Today was Bruce's next-to-last Meeting in leading us as our President. How the year has flown, and how grateful we are for the leadership he has provided our club! The Meeting convened with Bruce's invitation to join him in reciting The Pledge to Our Flag. Rose chose "The Star-Spangled Banner to lead us in song.  Sherry's Invocation thanked Our Creator for His Blessings. She asked that The Lord continue to help us, as we serve others, and continue to do good in the world. Today, we welcomed guests, Linda and John Almekinder, Lisa Messineo, and Chip Weismiller to our Noon Meeting. Today's Program was presented by Linda and John, as they were to talk about the Naples Ambulance. The Rotary Moment would be given by Albie.

After repeating the Four-Way Test, we delved into announcements and updates. Rose gave a quick update on the Walk of Life. The donations for the WOL have continued to come in. We still have openings for volunteer support. Please contact Rose if you are interested! Please use Google Doc. to sign up to help. The WOL Online Auction is going well! Tom reported that next week is the Gavel Dinner! Awards will be presented at that time. BTW, it's only 90 days until the  Grape Fest of 2022!!

There was a Board Meeting earlier this morning. Here is an overview of this morning's Meeting. There was an update on the Board Positions for 2022-2023. John French will be President. Liz Yee is the President-Elect. There is an opening for Vice President. Tom will be on board as a "non-voting' member, as he is President of the Grape Fest LLC. There are some openings on the Board of Directors, and the position of Vice President needs to be filled. John will send out a ballot to the Membership. The deadline will be next Monday. The office of Vice President is open, and if there is anyone who is interested, John will put that item on the ballot too. Tom will remain on the Board as a "non-voting member", as he is President of the Grape Fest 2022 LLC. There exist some openings on the Board of Directors, as well. If there is someone who would like to accept the role of Vice President, John will put that on the ballot also.  John shared the By-Laws with the Board Members. Additional positions, such as Committee Chairs, will be on the ballot as well. Though they will not be voted upon, one can express an interest in such a position. John distributed and shared the By-Laws with the Membership.  Additional positions, such as Committee Chairs, will be on the ballot, but they will not be voted upon. One can, however, express an interest in one of these roles. President Bruce proposed the idea of having a "Tech Committee" as a part of the schemata of things. This proposal was approved, and we will discuss this idea at a subsequent Meeting. Pres. Bruce and John have met with Bill Gormont, and a Strategic Action Plan is in the making for the Naples NY Rotary Club. The dates for the Meetings are slated for the beginning of September. The implementation of the Action Plan will take place in mid-October, with the Board being involved. Questions, comments, and concerns can be channeled to Pres. Bruce, as he will be sending out an E-Mail to the Membership, seeking responses. Gerry Giacoman and Larry Letteney have each decided to leave (Naples) Rotary. The Board agreed that they each be deemed as "Honorary Members". Laurie has checked with those Members who have owed dues. and she has received a verbal response from each of them. Tom, Jo Anne, and Lisa shared the Naples Grape Festival Profit and Loss Document with the Board. In the effort to keep things transparent, each Section has been well-divided, in order to maintain clarity. Tom and the Grape Fest Committee are hoping that the Grape Fest 2022 will be the best experience ever! Many thanks to Tom, Jo Anne, and Lisa for all your wonderful efforts! P.S. Jack, via Zoom, also prompted us to pay a visit to Bill Cooper if any of us had some time. Jack and Sharon had visited Bill recently, and Jack said that Bill had really appreciated their calling on him!

Today's Program was presented to us by the Naples Ambulance. When one thinks of individuals who are caring, concerned, and committed, one can't help but think of two very dedicated individuals in our community who do so much for others... that would be John and Linda Almekinder, who have dedicated many years to the Naples Ambulance! Linda has spent over 40 years with the Maxfield Hose Company, and she encouraged her husband, John to become a driver and to become a part of the Naples Ambulance as well.

The Maxfield Hose Company Ambulance was started in the 60's, when it was decided that Naples needed an ambulance. Later on, women were added to the crew of volunteers. In those early years, EMT's. (Emergency Medical Technicians) were in training. The Hawks Family helped with the new building, and the Naples Ambulance became an independent 501 (c)-3.

Several years ago, the volunteer base began to dwindle, and the Naples Ambulance had tried many avenues. Though they had tried to "maintain things", it was not a sustaining solution. With the volunteer portion declining. along with the cost of training EMT'S, the Naples Ambulance had begun to look at options. They decided to merge with the Canandaigua Emergency Squad. Volunteer drivers are scheduled to work specific days each week, but on other days, there is a real need. "We'll continue with our volunteer drivers and EMT'S will remain the same" noted Linda and John, "But we will be under a larger umbrella!" "This merger will prove to be the best possible option and it will keep the Naples Ambulance going!" added John and Linda.

Donations will be kept separate, and they will be earmarked for the Naples Ambulance. Linda and John recalled how the Clawsons were very involved with the Naples Ambulance, and the "First Ambulance" was the Hawks Family station wagon! Linda and John have continued through very tough times, and they are they are blessed with knowledge, skill, and expertise, as Rose testified. The Naples Ambulance averages about 400 calls per year, whereas the Canandaigua Squad averages about 10 times that many calls! The Naples Ambulance Squad will maintain its (2) ambulances, along with EMT's and drivers at its base. They are a "calm" amidst angst. and as Linda shared, people in need are so happy to see a familiar face when they gratefully say "Oh, it's you!" Thank you so much, Linda and John, for all you do in caring for our community!

Many Happy Bills were donated today in appreciation of the Program, and all that John, Linda, and The Naples Ambulance do to help our community. 

The Ace of Hearts was up to $98 today. Judy picked Ticket #3719, which was Karen's! (Again!) Karen drew the Jack of Hearts!

Albie had a sweet Rotary Moment today! He recalled when he worked at GE as a Young man. and his daughter, Stacey and her pup would greet him each night upon his return from work. One night, upon his return from work, he found Stacey and her pup, Heidi, sitting in the corner! Heidi was wrapped in a towel! Apparently, Stacey had given a Heidi a "bath" in Cool Whip, which had spread all over! Albie reminisced, of course, upon this special moment, and had painted that memory on canvas! He passed around a print of that memory for all of us to enjoy!

Next Monday Evening is our Gavel Dinner! We will celebrate and thank our outgoing President Bruce. He has led us through a year of challenges and triumphs, all while maintaining such a positive outlook! We'll welcome PE John French aboard as we "Imagine Rotary"!