“Spring, Spring, Spring!” sang the frog. “Spring!” said the groundhog. “Spring, Spring Spring!” sang the robin. These cherished words from one of my children’s and grandchildren’s favorites, “Home For A Bunny” by Margaret Wise Brown, certainly have rung true these past few days! We have been blessed by quite favorable weather over the weekend, and we are forever grateful for the sunshine! Our Noon Meeting today was filled with many moments of sunshine, that is for sure!
President Matt began our Meeting with a warm welcome, when he said that it was great to see everyone. PE Bruce gave The Invocation. “Heavenly Father, Divine Mother, guide our hearts and minds and hands, and continue to lead us into the future.” Bruce prayed. “May Your Light shine upon our Naples Village,” he added. Pres. Matt added that he had enjoyed Jack’s Worship Message (from Trinity) this past weekend. He especially enjoyed “The Beatitudes!” (This was a tradition of Sharon’s when she taught…a combination of behavior and attitudes, as she appraised each of her students, always looking for the positive in each!)
We welcomed today’s guests, Sharon (one of our regulars), Kathleen Duserick, and Cindy Harris. Along with 21 Members, it resulted in a nice turnout this noon! Today’s Program was brought to us by Cindy Harris. Our Rotary Moment would be provided by John French.
Patrice gave a summation of today’s Board Meeting. Susan gave a financial overview of this past year. We did remarkably well last year due to the effort(s) displayed by the Membership, and donors. We are in a stable position right now, but we shall not extend any further funds to additional projects at this time. We shall remain conservative in terms of spending. The Board voted to approve a “Roll-Over” Budget for next year, in keeping within conservative guidelines. Sincere thanks were expressed from The Board in appreciation of all that Susan has done in her role as Club Treasurer. Matt has talked with Donna, and there will be a Grape Fest this year. Here are some considerations that will be kept in mind. #1 The Grape Fest will be modified. #2 If there are concerns on the part of the NRC, we should let Donna and Jo Anne know in a timely manner. #3 There will be a need for more voluntary help from the Membership. There are plans in the making for developing an Interact Club in Naples High School. Marty is willing to serve as the liaison between Naples Rotary and the School. Annalisa Chapman, Spanish teacher at NCS, has agreed to be the faculty moderator of Interact. There are a couple of students who have already expressed an interest in being a part of Interact. (There may be a minimal start-up cost for this.) In the past, Naples Rotary has participated in the Memorial Day Parade. Liz was asking about this possibility for this year. She has been encouraged to talk to Steve Richards, who has had previous experience with our being in the Parade. Liz would require about 10 volunteers to help with getting an entry in the Parade. The Board held a “Reopening Conversation.” We have just a few Meetings left before the “New Year” sets in. June 28th will be the Gavel Dinner, hosted by Brew and Brats, and it will be In-Person. We are hoping to resume our In-Person Meetings on July 12th. Matt has talked with The Redwood, and they are looking forward to having us return! The Meeting on July 12th will be an Evening Meeting. Of course, all safety protocols will be observed. The Paul Harris Nominations went well. The Robert Allen Ballots will be sent out to the Membership this week by Tom. Lastly, the Board talked about Committee Leadership opportunities.
Tom gave an Awards Update. The nominations for the Paul Harris Awards went well, and it just so happens, there was a tie! The Robert Allen Award is slightly different than the Paul Harris Award, in that this awardee must be a Rotarian, and will have been a Rotarian for at least three years. Tom will send the list of eligible candidates to the Membership this week via GoogleDoc. We must choose three possibilities, and we should E-mail our selections back to Tom. The Paul Harris and Robert Allen Awardees will be announced at the Gavel Dinner on June 28th.
The Watershed Clean-Up at the Naples Creek took place this past weekend under the direction and leadership of Jack. Many Naples Rotarians were on hand to help with this great service project! Among those offering their help were Cindy, Sue, John, Sherry, Karen, Betsy, Holly, Katie, Sharon, and Pres. Matt. Katie, Sherry, and Sharon took charge of the “Dessert Table,” which included yummy treats made by Katie, while the others worked hard to clean up debris from the Naples Creek. The back of the Arbor Hill truck was filled! Many thanks to Jack and his crew for helping to keep Naples beautiful, and for keeping our environment safe and healthy for all!
Frank spoke a bit about the Camp O. Golf Tournament, coming up next month, June 12th. Hopefully, Naples Rotary can muster up a couple of teams to participate in this worthwhile event! Frank noted that Arbor Hill has been a great source of support.
Rose said that the Bristol Valley Theater has a 2:00 PM Outdoor Concert planned for this coming Saturday, May 22nd in the Theater Parking Lot. That should be an event one wouldn’t want to miss!
President Matt reflected upon what a wonderful year this has been in spite of everything! He especially noted how those Happy Bills have been accumulating, and he prompted us to “keep them coming!”
Today’s Program was entitled “Art and Design With A Positive Twist,” and was brought to us by Cindy Harris. After hearing Cindy’s Presentation, I am reminded of these words by William Blake. “To see a world in a Grain of Sand…And a Heaven in a Wild Flower. Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, and Eternity in an hour.” Cindy certainly reflects the appreciation of art, nature’s beauty and timeless moments as this poem suggests. Cindy, who is from the Adirondacks, has enjoyed being in the Finger Lakes Area and some of her work includes landscapes depicting this beautiful, bucolic region. She enjoys working with oil paints, and her creations include still life as well. Educated at RIT, Cindy became skilled in Graphic Design. She has created a website that serves as a showcase site for her artwork, and is connected to her blog. There are “pieces that open her soul,” she told us and no doubt, the birth of Spring that May embodies, sparks that creative strand in her! Birds, buds, and blossoms are rejuvenating! Her spirit is invigorated, and in those little miracles that she discovers, she threads them into her artwork. She finds that “the simple is not ordinary,” and for each new discovery, new life and new miracles unfold! Cindy teaches and takes classes at the Main Street Gallery in Canandaigua, and it is through the experience of critiques that her growth as an artist is enhanced. Vulnerability has a way of entering into the picture, but Cindy shared that art inspires growth in an individual. Truly, we all were touched by Cindy’s remembrance of our beloved John H. Brahm. She displayed a picture of John alongside a painting she had created overlooking Canandaigua Lake. Her strong connection to the environment was amplified by JHB, she told us, for John was one who connected to everyone, and to his community. “He always took the time for others,” noted Cindy, and the kindness of Katie continues this! (We see this attribute in Sherry, John, and Tom, as well!) Cindy has tried to honor John’s memory by “taking time,” She plans to take a little sojourn to California soon, where she will spend time with family. Her word of the year is “pause,” and in doing so, she is compelled to “realize the gifts” that are all around. When presented with questions from the Membership, Cindy summed up her replies with one simple, yet strong statement. “Just keep on going!” We thank Cindy for a wonderful program today! P.S. I had to laugh when Frank thought the word could be “paws,” comparing the homonym to his gentle cat😊!
As Pres. Matt noted earlier, “Those Happy Bills just keep on coming!” Today was no exception! Happy Bills came forth in praise of Cindy’s Program. We appreciated all the Members who helped at the Watershed Clean-Up at Naples Creek. There was a nice collection of Naples Rotarians at Brew and Brats this past Saturday to hear Peg and the Fiddler!
John F. had the perfect Rotary Moment to share with the group this noon! He displayed a picture of Pres. Matt checking out a hollow tree trunk during the Creek Clean-Up. It seemed as if he was being like “Winnie-The-Pooh”, however, there was no honey to be found!!
Our Meeting next Monday, May 24th, will be an Evening Meeting. We will hear from Naples Elementary Teachers, Liz Dormer and Angela Lynk, as they tell us about Teaching During a Pandemic. Until then, take care, everyone, and have a great week!
