"Hello, Fall!" exclaimed President Liz, as she warmly welcomed us to the last Meeting of September. Indeed, the crisper air, and the snippets of color that are beginning to dot our hillsides are but a few indications of this glorious season about to unfold in the Naples Valley.

We were welcomed by Cindy's smiling face, as a nice turnout of members and guests gathered at The Redwood this evening. We joined Pres. Liz as we rose to say The Pledge. Liz's Opening Thoughts reflected on our being thankful for this day, as well as for the challenges that lay ahead. Jack had chosen The Star-Spangled Banner to lead us in song. 

Along with the two dozen members who came to tonight's Meeting, we were pleased to welcome nine guests! Joining our friendly group were Leandra, Graycen and Sawyer, (family of Micah), Giovanna, (our Exchange Student), Chip, (one of our regular visitors), Sharon, (another one of "our regulars"), Barb Betrus, (who has visited us in the past), Alan Stone, (friend of Steve Richards), and Mary Peaty, (friend of Rose).

There were plenty of announcements tonight, beginning with Pres. Liz, who welcomed us to our last September Meeting, and exclaimed, "We survived!", as she referred to this past weekend, and the Grape Fest. "Now it's on to the next adventures!" Liz added. She also informed us that RLI (Rotary Leadership Institute) Training was coming up. It will be held at the Victor High School, and all levels will be offered.

Camp Onseyawa: Micah announced that the 2023 Camp O. Annual Fall Dinner will be held at Club 86 in Geneva on November 10th. Those who are interested in attending may give their checks to Micah. Further information is included in the Flyer(s) that Micah handed out to the membership.

Light Up Naples: It's that time of year again! Rose stated that the first Organizational Meeting will be held on September 26th at 3:00 PM at her home.

Exchange Students: Jill was glad to announce that next year, we may possibly have two outgoing Exchange students from Naples!

The Naples Grape Fest: IPP John thanked everyone for the "phenomenal" Grape Fest of 2023. It had been a great weekend, and there'll be a "Wrap Up Meeting" soon.

Club Calendar: Pres. Liz was pleased to report that the Club Calendar is currently up to date through January.

In lieu of our regularly scheduled Program this evening, Pres. Liz stepped up to the plate and gave an informative Power Point Presentation that is a "work in progress" yet supports her goals of "starting to look at committees and bringing them back to life".

There are various Committees within the realm of Naples NY Rotary, and Liz proceeded to list each one, including a brief description, its responsibilities, and those who are listed as Committee Chairs, along with Committee Members. 

Listed here, are the Committees that Liz covered in her presentation: Club Administration, Membership, Community Service, Vocational Service, International Service, Foundation, Public Image, Youth Services, Technological Support, Oratorical Contest, Vocal Contest, Bulletin and Awards. Various members' names were listed under each of the Committee names, yet it appears that there are some "gaps" that need to be filled. It is with Liz's encouragement that members are prompted to sign up for a committee that would align with his/her talents and time, thus giving more members an opportunity to become involved in our club. One can go to Club Runner to glean further information on the various committees within the Naples NY Rotary Club.

Ace of Hearts: Ticket #1125 was picked tonight, and it belonged to Patrice. She drew the Queen of Clubs from the pack.

"Let's bring back the red solo cup!" Pres. Liz is in favor of doing this part of the Meeting again. Laurie explained the purpose of having done this in the past, as it was meant to help students in need. Typically, it was linked to a "Win-Win" tricky question, and if you couldn't come up with the correct answer, you had to put a donation in the cup. Tonight's question was the name of the cat in Macbeth. It was "Grimalkin", all you Shakespeare fans!

Rotary Moment: The Rotary Moment was in triplicate this evening! First, Liz was welcomed back at Joseph's over the weekend. "I'm home!" she joyfully admitted. Second, Jack was glad to see Rotary cups at the one of the booths at the Grape Festival. He enjoyed sampling mild sauce from "Sweet Marie's"! Third, Carrie expressed her joy in sharing that her dad, Skip, and Frank (Duserick) are going to be going on the Honor Flight this weekend in appreciation of their service! This should have happened back in 2019, but Covid got in the way. Skip and Frank, we are proud of you, and we thank you for your service!

Happy Bills: Folks were very pleased with how well the Grape Fest went this past weekend! We enjoyed Liz's informative Program. Jack was pleased that his son-in-law, Jeff did so well at a recent Golf Tourney near Buffalo. Skip, Judy, Carrie, and Bill enjoyed having Charlie home for a visit. Marty enjoyed seeing Clyde over the weekend. Tonight made 8 visits to our club from Chip! Jo Anne expressed her delight in how well everything had gone with the Grape Fest over the weekend, and this year marked Nancy's 42nd year as "Queen of the Grape Fest"!! 

Thank you so much to Cindy for having covered for me while Bo and I were away. She did an excellent job reporting the Meetings and the Board Minutes!

Tonight's Meeting was brought to a close, as we recited The Four-Way Test. Enjoy these Beautiful Fall Days!!