It was like "Old Home Week" this noon at our Midday Meeting of the Naples Rotary Club! Seeing familiar faces of "old friends" returning was certainly a pleasure!
As we were rearranging our places from this morning's Board Meeting, our bubbly Jo Anne took her place as today's warm and friendly Greeter. After everyone was settled in, President Liz opened the Meeting, and we stood to say The Pledge. Bruce McLellan, our beloved songwriter, led us in "My Country Tis of Thee". For the Invocation today, Patrice read a little poem entitled "May".
"Welcome back, Old Friends!" Jo Anne happily announced as she noted that Bruce and Betty were back from Florida, along with Diane, Bruce M., and Mike who rounded out our cozy group of 20 this noon. We also welcomed Jan Bartleson, who is a Clinical Psychologist.
Pres. Liz had a few announcements to share with the Members. * There will be no Meeting on May 27th, as it is Memorial Day. Those who wish to walk in the Memorial Day Parade are to meet at 9:30. The Service at the Memorial Town Hall will follow the Parade. * Rotary Lite will be Wednesday, June 12th. * The Camp O. Golf Tournament is Saturday, June 8th. * There will be an E-Mail coming up that will be a Club Health Check. This Survey will be an opportunity to evaluate how we did this year, and Surveys must be returned by June 10th. * Rotary Dues are due! Liz explained how the money is distributed between Camp O., Rotary International, and the District. * The Rotary Day of Service is slated for June 22nd. Liz welcomes any thoughts that we may have in observance of this day. * The District Change-Over Dinner is on June 27th in Canandaigua. The dinner will be provided by King's Catering.
Liz summarized some of the items from this morning's Board Meeting. * We are going to be donating $500 each to the Brazilian Flood Response Fund, and to the Homes for Hope. * We noted how well the most recent Induction Ceremony went, and we discussed ways that it could be further enhanced. * Liz read a Letter of Resignation from Patrice, who is resigning as Club Secretary and Bulletin Editor, effective June 30, 2024. Patrice still plans on remaining an active Member of Naples NY Rotary. * Liz will get a new calendar posted soon of the upcoming June dates.
In lieu of the Program originally to be given by Amy Bahr Olmstead, (which has been moved up to July 29th), Pres. Liz, in all her creativity, came up with a fun-filled replacement for today! Today's Program featured some "willing" Members, who offered some intrigue and chuckles, as they did some "Charades" for us to figure out!! First up, was Mike, a talented musical artist, who gladly agreed to get the ball rolling, and challenged us with "A New York State of Mind"! Next, was another accomplished local musician, Bruce M., who prompted us to guess the song, "Y.M.C.A."! Our normally shy Laurie rose to the plate, as she gave us a nice pantomime of "Orange Is the New Black"! The fun and frivolity continued as our Blanche stepped up to the plate and wowed us with a "rendition" of "The Big Valley"! Kudos to each of the Members who were willing to give this a try!! We had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun!! Thanks to Pres. Liz for making this, in a sense, another "Rotary Lite" experience!
Cindy noted that the Naples Historical Society is having a Fundraiser. The Annual NHS Spring Raffle features an extraordinary prize this year! This year, one can win a custom artwork creation by well-known local artist, Darryl Abraham! One ticket costs $10 and three tickets cost $25. Cindy passed out sheets to everyone, each sheet containing three Raffle Tickets. The drawing will take place on July 6th, at the Cleveland House.
The Ace of Hearts was up to $277 Today! Jo had Bruce M. choose a Ticket, and it happened to be that of Pat, # 2536. Pat drew from the middle of the pack...it was the Jack of Hearts!
Having been so glad to see many of "Our Old Friends" back seemed to have been the reason for all our Happy Bills today! We were delighted with the "Charades" this noon, of course, and we had some conjectures and plenty of laughs to boot! Bruce M.'s new book will be out on July 15th! Congratulations, Bruce!
We wrapped up today's Meeting as we recited The Four-Way Test. Have a nice Memorial Day Weekend, Everyone!
On a personal note, I want to thank everyone for all your support over the years, as I have fulfilled my duties as Club Secretary and Bulletin Editor. It has been an absolute pleasure working with each and every one of you!
Per Cindy's request, here is my poem, "May"...
May you arise each morning,
And right from the start,
Always try, if you will,
To keep a song in your heart.
May you look up in the trees,
And hear the songs of the birds,
And know that comfort comes to others,
If you speak in kind words.
May you gaze at each new flower
That from the earth blooms,
And know that in making new friends,
There is always room!
May you reflect on the sunrise
That hearkens each new day,
And know it's another chance
To help others along the way.
May you appreciate the laughter,
Or shared smiles with friends,
Helping one another
Through life's twists and bends.
May you savor each sunset,
As it settles in the West,
And know at day's end,
That you have tried your best.
May you experience some solace
At the end of each day,
Knowing you did some good in the world,
For this, we'll always pray!
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