Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for joining us at our annual membership meeting!
For those of you who may not know me, I’m Jana King, and I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of serving as your Bocce Club President for the past three years.
What an incredible three years it’s been! Our club continues to grow, and we’re proud to remain the largest—and, in my admittedly biased opinion, the BEST—club in The Villages!
Before we get started, I’d like to give a special thank-you to Marie Colazzi and Barbara Orlando for all their hard work organizing today’s meeting. We appreciate everything you’ve done to bring us together!
A Year Worth Celebrating
Today, I’d like to take a few minutes to celebrate some of what we’ve accomplished together over the past year.
And what a year it’s been!
We’ve grown our membership, expanded opportunities for players of all skill levels, improved our facilities, and, perhaps most importantly, strengthened the friendships and sense of community that make our club so special.
Let’s start with our tournaments and training programs.
Our Tournament Director, Tim Robinson, has had an exceptionally busy year!
Under Tim’s leadership, we held seven tournaments, continued our popular monthly SKILZ classes, introduced training for team captains, and revamped our referee training program.
And if that weren’t enough, Tim also brought in additional coordinators to help organize and manage these activities.
That’s an impressive list of accomplishments, and no small undertaking! Thank you, Tim, for your dedication, leadership, and countless hours of hard work.
Throughout our tournaments, we’ve witnessed some outstanding bocce, great competition, and wonderful sportsmanship.
Congratulations to all our champions and finalists—and to every player who stepped onto the courts, gave it their best, and helped make our tournaments so successful!
Of course, none of that great bocce would be possible without well-maintained courts and facilities.
Our Court Director, Ken Colazzi, has been keeping a watchful eye on our facilities and working closely with Villages maintenance to make improvements, including updates to our players’ tables and handrails.
He also worked with Villages management to bring back the Villages Management vs Bocce Board tournament. What a fun time that was!
Ken, thank you for your dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to keeping our courts in great shape!
Another area where we’ve had tremendous success is membership.
Our Membership Director, Jeanne Anne Whitacre, has helped welcome an impressive number of new members this year.
We started the year with 654 members, and as of last month, we had 707 members! That’s an increase of more than 8%!
I recently met a woman who had just joined our club, and she went out of her way to tell me how much she appreciated having her welcome packet personally delivered.
It’s those thoughtful, personal touches that make new members feel they’re truly part of our bocce family.
And speaking of personal touches, isn’t it nice to receive those birthday emails from Jeanne Anne? It’s always fun to be remembered on your special day!
Thank you, Jeanne Anne, for making our members feel so welcome and appreciated.
More Than Just Bocce
Now, as much as we all love the game, I think we can agree that our club is about much more than rolling bocce balls.
It’s about friendship, laughter, and having fun together!
I honestly don’t know of another club in The Villages that gives its members as many opportunities to get together and socialize as we do.
Take our Friday Bocce Bashes, for example.
With Julie Moss stepping into the role of Bash Director, we’ve seen increased participation and enthusiasm at these weekly gatherings.
Julie, thank you for making our Fridays even more fun!
And then there are our wonderful social events!
Our amazing Social Director, Barbara Orlando, and her fantastic team have once again outdone themselves.
From our Tournament Championship celebrations to the Kickoff Brunch, Summer BBQ, and Holiday Party, they’ve given us so many opportunities to enjoy good food, great company, and plenty of laughs.
And speaking of good food, are people STILL talking about those steaks at the Summer BBQ? I know I am!
Barbara, thank you and your entire team for creating such memorable events.
These gatherings are more than just parties. They’re where acquaintances become friends, friendships grow stronger, and lasting memories are made.
And that’s what makes our club such a special part of life here in The Villages.
Recognizing the People Who Make It Happen
Well, I’m exhausted just talking about everything we’ve accomplished!
And believe it or not, those are just some of the highlights of our year.
In a few minutes, you’ll be voting for our 2026–2027 Board of Directors.
But before we move on to that important business, I’d like to recognize the people who have helped make this such a successful year.
First, our current Board of Directors.
These dedicated individuals have generously volunteered their time, energy, and talents to keep our club running smoothly and moving forward.
They’ve worked behind the scenes, solved problems, planned activities, and made decisions with the best interests of our members at heart.
Thank you all!
I’d also like to recognize the many volunteers who take on important responsibilities throughout the year, including our Tournament Coordinators, Referee Coordinators, Apparel Sales Coordinator, all our captains and referees and so many others.
And let’s not forget the countless members who step up whenever help is needed—whether it’s organizing an event, assisting at a tournament, helping new players, or simply lending a hand.
Our club doesn’t run on its own. It runs because of people like YOU.
We are incredibly fortunate to have so many members who willingly share their time, skills, and enthusiasm.
To every one of our volunteers, please know how much you are valued and appreciated.
You truly are the heart of this club.
Thank you!
Looking Ahead to 2027
As I look back on this past year, I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished together.
But as wonderful as this year has been, I’m just as excited about what’s ahead!
We have another great year of tournaments, training opportunities, social events, and, of course, plenty of bocce to look forward to.
If you’d like a sneak peek at what’s coming, be sure to check out the preliminary 2027 calendar on our club website.
I encourage all of you to stay involved, try something new, welcome our newest members, and continue making this the friendly, fun, and welcoming club we’ve all come to love.
Closing
As I finish, I want to say how grateful I am to have served as your President these past three years.
It’s been a privilege to work alongside so many wonderful people, and I’m proud of the club we’ve built together.
We’ve grown to more than 700 members, but what makes us special isn’t our size.
It’s our people.
It’s the friendships we’ve formed, the encouragement we give one another, the laughter we share, and the way we come together both on and off the courts.
Thank you for your support, your enthusiasm, and for making this club such an important part of our community.
Here’s to another year of great bocce, wonderful friendships, and unforgettable memories!
And remember—win or lose, it’s always a great day for bocce!
Thank you, everyone, and I’ll see you on the courts!