Today’s meeting was a pleasant mixture of sunshine, warm temperatures, and smiling faces, as we gathered online to “keep in the loop”, and to continue our connection to one another. There were 25 members who attended today’s meeting, along with three guests. We enjoyed having Sharon and Hjanne join us, and we were delighted to have Naples’ own Julie Sherwood join in our conversation today.
President Tom welcomed us, and we joined him in saying The Pledge. Bruce M. gave The Invocation. His words of thanks echoed praise for the beautiful day, and our being together for a good cause. Our special guest, Julie Sherwood, was today’s program presenter.
Communications: Pres. Tom gave a brief summary of today’s Board Meeting, which was held earlier. The Budget for 2020-2021 was approved. The decision was unanimous to hold the Gavel Dinner via Zoom for health and safety reasons.
What’s Happening: PE Matt noted that his younger sibling, Ben, will be the program presenter, next week, 6/22. Ben, a graduate of Cornell, who is Professor of Screen Writing at Syracuse University, will talk to us about “Adventures of a Hollywood Screenwriter”. If Ben resembles his brother, Matt, in terms of eloquence, his program should be scintillating!
Matt introduced Julie Sherwood, Senior Editor for the Canandaigua Daily Messenger. Julie, who has had 20 years’ experience in the field of reporting, received her Bachelor’s Degree at SUNY Albany. Her experiences have led her to become an accomplished journalist. Julie admits that Naples is “close to her heart”, and some of her specialties center around the environment, the lake, hiking, healthcare, and Vets.
Matt called his format for engaging Julie in conversation “the launch box”, as he extemporaneously provided questions for her, and to which Julie stepped right up to the plate with her responses.
Matt’s first question for Julie was to ask her how she became a journalist. Julie majored in Theater and English. She became connected to the Sherwood Family when she met her husband, Will. Her skills wove into the family scheme, as she, herself, became an actress at Bristol Valley Playhouse. She began writing for the Naples Record, and she realized that she loved the flexibility that freelance writing afforded her. “The stories are there”, said Julie, as she has no problem finding material. She tries to bring meaningful elements into her stories, as she carefully researches data pertaining to each. An excellent example of Julie’s careful research coupled with encouragement is the recent coverage she gave Jennifer Emmons, who is serving in New Jersey on the “front lines” during Covid 19.
“Why is it important to support a local publication?” “A good journalist tries to bring in all elements, yet be fair, presenting all sides”, responded Julie. “We have to be a part of that”, she admitted, when asked how Social Media has been involved. When asked how a news organization maintains a balanced, (neutral), viewpoint, Julie stated that responsible editing was important. In checking her own biases, she said she tries to “go the extra mile”, in trying to give more weight to the opposite side. When asked about the editorial philosophy of The Daily Messenger by another of our educators, Frank, Julie said that it was important to be fair, thorough, and to make it “more local”. Marty asked Julie if she has seen a difference in what she has been able to report, to which Julie responded that nothing recently has been directed at her. Matt concluded his interview with Julie by announcing that this award-winning journalist is “a source of pride for our community”, and I think we would all concur that he is absolutely correct!
A generous amount of Fines and Happy Bills was offered today for many reasons. We thoroughly enjoyed having Julie join us. We were amazed with Matt’s ability to pose such great questions, unrehearsed. A few of us had missed some meetings. Frank reassured us that the Camp O. Golf Tournament has been rescheduled for August 14th. Some modifications will be made, of course, but we will still be able to “play for the children”.
Matt asked Pat to give a summary of this morning’s Board Meeting. As Pres. Tom stated earlier, the Budget for 2020-2021 has been approved. Susan gave a summary of the budget status. All checks have been sent. We are all paid up for the year. Currently, there is nothing listed in the budget that we cannot pay. The Grape Fest has been left on, but in the event that it does not happen, we will have to get creative. Matt has prepared a letter to let the regular recipients of our fundraising know that we are not in a position to help at this time, due to Covid 19. Matt also stated that we’ll maintain a conservative mindset at this point. We all wish to thank Susan for her diligence in serving as our Treasurer. There was an in-depth discussion regarding the Gavel Dinner. Although every safety precaution would have been met by having the dinner at Brew and Brats, it was unanimously decided that for the health and safety of everyone, the Gavel Dinner will be a Zoom Meeting. John F. added that this would be a good opportunity to “get creative”. We’ll rise to the occasion! Holly and Tony Deusenbery will be inducted as new members at the July 6th Meeting.
Jack had some Rotary Moments for us. 1. He and Sharon were at our home over the weekend. They were our first guests in over three months! 2. Jack has been a Rotarian for quite some time! He became a member of the Canandaigua Club in December of 1991! 3. He had a picture of the Fort Plain Rotary Club at Saratoga, featuring his father-in-law, Bill Briggs!
Here are a couple more items worth mentioning. Please keep Nancy’s little great-grandson, Braiden, in your prayers, as he heals from a recent concussion. Also, kudos and best wishes to Jodi and Mark, as they open their new restaurant, “Caruso’s Café”!
I know this has been a lengthy Grapevine this week, as there was much to report. I appreciate your patience and understanding! Hope to see you next week at our Zoom Meeting. Meanwhile, stay happy, healthy, and hopeful!
