Dear WRC Naples Federated Sisters, Members and Friends,

This is the time of year we are reminded to be grateful for all of our blessings while we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends. For many of us Hurricane Ian brought a tidal wave we didn't expect. Then the red tsunami we were expecting didn't happen. But with every tragedy and disappointment there is always something to be thankful for. Hurricane relief efforts are bringing our community together in unexpected ways with unexpected acts of kindness and generosity.

In the midst of the loss of life and destruction of the Civil War, on 10/3/1863, President Lincoln established a day of "thanksgiving and praise to our Father who dwelleth in heaven."

"I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States ... to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise."

We are blessed to live in the Free State of Florida where all of our campaign and election integrity efforts were rewarded. Our governor and his cabinet received a resounding mandate from the electorate, as did both branches of the state legislature. SWFL is blessed with uncompromised commitment from our law enforcement officers to keep us safe.

Next Tuesday is Giving Tuesday. Please consider the following causes:

• Our member Yvette Benarroch, VP of FFRW, is organizing a toy drive for "Toys for Tots." If you are so generous as to bring an unwrapped toy to our next luncheon on December 7th, Yvette will deliver.
• Our member Barbara Salkow, President of Blue Star Mothers and member of our Armed Services Committee, asks that you please honor a fallen hero by sponsoring a wreath. The link to purchase a Remembrance Wreath is WreathsAcrossAmerica.org. (https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/)
• When you start accumulating 2023 calendars from friends and businesses, please donate them to the Collier Sheriff's Annual Calendar drive to assist their Planning For Success Program. If you bring calendars to our December or January meetings, Laura Rothballer, Chair of our Armed Services Committee, will deliver.

Our December 7th holiday luncheon is a fundraiser for Hurricane Ian relief. Special guest speakers will speak about their programs to help the community recover. If you haven't already, please sign up for the luncheon to help support these charities.

Please remember God's blessings while you enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving, with gratitude for what we have and for a future full of hope.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Update 11/10/2022:

WOW!

In the state of Florida, we saw a RED TSUNAMI! Locally in Collier, we saw the school board change hands with a full sweep of the new challengers winning!  At the state level, we gained FOUR REPUBLICAN HOUSE SEATS and retained OUR BELOVED GOVERNOR DESANTIS! And for our state and country, we retained SENATOR MARCO RUBIO who works relentlessly for the state of Florida!

FLORIDA VICTORIES!
US SENATOR MARCO RUBIO
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR JEANETTE NUNEZ
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY
DISTRICT ATTORNEY AMIRA FOX
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER JIMMY PATRONIS
AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER WILTON SIMPSON

FLORIDA CONGRESIONAL DELEGATION VICTORIES!
FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION PARTISAN BREAKDOWN BEFORE ELECTION:
16 REPUBLICANS, 9 DEMOCRATS, 2 VACANCIES
FLORIDA CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION PARTISAN BREAKDOWN AFTER ELECTION:
20 REPUBLICANS, 8 DEMOCRATS

GOVERNORS RACE VICTORIES!
RON DESANTIS, FLORIDA
JOE LOMBARDO, NEVADA
BRIAN KEMP, GEORGIA
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, ARKANSAS
GREG ABBOTT, TEXAS

US SENATE RACE VICTORIES!
MARCO RUBIO, FLORIDA
J.D, VANCE, OHIO
RON JOHNSON, WISCONSIN
TED BUDD, NORTH CAROLINA
KATIE BRITT, ALABAMA

Now we must continue to move forward with our agenda of strong conservative values and continue to recruit and support strong Repulbicans for 2024. 
GET BUSY; THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE! Join the WRC Committees of Campaign/Election, Legislative and Education.
JOIN IN THE CRUSADE TO TAKE BACK AMERICA!

COLLIER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENT

WRC's Literacy and Education Committee experienced a major success with their Patriot Reader's Launch at First Baptist Academy last week. We were asked to partner with The Literacy Coordinator of Collier County Public School to read to their kindergarten and first grade classes!

CCPS has designated five schools for us to read to from October 2022 through April 2023. Each school has anywhere from 4 to 6 kindergarten and first grade classes which could easily calculate to 50 to 60 classes for the Patriot Readers to read to during this school year. The Patriot Readers will continue to read from the authorized books we have purchased and will continue to request donations towards purchasing more of these books.

This announcement means we must all be ready and signed up through the CCPS VOLUNTEER PAGE by next Monday, if you will be reading during the months of October through December 11.

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FROM THE CCPS VOLUNTEER PAGE:

Current Volunteers: All volunteer applications expire every June 30th. If you wish to volunteer during the 22/23 school year, please submit a new volunteer application by clicking the link VOLUNTEER SIGN UP.

Effective July 1, 2022 the District implemented some significant changes to the volunteer program to simplify and enhance the application and screening process. These changes include:

• Expedited application approval process at the school
• Online volunteer portal to take badge pictures [coming soon!]
• Expedited badge printing process at the school
• New designation of "Volunteer" [replaces former Level 1/Level 2] designations
• New volunteer badge template for enhanced security
• Fingerprints are now only required for volunteers participating in overnight or out-of-county trips

If you are a current or former volunteer, these changes will require you to complete a NEW volunteer application form. You will be issued a new volunteer badge once approved. Former Level 2 volunteers will NOT be re-fingerprinted unless participating in an overnight or out-of-county trip.

The five designated CCPS schools are:

Palmetto Elementary
Shadowlawn Elementary
Lavern Gaynor Elementary
Poinciana Elementary
Parkside Elementary

Please contact Lytra Wilson with any questions.

lytrawilson@yahoo.com

239-600-8872

The WRC Naples Armed Services Committee would like to provide a home cooked meal for the residents of the recently opened Alpha House, which is transitional housing for Veterans recommended by the David Lawerence Center, St Matthews House and the Hunger and Homeless Coalition. These Veteran residents take care of the home, and assist their community by initiating food drives, seasonal gift baskets and helping elderly neighbors. 

To learn more about WWCC visit WWCollier.org. 

If interested in making a meal once a month for the residents of Alpha House, please contact Laura at munksmom96@yahoo.com. 

Love and Truth

Where evil abounds, grace abounds even more. For believers, that is a consolation that in this battle of good vs evil, our God who is Love and Truth will show us the way and guide our steps.

This present-day crisis has offered us an opportunity to unite our religious beliefs in the One True God of Abraham and the Son of God, who is The Way, The Truth and The Life.

John 14:4,14

You know the way that leads where I go ... I am the Way, the Truth and the Life ...

Anything you ask me in my name I will do. If you love me and obey the commands I give you, I will ask the Father and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you always: the Spirit of Truth."

The choices we face, then, are to know the Way, to seek the Truth and to imitate the Life of Christ.

Upward and Onward has been my clarion call for several years. It is the final line of James Russel Lowell's poem The Present Crisis:

Once to every man and nation,
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side.
Now occasions teach new duties;
Time makes ancient good uncouth.
They must Upward still and Onward,
Who would keep abreast of TRUTH.

Marilyn Romeo
Faith Engagement Committee

Have you ever wondered what our WRC Faith Engagement Committee does? Besides sending out messages of faith and encouragement in our newsletters, like the one above, we were created to:

• • Reaffirm the principles upon which our country was founded, including faith in our Creator;
  • Reach out to people of faith throughout the community, encourage them to vote in local, state and national elections for candidates that best represent our values and conservative principles;
  • Work with local churches, synagogues and other houses of worship to hold non-partisan voter registration;
  • Invite a pastor, priest or rabbi to deliver our invocation at each monthly luncheon;
  • Educate and mobilize people of faith via social media -- Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to vote Biblically;
  • Foster club diversity through outreach to various faith communities;

And to utilize these faith networks to become active not only in registration and voting, but supporting conservative causes through prayer, legislation (pro-life, pro-family and pro-America) and other "vote your values", conservative efforts.

Jackie Wolcott
Faith Engagement Committee Ambassador

If you are interested in more
information and joining this committee
please contact Donna at thewagnersnaples@gmail.com