Today was the First Day of Spring, and it seems that the long-awaited sunshine must have lifted our spirits today, as we gathered for our Noon Meeting. "Good Afternoon, Everyone!" boomed President John, as he welcomed us to today's Gathering. It was refreshing to see a few more Members in attendance today, as well! We pledged our Allegiance to the Flag, along with John in the lead. Jack chose the perfect song for us to sing today, "America, The Beautiful"! As we have begun to gaze upon the little snippets of green that are dotting the hills, March is being more like a "Lamb" right now! John went on to tell us that America, The Beautiful was written by Samuel Ward, who was riding a ferry boat to Coney Island when he was inspired. (Maybe he would've gotten some inspiration if he were in the Finger Lakes too!!) Patrice gave the Invocation, calling upon The Lord to bless the work that we do in serving others. Twenty Members were greeted by Blanche this noon, and we welcomed Rich Comins, our guest and speaker. John did the "Rotary Moment", which was very thought-provoking.

After our Opening Routine, John gave a brief summary of this morning's Board Meeting. Here is an update of some items covered. *The Office of Vice-President remains open for the 2023-2024 Rotary Year. *Jill Hotelling will be joining Naples Rotary soon. *There is an on-line Registration (daily) for the Trout Derby. *A new, updated Brochure for Naples NY Rotary has been produced. It is a tri-fold document that covers the Who, What, Why, When, and Where of our Rotary Club. *The clean-up at Rose Ridge Cemetery is set for April 3rd. *We will bag the Arbor Day trees at the Community Park Pavilion on April 26th.

Naples Trout Derby: Micah gave us an update, having shown a newspaper article from the Finger Lakes paper that was entitled, "Get Your Stream Gear Ready!" The article gave our Trout Derby a nice plug and great coverage! Sue passed around a List of Businesses for us to peruse, in case any were overlooked in soliciting donations.

New Brochure: Thanks to Sherry, and the collective efforts of many, the new brochure has been revised and updated. Covering all the areas that Naples NY Rotary encompasses, along with a nice collection of pictures, the revised brochure has turned out well! It will, hopefully, serve as a useful tool to have on hand when someone asks, "What is Rotary?" Sherry thanked everyone for their input, and she prompted us to keep the ideas coming!

Pickle Ball: The new Pickle Ball Court at the Community Park is coming to fruition, with the paving slated to be done this Spring! The Naples NY Rotary Club can be a "Collection Conduit" for funds, as John pointed out. Tony was asked to give an update on the progress of this project. He gave a "spur-of-the-moment" recap on the plans and development. We appreciate Tony's deep involvement with this wonderful project! The new Pickle Ball Courts are sure to attract many interested community members!

Mailbag: Fellow Member, Wayne had been away for a few weeks, having traveled to Naples, Florida. He had attended another Rotary Club, and though smaller than Naples, NY RC, he said the people were "older", and very nice! He met another fellow named "Wayne", who coincidentally, happened to be from The Bronx like he is! Wayne brought back a Flag from their club to add to our collection. He added that his experience was "very rewarding"!

PETS: Over the weekend, Liz and Karen had attended the PETS Training in Syracuse. Liz noted that it seemed like a "conference"! She really had to "rally" to be ready for this training, after having just returned from Hawaii!

Camp Onseyawa: Micah gave an update on the status of Camp O. Camp O. has moved to Camp Whitman, which is still on Seneca Lake. Their fund-raising efforts are going well, as they have several Capital Projects taking place, in the hopes of having things ready for the campers this Summer. A GoFundMe page has been created, seeking to bring in more donations. Micah noted that there have been many positive responses to this plea, and that all help is appreciated. He urged us to share its link on social media to get the word out.

Club Calendar: John displayed an Itinerary of upcoming events around the 7120 District. He added that we can find this information on the District Grapevine.

We welcomed back Rich Comins, today's program presenter, who is no "stranger" to us! Rich, who has been in Rotary for 46 years, hails from the Webster Rotary Club. He has joined us in the past, having given presentations on Shelter Box, and Adopt-A-Platoon. His presentation today was no less inspiring!

"Oh, The Places You'll Go", by the famous Dr. Seuss seems to correlate with the message that Rich shared with us today, as he talked about "The Shoe That Grows". we learned that over 300 million children, in the poorer countries around the world, do not have shoes. Many diseases are transmitted through the soil to these children who are going barefoot in these places. These children are vulnerable to diseases which can spread, and affect their health, as well as their opportunity to learn. Oftentimes, Rich told us, children quickly outgrow the donated shoes they've been given. An answer to this dilemma was achieved when an expandable shoe was developed in Mombasa, Kenya. known as "the shoe that grows". Made of quality materials, this sandal-like shoe covers 5 sizes, ranging from toddler to young adult! With its expandable feature, children are able to have their shoes for a much longer period of time, therefore keeping them freer from soil-borne diseases! Begun in 2007, this child-centered project has not only helped to keep the children healthier, but it has enabled them to "go many places" in a much safer way! A tri-fold display board that Rich brought along, showed some highlights from the " Shoe That Grows" Project. Rich also had brought a pair of these amazing shoes, to show us how they worked. He had two boxes of vests and masks which we will give to the Naples Fire Department. We give thanks to Rich for joining us today! Once again, he has inspired us with his dedication to the well-being of others! 

Ace of Hearts: Karen brought the basket of tickets to Steve R. He drew Ticket #6079, which happened to be that of Karen! The Kitty was up to $155, but Karen drew the Queen of Clubs.

Happy Bills and Rotary Reflections: John reminded everyone that March is Water and Sanitation Month. The 22nd of March is World Water Day. He also displayed the Website. Many were so pleased with Rich's Program. We're very supportive of Micah and Tony, as they are involved with worthy causes. Jo Anne is grateful for the Grape Fest Committe Chairpersons, and to John for being the acting LLC President. Plans for the 2023 Grape Fest are progressing well. she also appreciates our thoughts and prayers as her Grandson, Alliet undergoes some new treatments. Steve R. was glad to be back today, after a few missed meetings. along with our thoughts and prayers for Jo in losing her mom recently, we are thinking of Skip in the loss of his cousin as well. Jack has an early Spring birthday this week! Some of us enjoyed hearing Rose's band over the weekend. They are lively!

John's "Rotary Moment gave us some food for thought...

"Secret of Mind"

When mind is weak, situation is a problem. When mind is balanced, situation is a challenge. When mind is strong, situation is an opportunity!

We recited the Four-Way Test, as our Gathering drew to a close. Rich chimed in that it would be important to add "Will it be fun?" :) John shared a RWE saying that dealt with overcoming fear, but I regret to say that my pen was not swift enough to capture these words! I'll end this week's missive with a quote from Charles Dickens that I happened to run across, and it seems to fit these times well! "It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold; when it is Summer in the light, and Winter in the shade. 

Take care! See you all next time!