Bloomfield!

"The District exists to serve the clubs," added Ralph, "and all clubs have the potential to become innovative!" Learning how to help Members become engaged, with flexible options, factors into the equation for success as a club, and Naples NY Rotary has the potential to do this! The Strategic Planning scheduled for this Fall is a step in the right direction!

Tom provided a little interlude at this juncture and showed the short video from the recent Walk of Life. Next, we heard from PE Liz, who was inspired by the Final General Assembly at the at the International Conference in Houston back in June. RI President, Jennifer Jones, who hails from Windsor, Ontario, had spoken with passion and a sense of excitement about harnessing DEI in reaching our goals in the New Year. Liz told us that Jennifer spoke with candor as she urged us to speak openly and with honesty to each other. We are urged to treat all with respect, and to listen to the younger Members as well as the "seasoned" ones. It's important to make the Rotary Experience one of enjoyment. Responsible Members become that way when given responsibilities. These were the sentiments that Jennifer shared in Houston. Some of Jennifer's plans are to include Rotaract Members, empower girls to become empowered women, and to visit high impact areas throughout the world. Liz concluded her portion of tonight's Presentation by quoting Jennifer's words. "Our responsibility is to make dreams a reality. Don't imagine yesterday, imagine tomorrow!" Many thanks to Ralph and to Liz for the inspiration you've given us in the pursuit of our goals!

The Happy Bills and Fines were donated in appreciation of both Programs this evening. We were very inspired! The Anniversary Couples were very happy. Rose appreciated her Music Time, and Karen has a new pup!

Skip and Steve had returned earlier this evening from Florida, having gone to Warren's Funeral. Skip noted that it was a wonderful service.

The Ace of Hearts Kitty was up to $151 tonight. Liz's Ticket was drawn, and Liz picked the Jack of Spades.

Instead of Win-Win, it was called "One More Thing" tonight! In the spirit of change, Tom shared a bit of Naples History as he showed a short video of the Grape Fest Parade from many years ago! We recognized Judy!

Jack's Rotary Moment told of how he is planning to play golf next month in Hamilton County. It will be a time of fellowship, and he will see his former CEO, who also happens to be a Rotarian! He also noted that John did very well in golf tonight!

I thought it might be nice to conclude this week's Report with the explanation DG Ralph gave for this year's Imagine Rotary Emblem. The Circle represents Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Seven Spires are the Areas of Focus. White represents Peace. Green is the Environment. Purple stands for Polio. 

Take care, all! See you next week!