Converge! Connect! Celebrate! This was the Inspiration that drew us together tonight, as we joined one another for the first Evening Meeting of February. Of course, I cannot plagiarize, for this is the "Mantra" which will encourage us to draw together for the District 7120 Conference in April!

We were warmly greeted by Liz Bailey, as we came into The Redwood, tonight, and her pleasant smile just seemed to take away the chill that lingered outside! After joining President Liz in The Pledge to Our Flag, we were inspired by her Words of Encouragement, as she prompted us to strive to make a better world. Jack chose "God Bless America" to lead us in song.

Our Greeter, Liz B. had the pleasure of introducing tonight's Guests. We welcomed Parker Smith, and his parents. Parker will be an Outgoing Exchange Student to Sweden next year! Along with these fine folks were Tom and Laurie Vonglis, Kirk Vanderbilt, and Bill Cook, friend of Nancy. Twenty-three Members were in attendance, and Blanche and Jill H. were with us on Zoom. Kirk was the Program Presenter, and there were two Rotary Moments: one from John and one from Laurie!

Before we were to get "a little taste" of what to expect in Saratoga Springs in April, Pres. Liz had several announcements to share with the Membership. * It had been a busy weekend! Liz was able to sample 16 of the 23 cakes that were part of the Cake Contest, (by the Naples Historical Society), during Vintage, Vines, and Valentines. * Clyde, Liz, Tim, and Jack helped at the Rotary Exchange Student Breakfast on Sunday. I believe Liz had said that there were 19 students in all, with 3 being Inbound, while the rest were Outbound. Apparently, the kids were very appreciative, and they didn't go away hungry! Also, according to Liz, the student(s) from Norway thought that Bristol Mountain was "a cute little hill"! * The Semi-Finals for the Oratorical Contest were held over the weekend in Canandaigua. We had two participants from Naples: Ben Hebding and Dean Rischpater. * Naples Rotary had two articles in the District Grapevine, one being about the Oratorical Contest Participants from Naples, and the other about our four New Members, Alan, Tim, Liz, and Lexi. * The District is looking for a Webpage Administrator. * RYLA Applications are now available. * There will be visitors from South Africa coming between 4/14 and 4/26. Hosts are being sought for these folks. Let Liz know if you are interested. * The District Training Assembly will be April 13th in Canandaigua. * Monday, April 1st, Trout Derby Day, will be a "Working Meeting". * Liz reported that the Coat Drive is completed! There were 20 bags of coats collected! They will be divided among needy families, jail releases, and the Salvation Army. Evidently, NCS students helped with this project also! * The Club Calendar is up to date!

Speaking of the Trout Derby, Sue sent a List of Donors around for us to contact. If each of us were to choose a few to call, we could easily get through the list, advised Sue. She was pleased to add that Liz B. and Alan were going to pitch in and help at the Trout Derby also! It's rewarding to see some of "Our Newcomers" becoming involved!

As mentioned earlier, tonight's Program gave us a "Preview" of the District Conference, which will be held in Saratoga Springs in April. This is where the Converge, Connect, and Celebrate aspect comes into play, because typically, the District Conference affords Rotarians an excellent opportunity to do all three! 

Kirk Vanderbilt, from the Avon Rotary Club, told us that this year's Conference in Saratoga Springs welcomes us to a beautiful region in the Adirondacks, with an elegant stay at the Saratoga Hilton. Before sharing a short video by DG Julie Carney, he noted that Saratoga Springs, Lake Placid, and Burlington have been some of the prettiest places to hold the District Conference in the past. 

Saratoga Springs offers a fine mixture of history, nature, and culture, not to mention golf! Jack is the Chairman of the District Golf Tourney this year, and we are hoping to field a few "Teams" from Naples Rotary Club! Kirk passed out brochures which highlight some of the amenities at this venue, and it appears that we are sure to be delighted with what this location has to offer!

Cindy asked an excellent question, and Kirk responded, in detail, as he reviewed what the schedule for the weekend of April 26th-28th would look like. This would be especially helpful for Members who were Newcomers to the District Conference. As an incentive to register for the DC, Kirk added that the top 3 clubs with the most attendees will receive a Paul Harris! Jack noted that the Parade of Flags, (by the Exchange Students), and hearing from the Oratorical and Vocal Contest Winners have always been a "Highlight" of the District Conference. We certainly would agree!!

The Ace of Hearts was at $57.00, and tonight it was Bo's turn to have the "winning ticket". At least, he was thinking of Valentine's Day, as he drew the Ten of Hearts from the pack!

Happy Bills and Rotary Reflections bounded in, tonight, as there were many reasons for which we were grateful! We enjoyed the Program very much, and we have been inspired to register for the DC. Many enjoyed Vintage, Vines, and Valentines over the weekend...the chocolate cakes were decadent, and Jack having led the Renewal of Vows was wonderful! Tim enjoyed meeting the Exchange Students. This was Jack's 8th time leading the Exchange of Vows. Laurie enjoyed the Oratorical Semi-Finals. Kirk liked that we sang a song at the start of our Meeting!

The first Rotary Moment was shared by John. John and Sherry had recently returned from a visit to St. Thomas, and though they weren't able to attend a Rotary Meeting while there, John connected, via Zoom, with an E Club in District 7120! He shared, with them, the things Naples Rotary has been doing! Leave it to John to find a way to keep connected and in touch!

The second Rotary Moment was given by Laurie, as she shared her experience last Saturday, in hearing the first round of Oratorical Contestants give their speeches. She had kudos for Ben (Hebding) and Dean (Rischpater), as they each presented their speeches. (We are hoping that Ben and Dean can visit us one day in the not-too-distant future to share their talks with us!) Dean and Ben had been students of Laurie in the second grade, and she was very proud of them!

One can always count on Pres. Liz to make things interesting, as she reserved some time at Meeting's End to do a few "Who Am I?" questions. It's been fun learning some interesting tidbits about our Rotary Friends! Tonight, we learned that Nancy has had a "porch job" for 37 years! Japanese Sword Techniques are part of Rose's experiential background, while Pat's great-grandmother was the first Sheriff of Tupper Lake, and was a sharpshooter, as well!

Tonight's Red Cup Question was this: In what year did the Rotary Foundation achieve the highest possible score from Charity Navigator? The answer is 2016!

Tonight, February 14th, Liz and Clyde will host Rotary Lite at their home, starting at 6PM, It's typically a relaxing time for fellowship, and all are welcome! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!