A sweet, smiling face and warm handshake were there to greet us as we entered The Redwood this past Monday evening. That splendid welcome belonged to Jill Hotelling, and it blended nicely with all the lovely aspects of this late August evening. We joined Pres. Liz in saying The Pledge to Our Flag, and Rose chose a Buddhist Prayer for tonight's Invocation. "You're A Grand Old Flag" was the perfect choice for a patriotic song, which was led by Jack. Our Guests this evening were Parker Smith, Chip Weismiller, and Prospective Member, David Dial. Along with these folks, in attendance were 24 Members. We were delighted to have Cindy back with us tonight also! Nancy joined the Meeting on Zoom, thus, there was a nice turnout!

Pres. Liz had some announcements to share with the Membership. *Community Week will be coming up in early September. Naples NY Rotary will take part by walking in The Parade. * There will be a Street Dance on September 9th. We are planning to have a Rotary Booth. Grape Fest T-Shirts will be sold, and there will be "Walking Tacos" for sale! Thanks to Laurie for the great idea! Laurie could use some help at the Booth. * World Polio Day will be on October 24th at Brew and Brats. It will be a Meet and Greet Format, and Naples Rotary Members attending are asked to bring a dish to pass. * Light Up Naples is scheduled for December 9th. Volunteers are needed! * The Steak Dinner will be on September 11th at the VFW. The Robert Allen and Community Service Awards will be given at that time. Two New Members will be added as well. * Dues are due! See Laurie to make your payment. * Jo Anne also noted that with the Grape Fest soon approaching, help will be needed during the week.

Club Calendar: Here are some dates to keep in mind: 9/4 Labor Day No Meeting. 9/8 District Golf Tourney. 9/9 Fall Fest. 9/9 Street Dance. 9/11 Steak Dinner. 9/13 Rotary Lite. 9/23 Grape Fest. 9/24 Grape Fest. 9/25 Noon Meeting. September sure looks busy! 

This Evening's Program was delivered by Naples High School Student, Parker Smith, who recently took part in this year's RYLA Program. "RYLA" stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Award, and its Program is designed to build Leadership Skills in High School Students who display an interest in enhancing these skills. The RYLA Program, which is taught by community leaders, is intense, yet it is very motivational to its participants, as we learned from Parker!

Parker, a very well-spoken young man seemed relaxed and confident as he gave his presentation, calling it "My Experience at RYLA". The Program, which was divided into four days, was sequential, and Parker talked about the highlights of each day. Day 1 included introductions, and team-building exercises in which the participants learned about everyone's talents. Day 2 included activities that focused on what makes a good leader. Day 3 was spent delving into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Embracing Everyone. Day 4 focused on different leadership styles, and what it takes to become an effective leader. Various activities (and challenges) were tied in with this goal.

Parker reflected upon how, at each day's end, there were "moments to remember", and he shared pictures of these memorable moments with us. He gleaned some valuable insight from this experience, noting that "connections and lessons are important", and "it's important to consider everyone's opinion"! He thanked Naples NY Rotary for the opportunity to be a part of RYLA, calling this "an amazing experience"!

To put the "finishing touches" on Parker's Program, he had a Group Challenge for the Members! We divided into Groups of 4, making one of the persons "The Leader", and we had to create a Pyramid in a "Cup Stacking Game"! Certain restrictions applied, of course, but the group activity called for some "creative thinking" on everyone's part! Most groups reached their goal in creating the Pyramid, but Albie's Group accomplished the goal the fastest!! Needless to say, we had a lot of fun, and we were reminded how important it is to "work together" for a common goal.

Bruce and Betty, who were counselors, gave us an update on Camp O. Camp Onseyawa gets its name from the first two letters of the four counties which support it, (Ontario, Seneca, Yates, and Wayne) and the area means "Land of Happiness", as Bruce told us. He and Betty did a lot of "Frontier Cooking" with the Campers, making Trail Mix and cakes, which got better and better with each attempt! Both Bruce and Betty take back wonderful memories with them, remembering how special it was to interact with the kids. They noted what a beautiful setting the new location for Camp O. is, as well! No doubt, those kids will remember the love that Bruce and Betty had for them too!!

The Ace of Hearts was at $184 tonight. Ticket # 824258 was drawn, and it was Pat's. She drew the Ten of Clubs from the pack.

The Rotary Moment was given by Jack this evening. He had played golf recently at the Hamilton Golf Tourney, and there had been several clubs represented. He had had a great time!

Rotary Moment #2 was from Jo Anne. She thanked John and Sherry for the pallets for the wine glasses. New steps have been installed at the Memorial Town Hall. Jo Anne thought that Service Animals are okay at the Grape Fest, but a boa constrictor???

Tonight's Happy Bills were for Parker's Program, Camp O., Cindy's return, Albie's Cup-Stacking Team win, Charlie settling in nicely at Clarkson, the NHS, Wayne's nephew having a leading role in a play, Karen having had a great vacation, and our prospective New Members.

With September being "Basic Education and Literacy Month", we thank Laurie for getting 40 backpacks to give to our Elementary and High School Students in need. Laurie ordered these beautiful backpacks from JC Penney and Wal-Mart, getting them for a very fair price! Today, the backpacks were delivered to the Naples High School. The students will have some awesome colors and styles to choose from!

Remember, there is no Meeting next week because of the holiday. Have a great Labor Day Weekend, everyone!