President’s Message

 

 

Happy Fall to you!  Here in SWFL we really don’t see much change in the weather, it’s always Paradise! The days are sunny and warm and we’re always looking for that cool beverage to make the day complete!

 

Here in my neighborhood, The Place at Corkscrew, September is a big time for change. Not the fall leaves we experience up north, but the sounds have changed. In the early morning I hear children and their scooters heading to the bus stop for school.  As a mother and grandmother, I relish those excited voices.  I always shed a few tears on that first day all the way till they finally left for college.  Such anticipation for the upcoming year.  Sure, there will be the occasional hiccups along the journey, but it always made for a great learning experience!

 

I was fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom.  On that first day of school in September, I waited patiently, glancing out the window for their return. Those several hours were endless.  But they finally came home with smiling faces and so many stories to tell.  They were so anxious to empty their backpacks of all the treasures they collected on that first day. Of course, there was the occasional piece of fruit or cut up veggies that I sent for snack time that they never even touched.  What would make me think that they would have eaten that on their own, when they never did at home!  I guess it made me feel better as a mom.

 

Then there was all the paperwork.  Good I only have two children. It took me the better part of the evening to complete all the forms.  Heaven help you if you had the only child in the class that didn’t promptly send them back the next day.  How humiliating that would be! As I was completing the standard emergency cards, allergy alerts and my whole family tree information, my favorite form appears.  The volunteer forms!  There it was in all its glory with endless opportunities to share my time.  I quickly volunteered for the occasional bake sale and the opportunity to supervise the most anticipated trip to the zoo. I blocked complete weeks out of my calendar to help children read.  I was front and center at all the PTA meetings.  I was in my happy place! 

 

You could possibly call me a professional volunteer!  Fine with me!  I love the way volunteering makes such a small difference in someone’s life. Along the way I learned a lot about people, and I made such good friends to last a lifetime.  How rewarding is that!  I think if I had gotten a paycheck for all the hours that I volunteered, there is no amount of dollars that could surpass the joy that it gives me!

 

At Estero Newcomers Club there are so many opportunities for you to volunteer. We are always in need of greeters for the Luncheons.  Or maybe you’d enjoy selling raffle tickets.  We always are open to any ideas that you might have for a new monthly event.  Do you have a special talent that you would like to share with the ladies?   Or have you visited that special place and thought how you would like to organize a special outing for the ENC group?  The possibilities are endless, and we have a great Board of Directors to hear all your ideas and to help you make it happen.

 

Over the next several months we will be posting positions that are open within our Executive Board, President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. According to our by-laws we will be taking nominations during September and voting in October for these positions.  After that process is complete and we have our Executive Board established for 2024, those board members will be in search for talented women that could fill several open board positions.  Don’t feel that you would be volunteering to handle the positions on your own.  So many of you have found that sharing a position with a co-chair works the best for our busy lives.  

 

You Have the Talent to Take ENC into 2024! 

 

Carefully read your emails. There will be many coming your way that will need your attention!  This is a busy time of year for ENC!  So many things coming up, so little time to fit it in!

 

 

September Monthly Luncheon

Spanish Wells Country Club

September 19

11:30 am - 2:00 pm

$35.00 pp

 

 

Italian Wine Tasting

Total Wine - Coconut Point

September 25, 2023

5:00 - 7:00 pm

$30.00 pp

 

Check the Website to register for our Monthly Events.  They fill up quickly and we would miss you if you were not there!

 

The Joy of Volunteering!

 

Judy Lindgren

ENC President