What a lovely evening it was as we gathered again at the Redwood! Twenty-five Neopolitan Rotarians were greeted by always smiling Frank. Our guests included two Rotarians from the Vero Beach FL Club and their wives: summer friends Chip and Stewart Weismiller and their friends Sandy Vilas and Sue Hodge.

 

President Karen brought us to our feet to say the Pledge. Jack chose the Star Spangled Banner in honor of our fantastic Olympic athletes in Paris. Patrice shared a post from a Rotary Radio Group magazine on the theme of the Four Way Test. We are urged to think about what we say, being fair, building trust and seeking justice; to keep friendships growing; being kind, helping others with truth and fairness.

 

Announcements: The Rotary Lite this month is a Meet and Greet for future members at Lynnie Lou's pavilion on Thursday 8/15 from 6-8 pm. *The District 7120 Golf Tournament is on 9/7 at Res Creek. 21 Rotarians have registered so far - encourage others to sign up soon! *The calendar is up to date through September. If you know of a possible speaker, give info to Liz so she can coordinate. *There is a Parade sponsored by the Fire Dept. as part of Celebrate Naples weekend on 9/7. Let Karen know if you are interested in participating. *Last weeks flooding made a muddy mess of the new Pickleball courts. Marty cleared the debris against the fences. Tony brought a water truck today and 12 volunteers broomed the mud off the courts. It was a great community building opportunity. *The Open Cupboard has a Bread for Bread campaign going. Bread has been in short supply lately and the needs are high since school lunches are not available now. More people in our community have been served January to July '24 than in the whole of 2023! You can sign up to donate bread or give monetary bread instead. *The signup sheets for Grape Festival Volunteers were passed around. Help is needed for set-up and clean-up. Presale T-shirts and hoodies will be sold at the next two Rotary meetings as well as Thursdays at the Historical Society 1-3 pm. Please buy early so we can reorder supplies by 9/1. Volunteers can get free or at-cost shirts based on the number of hours you volunteer. *The District is offering a Rotary 201 program on 8/22 at 8 pm. Info is in the District Grapevine. *The Steak Dinner is 9/9 at the VFW. Bring a dish to share, more info soon. *PBS television will be filming "America the Bountiful" at the Grape Fest! *The results of the election last week were announced: Jack Fredericks is President Elect. Judy Miller and Carrie Grove are Co-Vice Presidents. Congratulations and Thank You!

 

Today's program was a Club Assembly. August is Membership and New Club Development Month. John presented information from our District perspective: 11 new members were added this past year, however 3 clubs were lost. Invite folks to our Meet and Greet on Thursday or to an event or service day. The recent Rotary magazine described a friendship recession, in part due to technology, the pandemic and retirement. There is a decrease in close friendships that can affect your health. Rotary can be the antidote! Together People Create Change is the Rotary Action Plan. We can achieve it by: 1) increasing our impact, 2) expanding our reach, 3) enhancing participation and engagement and 4) increasing our ability to adapt. Within our club we aim to make Rotary irresistible by doing meaningful work with supportive management in a positive work environment, providing growth opportunities through trust in leadership. A short video highlighted the Action Plan.

 

The Ace of Hearts was $137 today. Marty had the ticket but chose the Queen of Clubs. Good Luck for next time!

Happy Bills went to: Camp O where Bruce and Betty are working for two weeks, Tony and Holly's return home and their new grandson in NC, volunteers for Camp O set-up and Pickleball court clean-up, and John's program today. Also for a successful season at BVT with final shows this week and "Fall for the Arts" coming up soon. Congrats to the new Club officers! We are thankful for no flood in the senior apartment building but mindful of others nearby who are struggling with flood damage. Chip was happy to have his friends here and that they will be coming next week too.

 

Jack's Rotary moment was at the 18th hole at Res Creek today which was flooded and quite messy. John's ball went into the creek and he went to retrieve it, going knee deep into the muck but was successful in finding it!

 

Karen closed the meeting with the Four Way Test and rang the bell to adjourn.

 

Have a great week and see you next Monday!