Today was President John's last official Meeting for this Rotary Year, and it felt so good to be back! I was thinking of the words from John Denver's song that say, "Hey, it's good to be back home again!" Much warmth was felt as we gathered on this sunny June afternoon!

There had been a Board Meeting earlier today, and The Board Members had gathered at The Redwood as we customarily do. Proceeding with our Agenda, conversing over coffee and decision-making, everything seemed to flow smoothly, until a power outage forced us to change location! The Regular Meeting was about to convene when the lights went out, the screen and computers shut down, and things were at a "standstill"! Though we hated to leave sweet, smiling Becky and Cheryl, we knew we needed a different venue to hold our Meeting, thus, some improvisations needed to be made! A few "adjustments" resulted in our changing venues to Bob's and Ruth's, where Tammy graciously welcomed us at "a moment's notice"!

Though many of our procedural "steps" were omitted, Micah and Jack were there at Bob's and Ruth's to welcome us, as we filed in. Sharon, (from B and R), welcomed us, and read off the menu choices for lunch. We selected some tasty dishes for our lunch, as we gathered for some fine food, and fellowship! President John expressed our thanks for having been able to transfer to this fine location for our Weekly Meeting! 

Sharon, from the B and R staff, read off the delectable choices for our lunch menu. including the specials. We complied, as our Meeting convened, and we welcomed Members and Guests. We welcomed guests, Sharon, (one of our "Regulars"), along with Chip Weismiller, who will be with us over the Summer!

President John reviewed some of the aspects from our Board Meeting, which was held earlier today. First of all, dues are due for all Members. Skip needs our RSVP for the Gavel Dinner, which is slated for June 26th. It will be a "Mexican Feast", which is sure to please! There will not be a Meeting on July 3rd, as this is close to the 4th of July Holiday. There will be a Rotary Lite Meeting on  July 12th at the Naples Firehall. The  Rotary Lite Meetings are scheduled for the second Wednesday of each month. The District Changeover Dinner is slated for June 21st at the Willow Creek Venue in Lakeville on Wednesday, June 21st. The Naples NY Rotary Club has voted to give the Corning Rotary Club $300 in support of their endeavor to provide sewing machines and sewing skills to teens in Uganda. The Naples Board of Directors has voted to approve that Jo Cornish be our Sergeant at Arms for the year 2023-2024.  Budget for the 2023-2024 Rotary Year has been approved. We are waiting on documentation from Marty before we can reach a decision on the Pickle Ball Courts. The Awards (Paul Harris and Robert Allen) will be issued at the Annual Steak Roast on August 28th. We were updated on the progress of the 2023 Naples Grape Fest, and everything is proceeding quite well. The Naples Rotary Club will be donating $250 to "Taylor's Touch", a Program that is quite similar to Operation Santa. Karen, our President-Elect, will be responsible for the Programs slated for the 2023-2024 Rotary Year, but much help will be provided through fellow members! There was a Grape Fest update, and everything has been proceeding well. Paul Harris and Robert Allen Awards will be issued at the Annual Steak Roast, which will be on August 28th. The Naples Rotary Club Board of Directors has voted that we will give $250 to "Taylor's Touch", That check will be given by Laurie to Steve and Wendy at Luigi's. As part of the "Program Committee", Karen and Nancy will be involved, and Liz will debrief. Rose has noted that the Pride Parade will take place in Rochester on July 15th, and that there is a District Float Invite.

PE Liz noted that on August 13th, the set -up for Camp O. will take place. Those Members who are interested will meet at 8:00 AM on August 13th, to get things started, so to speak. Micah noted that those interested in becoming involved with the "Carnival", may express their interest at any time. More details are to follow! 

Sue had expressed her delight in having been a part of the recent (Rotary) events at the Margery Pawluk Golf Tournament! She, along with Golf Partner, John, had birdied the second hole!! Yes! This one moment had truly given Sue the Golf Bug Bite!! She had begged, borrowed, and stolen from various sources, but Sue is definitely one of our "typical choices" when it comes to a tournament!! Liz and Jo aren't far from that level either!! We actually have a lot of "golfers" in our club who could rise to the occasion!! Jack noted that we will probably have a lot of golfers who will "rise to the occasion" when we have our District Conference!!

Frank shared a sweet moment when he noted that on Hole #12, (a familiar par 3 at the Camp O. Golf Tourney), the "Vintage Tequila" that belonged to Sherry's Dad, JHB, was offered! Now that was a sweet moment for sure!!

May I take this moment to thank our Dear Cindy for the excellent job that she did covering for me as Secretary while I was away! Her weekly reports were amazing, and her Board Minutes were outstanding! Thank you so much!! See you all on Monday!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

d our Noon Gathering. Some quick thinking was done, and a call was made to Tammy at Bob's and Ruth's to see if we could meet there. Tammy graciously obliged, and we soon found ourselves gathered in fellowship in the lovely Dining Room of B and R, overlooking Naples' verdant hills. It was lovely!

Today's Gathering was a little bit "off the grid", as some of our procedural steps were omitted, but it was a great Meeting nonetheless! We did say The Pledge, and Jack and Micah greeted us as we entered B and R. We welcomed one of "Our Regular Guests", Dear Sharon, and we were glad to know that Chip Weismiller will be with us over the Summer! In addition, there were 20 Members present. We filled a long table, and a couple of round tables in the dining room! In lieu of a Formal Program, the specialness of today was the camaraderie of good friends!

The "Specials" were read off by Sharon, (from B and R), to prompt us, as we made our menu selections from a variety of mouth-watering choices. Pres. John expressed our thanks for being able to move to "this end of town". He also added a little quip in saying, "Welcome Guests and Wanderers!" 

John gave an overview of this morning's Board Meeting. First of all, he reminded us that dues are due!  Skip needs our RSVP for the Gavel Dinner, which will be at Brew and Brats. It will be a "Mexican Feast". There will be no Meeting on July 3rd, as this date is close to the 4th of July Holiday. John shared a few dates with us. On July 10th, there will be a BVT Program. The Naples Grape Fest preparations are progressing well. Rotary Lite will meet at the Naples Fire Hall on July 12th. The District Changeover Dinner is set for June 21st. We have pledged $300 to the Corning Rotary Club in support of a project aimed at providing sewing machines and skills to teens in Uganda. The Corning Rotary Club will be presenting a Program for us soon, based in this endeavor. The positions for Officers on the Board of Directors for 2023-2024 are set. The Board approved the Position of Sergeant at Arms to be filled by Jo Cornish. The Position of Vice President is to be determined. Liz, John, and Laurie have worked on Budget changes and improvements for the upcoming year.. Good progress is being made in this area. We are waiting on documentation from Marty before we proceed with any decisions regarding the Pickle Ball Courts. The Paul Harris and Robert Allen Awards will be issued at the Annual Steak Dinner in August. There was a Grape Fest Update. Things are progressing well in anticipation of the 2023 Naples Grape Festival. More information is to follow! The Board approved the donation of $250 to "Taylor's Touch", which is similar to Operation Santa in terms of its focus. Laurie will give a check (from Naples NY Rotary) in the amount of $250 to Steve and Wendy. As President-Elect, Karen will be in charge of Program Planning for the upcoming year, 2023-2024. Some Programs have already been established, and we, as a group of committed Members, will certainly help Karen in setting up Programs for the 2023-2024 year.

Rose noted that there is a District Float Invite for the Pride Parade in Rochester on July 15th.

Liz added that on August 13th, the Camp O. Set-Up will take place. We will meet at 8:00 AM. Micah has informed us that we can "reach out" in terms of the Carnival, if we are interested. There will be details to follow!

Sue expressed her thanks to John for being her "Golf Partner" at the Margery Pawluk Golf Tournament held recently. She "begged, borrowed, and stole" to come up with a set of clubs, but her awesome strokes proved to be worthwhile!! She birdied the second hole!! Great job, Sue, along with your "Teammate", John!! Sue now has the "Golf Bug"!! Evidently, there were three teams, Bo and I sure missed that, but we're glad that you all had  such a great time!! Jack added that, no doubt, we'll be having some teams for the "Golf Outing" before the District Conference!! The "Golf Bug" seems to be biting many Members!!

We received a little "Recap" from the Camp O. Golf Tourney from our "Participant" Frank! He noted that at Hole #12, (a famous Par 3 if I remember correctly), the "Inspiration" was given via a vintage tequila which had belonged to Sherry's Dad's collection! John H. Brahm, you are with us forever!!

It was a lovely luncheon today at Bob's and Ruth's, and it was wonderful to be back together with our "Rotary Family"!

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to our Cindy for the wonderful job that she did, covering for me as Secretary Pro Tem during my absence while Bo and I were away at the RI International Convention. Her weekly Grapevine Reports were excellent, and her Board Meeting Report was outstanding! Thank you so much, Cindy, for a job well done!! Bo and I are glad to be back with our "Rotary Family"!

We'll see each other at the Gavel Dinner this coming Monday, where we'll thank John for a year of outstanding leadership as our President, and we'll welcome Liz, as our new President for the Rotary Year 2023-2024! May we create "Hope in the World" always and forever!!