The "Spirit of the Season"

is upon us, and Naples Rotarians knew how to usher in this wonderful time of the year last week at Our Annual Christmas Party! Engine 14 served as the venue for our Annual Holiday Gathering, and the surroundings couldn't have been more festive! Several Rotarians and Guests joined together for fellowship, great food, and a gift exchange. Lock Stock Bar and Grill provided us with sumptuous food, and Brandon and Company furnished us with assorted beverages. Our Gift Exchange was hosted by Carrie and Marty, and many gifts made quite a few rounds if you had the right card! It was all in fun, though, and we didn't forget our Naples Open Cupboard either, as we brought in donations for them, as well! Many thanks to Skip and Judy for always planning such nice events!

We were greeted by Festive Frank this noon, as he was sporting a fancy Santa tie from last week's party! Jack, filling in for President Karen, called the Meeting to order at precisely 12:05 PM, allowing our speaker a bit of time to finish his meal. We joined Jack in saying The Pledge, and in singing "God Bless America". Jack's words in his Invocation prompted us to make a difference for others and be a Blessing to them "with love in our hearts". Frank introduced our Guests, Anna and Uryu, our Exchange Students, and our Speaker, Brad Pearson. Nineteen additional Members rounded out the group.

Jack had a few announcements to share. The Operation Santa Deliveries last Saturday went very well! 40 families were served! Kelly VandeSande, the Elementary School Nurse enlisted about 40 students to help out this year! A number of Rotarian Elves helped with this year's deliveries. Jack and Sharon became a bit concerned when they spotted a "big black bag" lying in the middle of the road up Italy Valley way, but thank goodness, it was just garbage, not an OS bag that had fallen off the truck!

Light Up Naples, also on Saturday, was an evening of pure enjoyment in spite of the frigid temperatures. Cindy was very pleased with how everything turned out, and she thanked the LUN Committee for all its involvement and hard work to help make LUN 2024 a success. "It was cold, but there was lots of warmth!" Jack added.

Jack gave a short summary of this morning's Board Meeting. *Our finances are in great shape. * Nancy wishes to co-chair the 2025 Trout Derby. Laurie has offered to help Nancy. Sue will help with organizing. * We will be voting by ballot on January 6th for Board Positions. Currently the Slate of Officers is as follows: President: Jack, Vice President: Sherry has offered to be on the Ballot, Presidents-Elect: Carrie and Judy, Secretary: Cindy, Treasurer(s): David Dial and Judy Manser, Sergeant at Arms: Open, Director: Laurie will fill in for Rose, and Director: Skip has agreed to stay on. If anyone is interested in filling these vacancies, please let us know. The results of the voting will be available on January 13th. * Two new options, "Zeffy" and "Paya" will be available for online payment. * We are urged to respond to the Online Survey sent out to us by Lisa Norwood on December 12th. * Dues will be due soon. * Liz noted that the Club Calendar is available for our perusal on Club Runner and Google Sheets.

Today's Program was about the Mary Cariola Center, and it was brought to us by Brad Pearson. Brad, who did his undergraduate preparation at Geneseo, has a rich background in teaching and working with others. He had worked as a teacher and a principal at the Mary Cariola Center, as well as Director of Advancement and Interim President. After taking a hiatus, he is now back at the Center in the capacity of Fund Raising.

Brad noted that he had made some "nice connections", through Frank and Sue, as he walked in today. With that, he began to tell us how the Mary Cariola Center (MCC) came to be. Back in the 1940's, a Rochester woman, Mary Cariola had a son, "Butchie", who was born with severe needs. Contrary to the advice that he be institutionalized, Mary was determined to do something better for her son, and other youngsters with high needs such as his. It was through her arduous efforts that the MCC was established and therefore could provide the necessary education that needy students require. Governor Cuomo called her "a Crown Jewel in a sea of humanity"!

Since its beginning, the MCC has been very impactful in helping needy children receive the appropriate education they deserve. In all, there are 466 students, 680 staff members, and 52 school districts served. Three locations: Elmwood Avenue, East Henrietta Road, and East Avenue, serve students coming from a large scope of regions, and needing a variety of services and therapies. There is no set curriculum, but rather, the program is designed around the unique needs of each child. These children are often illiterate, non-verbal, and need help with feeding and basic hygiene. They truly need the special care that the staff are trained to give. There are six residences for the kids throughout the area, as well.

Brad talked about the future for the Mary Cariola Center, and the three main focuses are on-campus location, (closer drive for staff), adult day program, and addressing disparity in funding.

The Kitty was at a whopping 20.00 today, and Brad drew John's Ticket, #6246. John pulled the King of Spades from the pack.

Brad's Presentation today really touched our hearts; thus, many Happy Bills came forth with sincere appreciation for what the MCC does for these special young people.

John had the Rotary Moment for us today, and it was a short video comprised of snippets from Light Up Naples! Perfect! 

Jack closed this Noon's Meeting, as we joined him in reciting the Four-Way Test.

Everyone is wished a very Merry Christmas! Hope that each and every one of us is able to enjoy time with family and friends! See you in 2025!