This evening there were 25 Naples Rotarians gathering at the Redwood on this first Monday of November. We were joined by three guests from Bridges for Brain Injury, who told us about the organization. Frank greeted one and all!

 

President Jack started off with the Pledge followed by America the Beautiful. A quote from Winston Churchill was our inspiration: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."

 

Announcements: This is Rotary Foundation month. November is also the month we plan for the Election of Officers and Directors for our club. If you are interested in taking on a role, speak to Jack. The slate will be announced soon and voting takes place in December for the Board that takes office in July 2026. * Hospeace House has fundraisers happening this month. Jo has tickets or get them online. The Euchre tournament is 11/9, the Masquerade Gala is 11/15. * Movember is a challenge to grow a mustache to bring awareness to men's health issues. David is participating - you can join his team, the FLX Finger Lakes Monsters. Go to us.movember.com. A donor is matching all funds raised. 

 

John had the update from the Naples Grape Festival! He thanked all the very important participants that made the festival a success. He is proud of the collaboration that is the key. We were fortunate to have a generous benefactor cover the extra costs of the electric upgrade at the high school and the added wi-fi capacity. Congrats to Nancy for her 37th year on the porch and to Jo Anne for pulling it all together! Our bottom line is a fantastic benefit to both Rotary and Naples Historical Society of $25,715 each! Trish thanked everyone for helping to keep the lights on in all three NHS buildings. There are still 20 crew sweatshirts and 22 hats available on Thursdays, 1-3 pm at Morgan Hose Building. Great for holiday gift giving! 

 

Birthdays this month are Nancy, Greg, Nardine, Sue and Mike. Cindy and Tom celebrate their 16th anniversary.

 

Tiffany Jones, Sara Saylor and Mandy Weber spoke about Bridges for Brain Injury, Inc. Their facility is in Farmington. They provide services for recovery, training of independent living skills, service coordination and aging in place support for people living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and disability after cancer surgery. 

TBI is sometimes an invisible injury. The day program includes arts and crafts, outings and most popular is the Wildlife Rockstars! They care for, educate the public and conserve native and exotic animals. They recently purchased a farm on County Rd 8 where animals get vet care, food and shelter. The program participants love caring for the animals! They host outreach programs, wildlife encounters and even birthday parties! An online holiday auction starts 11/10 through 11/15 to help fund the costs of animal care. Go to bridgesforbraininjury.org to place a bid!

 

The Ace of Hearts was up to $264 with Alan holding the winning ticket #9605. He picked the King of Diamonds. There are only 9 cards left for next week! Good luck!

 

Happy Bills were given for the great presentation and the program of Building Bridges! Jack was thinking of a young lady from our community who could use the services of Building Bridges. Brain injury can be so unexpected and life changing in a moment. The organization is so valuable at helping people find their gifts. David was thinking of his cousin who suffered a TBI. The Naples boys soccer team are in the playoffs on Tuesday! With the freeze on SNAP benefits, Naples Open Cupboard expects a large turnout at the pop-up today. Donations are appreciated! Everyone is happy for the $ results of the Grape Festival. Thanks to Albie for all he does for NGF! NCS is thankful for the dictionaries and thesauruses we handed out last week.

 

Skip announced that the Rotary holiday party is on Monday evening, December 8th at the Naples Hotel!

 

Jack led us in the Four Way Test and we adjourned at 12:58pm. See you next Monday!