The Men’s Club’s second meeting of 2024 took place as scheduled at 0800h on February’s first Tuesday, the 6th. After a fine breakfast prepped and served by the gastronome extraordinaire team Roberts/Wall, those assembled got down to business.
Club VP John Yocca chaired the meeting. John began by introducing a new member, Steve Michaud of Hobart Bay. Steve stated that he and his two pups are happy to be full time residents Niguel Shores. Welcome Steve. VP Yocca then took a moment to recognize the recent passing of long time member Boyd Van Ness who will be remembered fondly by all.
Yocca reminded us we are in the process of surveying our membership regarding the Men’s Club annual scholarship awards. We are using a web tool, Survey Monkey, for the first time. We hope to maximize input from the member-maximize input from the member-donating art. The survey results will guide us in our 2024 scholarship awards. John also mentioned the discussions and team meetings going on regarding possible changes to our Club’s meeting content and scheduling practices for the balance of 2024. Stay tuned for details.
Club Treasurer Eric Eckes took the floor next. Eric provided a brief but detailed presentation on the Club’s 2023 year-end financial standing. He distributed a 2023 balance sheet that indicated the Club’s financial status is strong. It would be better with more members. Eric explained the Club’s membership had declined somewhat in the COVID 19 era, and is still in recovery mode. Perhaps a re-design of meeting times and content will help us achieve that goal of increased membership.
The balance of the hour featured a unique presentation by Andrea Esty, an Orange County resident active with UkrainianChildren.org. Andrea was with us in our meeting room, while Elena Aleksandrova joined us live via Zoom from the war zone in Nikopol, Ukraine. The two speakers made a powerful presentation in behalf of the suffering people in Ukraine, with special emphasis on a program to help replace thousands of broken windows in the sub-zero temperature of Nikopol. They described an active and ongoing program to provide this practical and life saving project. They need all the support they can get. Go to PROJECT WINDOWS at ukrainianchildren.org. Read about their efforts. Chip in a few bucks.
At our “Third Tuesday” meeting in February, we enjoyed a fine breakfast and heard from long time Shores residents Dan and Mary Solomon, who spoke about “The Art of Collecting.” The Solomons are widely recognized and published experts on this topic, with their art donations displayed at the National Gallery of Art, the Getty Museum, and other significant galleries.
If you are not yet a member of the Niguel Shores Men’s Club, there is no time like the present.
We meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month. We always have a guest speaker of interest. Good eats too.
Come check us out.
—Tim Moore
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