April 19, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The April 19, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome at 6:45pm at Bistro 81 in downtown Naples, Florida; followed the Invocation by President Thome and Pledge of Allegiance. After dinner President Carl introduced guests and visiting Rotarians followed by the Sgt of Arms collecting a number of fines and asking a number of questions and then collecting fines! President Nominee Adoni Kokkinos introduced our speaker Daniel J. Warren, Special Agent Supervisor for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement who discussed in detail his State of Florida government entity and the latest happenings with regards to his department. After his extrememly interesting presentation it was followed by a lengthy question and answer period. The club adjourned at 8:20pm.

April 12, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary and Annual Raffle

The April 12, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary was called to order by President Carl Thome at 6:30pm. Following the Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance both led by President Carl, dinner was served to a full house with standing room only. The meeting was our annual Raffle drawing to benefit a number of Charities in and around Collier County, Florida. After dinner and Annual Naples Sunset Rotary Raffle started and the tickets were drawn. Winners for the Raffle were announced and a very good time was had by all. Meeting was adjourned at 8:30pm.

April 5, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Club Meeting

The April 5, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Club meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome at 6:45pm. President Carl gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance. After dinner President Carl gave us updates on all district and local activities including our upcoming April 12, 2012 Raffle. Visiting Rotarian Pascal Boissy from Nice, France presented our club with his club banner. Rotarian Pascal and his wife were visiting Naples for the last week and decided to have dinner at our club. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45pm.

March 29, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The March 29, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting was called to order at Bistro 821 by President Carl Thome who gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Following dinner President Carl gave us updates on the upcoming District 6960 workshop as well as updates on our club fund raiser raffle being held on April 12, 2012. Following a brief discussion President Nominee Adoni Kokkinos introduced our speaker Mark Scarola, Volunteer with the Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center. He presented the truth about wolves, wolfdogs, big cats, foxes, tortoises and prairie dogs through his photographs and personal experience as a volunteer. The Shy Wolf Sanctuary is a Florida Non-Profit 501(c)(3) and is county, state, and federally licensed and inspected. It is 100% volunteer and donor supported. Additional information is available by clicking here. After questions from our members the meeting was adjourned at 8:02pm.

March 22, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The March 22, 2011 Naples Sunset Rotary meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome who gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance. After a Bistro 821 dinner President Carl gave the updates and latest happenings including updates on our upcoming Raffle April 12, 2012. Our speaker for the evening was Jack Tymann who presented a powerful PowerPoint slide show highlighting the latest causes and affects of the economy and what is needed to correct many serious deficiencies. Jack was well received by our members with many questions for his excellent presentation. Meeting was adjourned at 8:10pm

March 15, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The March 15, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome at 6:35pm followed with the Invocation and Pledge Allegiance. Following dinner guests were introduced and President Carl discussed the latest district and local happenings. PETS training was discussed as well as upcoming fund raising events for the club. President Nominee Adoni Kokkinos introduced our guest speaker Tiffany R. Kuehner, President and CEO of Naples based Hope for Haiti. At 15 years old, Tiffany’s first trip to Haiti started a passion for the same country to which her grandmother has dedicated her life. Graduating from Georgetown University in Women’s Studies with a specific focus on International Development, Tiffany has spent time working on poverty and gender issues in the U.S., China, Thailand, Tanzania, Uganda, and Haiti. Now, having returned from living in Haiti, Tiffany is based in Naples, Florida, but continues to work closely with Hope for Haiti's programming team, traveling frequently to Les Cayes. In her spare time, Tiffany enjoys photography, dancing, celebrating life with family and friends, and cooking with her husband. Naples is extremely proud of this local organization that has raised millions of dollars for Haiti relief!! Additional information is available by clicking here. The Naples Sunset Rotary meeting was adjourned at 8:10pm

March 8, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The March 8, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome at 6:40pm following the Invocation and Pledge Allegiance. After diner President Carl discussed the latest District happenings as well as local events including our upcoming raffle fund raiser on April 12, 2012. President Nominee Adoni Kokkinos introduced our speaker Mohamed Al-Darsani who discussed the present situation in Syria as well as The Islamic Center for Peace. After his presentation there was a number of questions from club members. Additional information is available by clicking here.

March 1, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The March 1, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome with the Invocation and Pledge Allegiance. Following dinner President Carl discussed the various happenings with Rotary District 6960 and its upcoming events as well as continued activities with the Naples Sunset Rotary Raffle on April 12, 2012. Additional fund raisers for the club were discussed and the May 24th date was mentioned for the next event after the Raffle. Club was adjourned at 8pm.

February 23, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The February 23, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting was called to order at 6:45pm by President Carl Thome by giving the Invocation and leading the Pledge of Allegiance. After dinner President Carl discussed the latest happenings and addressed some meeting location concerns that will continued to be monitored. President Elect Brady Young was thanked again for allowing the club to use his conference room for our meeting. President Nominee Adoni Kokkinos introduced our speaker Dianne Reed, Public Relations/Marketing Director of Collier Child Care Resources, Inc., who presented the history and current happenings of her non for profit organization whose mission is to support the needs of Collier County's children, families, and early learning professionals by providing high quality education, resources and child care services. Additional information about CCCR is available by clicking here. After various questions generated from the excellent presentation the club adjourned at 8:07pm.

February 16, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The Naples Sunset Rotary Club was called to order at 6:30pm by President Carl Thome who gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance. After dinner our speaker Russ Luther, Faith Relations Manager of ECHO was introduced by Riley Duncan. Russ discussed their mission of reducing hunger and improving lives worldwide. The Non for Profit organization supplies seeds to many third world countries helping them to create their own farming. Soil testing is done to maximize the performance of seeds prior to shipping them to the third world countries. After his excellent presentation there were many questions from club members. Additional information about this amazing resource is available by clicking here.

February 9, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The February 9, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Club was called to order by Immediate Past Presidemt and Assistant Governor Marcus Zillman who gave the Invocation and led in the Pledge of Allegiance. After dinner Zillman called for "Good News" from club members and then President Nominee Adoni Kokkinos discussed the revisions to our program schedule and requested all members to bring program recommendations to the next meeting. Member Douglas Digiorno introduced our speaker Jason Kurek, Development Associates of the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County (BGCCC). Jason discussed the history and latest happenings of BGCCC and his personal involvement for the last eight years. He stated that "Our mission is the reason for our existence" and their mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. His presentation was followed by numerous questions from club members. Additional information about the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County is available by clicking here. The club was adjourned at 8:01pm.

February 2, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The February 2, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome who gave the invocation followed by the pledge of allegiance. Prior to dinner President Carl informed club members of the latest happenings and results of the Board of Directors meeting. Our annual Raffle will be held on April 12, 2012 and the raffle tickets were handed out to all members present. President-Nominee Adoni Kokkinos introduced our speaker for the meeting Maria Wassef, Founder and President of Maria's Birthday Wishes for the Homeless, a 501(c)(3) non-for-profit that celebrates homeless birthdays changing lives 1 cupcake at a time. She discussed the excellent growth her organization had experienced with the goal of servicing Homeless Shelters nationwide. Maria gave an excellent talk and received numerous questions and compliments from our club members. The meeting adjourned at 8:01pm.

January 26, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The January 26, 2012 Naples Sunset rotary Meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome who gave the invocation and led the pledge allegiance. After dinner our speaker Stephanie Smarge, President of the Rotaract Club of Naples presented the history and current happenings of the Rotaract Club. After her excellent presentation there were numerous questions from our club members. President Carl mentioned that there would be a Naples Sunset Rotary Club Board Meeting at 5:30pm next Thursday February 2, 2011 prior to our normal meeting. Adjournment was at 8:01pm.

January 19, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The January 19, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome who led the Invocation and Pledge Allegiance. Following dinner President Carl discussed the latest happenings and events of the club. Our speaker David Glenn, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Developmentally Disabled, Inc., was introduced by our President Elect Brady Young. David described the activities of his foundation whose mission is "advocating for an enhanced quality of life for citizens with developmental disabilities through community awareness activities; providing support for families; organizing social and recreational activities; and seeking housing options". Additional information is available by clicking here .

January 12, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The January 12, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome and followed with Invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. Following dinner President Carl updated the club with both local, district and international information on upcoming events and happenings. After numerous discussions on various topics the club adjourned at 8pm.

January 5, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting

The January 5, 2012 Naples Sunset Rotary Meeting was called to order by President Carl Thome who gave the Invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Following the dinner President Carl introduced our speaker and Naples Sunset rotary Club member Charles Ashback. Charles delivered a truly excellent presentation of the current Mars Project that costs in the billions of dollars and that was just launched. He described in detail the equipment that will be used to discover new knowledge on Mars about Mars. He finished the speech by showing us some newly developed technology on power cells that club member Herb Buck almost swallowed!! Questions and answers followed and the club adjourned at 8pm.