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This year marks the 55th anniversary of our Club, and I'm happy to report that our Club is thriving by every measure. Membership, league participation, and profits are all at record highs. We proudly inducted our own Mario Massa as the first bocce player into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Our players are showing up in record numbers at regional and national tournaments, and consistently walking away with prize money and/or awards. Our recent hosting of the USBF Nationals was widely acclaimed by the USBF and all participants. And we continue to be blessed with an active, caring, and supportive membership.

We must protect and honor what we have, and we do that by reinvesting in our membership and facilities. Two decisions proposed by our board and approved by our membership this month did exactly that. First, we lowered the minimum age for our senior members from 85 to 80, reducing this group's renewal fee from $125 to $25. We owe our senior members so much, and this is a deserving action demonstrating both our respect and gratitude. We also placed a cap on our membership limiting it to 810 individuals. Although it will be difficult to deny friends and family sponsored by our current members immediate entry, it is necessary to ensure our current members can continue to enjoy the Club without overcrowding and creating too much demand for our leagues, dinners, and other benefits.

Soon, we will also be bringing to you a proposal to reinvest in our facility. Our cash balances are at record highs and we have not had a major capital investment since 2010. Key design objectives of our proposal include a total renovation of our bathrooms while also ensuring our women can access them during off hours; enabling our players and league participants to hang up their coats during off hours; creating a more open floor plan between the bar, card room, and dining room; creating increased visibility of the courts from the bar area; and a significant renovation and upscale of the bar, entry way and card room spaces. Member feedback (and complaints!) provided the starting point for our plans and we hope the renovation we offer will address your concerns and enhance our club.

All great plans come at a cost, and we know this will be a major investment. However, we also know that when our members do something, they want to do it right. I look forward to sharing more details with you in March when we plan on holding numerous information sessions before holding a vote to decide if we will move forward.



Thank you for your continued membership in and support of our Club!

Tom Holleman, President



January 28, 2024 Membership Meeting Update

2024-26 Officers and Trustees Sworn In

Officers and Board Members elected for the 2024-2026 term were sworn in by the Honorable Mitchell Hoffman during the General Membership Meeting on January 28, 2024. Thank you to Judge Mitchell and congratulations and thank you to our newly elected Trustees and Officers.

Trustees Miles Russell, Bruce Bertucci and Lenny Innocenzi

Recording Secretary

DeeDee Niebling

President Tom Holleman

2023 Financial Review

The January membership meeting included a review of 2023 financials. The Club ended the year with a surplus of $92K after all expenses were paid. This is a record for the Club, an increase over 2022 revenue of $73K, which was also a record year. You can view the complete financial report HERE and a copy has been placed on the bulletin board at the Club.

2024 Renovation Update

During the membership meeting, President Tom Holleman gave an update on Club renovation plans. If approved, leagues will not be affected. The schedule for next steps is below. Click HERE for more details

• Week of 1/28 - Board to Finalize Recommendation
• February - Architects create visual renderings of plan
• March - Club holds information sessions with members to review plans, schedule, and costs.
• March/April (TBD)- Membership vote to approve or not approve plan. A secret ballot will be used.
• June through August (tentative, if approved) - Construction

Friday, February 23, Fish Fry and Bingo

6:00 Cocktails | 7:00 dinner | 8:00 bingo

Linguini W/ Clam Sause

Fried and Baked Cod

Mexican Shrimp Cup

French Fries

Green Beans Almandine

Cranberry Pecan Salad

With Raspberry Vinaigrette

Assorted Desserts

Cost $30 Per Person

$20 Bingo Cash

Reservations: Bruce 847-910-9011

[email protected]

Friday, March 22, Member Dinner and Comedy Night

6:30 p.m.

In January, we kicked off new Tuesday and Sunday Mixed Leagues. Everyone who requested to participate was able to enroll in at least one of these leagues. Thanks to the League Committee of Paola Perrelli, Mary Ann Pedersen, Bruce Bertucci, Steve Thornberry, and Tom Holleman for working through some new processes to ensure everyone found a spot.

The Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday winter leagues hit their halfway points, with playoffs scheduled to wrap up in March or April.

We currently have approximately 250 members, or about 32% of our total membership, participating in leagues. Thanks to all the volunteers for making these leagues happen and to the players for keeping play competitive and showing good sportsmanship.

Historical League Comparison

During the winter Membership Meeting, league chairman Steve Thornberry, shared some stats on the league changes since 2015, the earliest year for which we have stats.

• The overall number of leagues has more than doubled, increasing by 113%
• We’ve had a focus on expanding opportunities for women to play in leagues. Women had the option to participate in 4 leagues total in 2016/2017, and 12 in 2023/2024.
• In the winter, the men's leagues offer more options, but in the spring, summer, and fall, the mixed leagues offer the most player opportunities.
• The addition of the Thursday "pick up" league offers members the opportunity to practice in a structured setting while meeting new members.

Green Text = Open to Membership, Fills shortly before league

Red Text = Full, limited spots by team invite only

Thursday Afternoon

Pick-Up League Rolling

Our afternoon pick-up bocce games are up and running on Thursdays. No need to sign-up in advance, just show up and play! Schedule: Check in and warm up at noon and games start at 12:30 PM. The league is open to players of all skill levels. The cost is $5 for members and $10 for non-members.

Code of Conduct

A reminder to all of our members, we have a code of conduct that we enforce. Please show respect for the Club, fellow members, and our guests.

All members and their guests will abide by the Club rules and the Bylaws of the Highwood Bocce Club. Members are responsible for the behavior and actions of their guests. The conduct of all members and their guests shall be in the best interest and welfare of all members, administration, guests, and staff while on the Highwood Bocce Club’s property.

Misconduct shall include but not be limited to:

1. Any action causing physical damage to the Club and its property.
2. Inappropriate or abusive language or physical actions which directly attack a person and/or group.
3. Default in payment of dues, initiation fees, or any other money owed to the Club.

Also a reminder no drinks are allowed on the courts at any time. Members are also forbidden from bringing their own liquor due to liability risks. Lastly, players must wear flat, clean, rubber-soled shoes other than the ones they came in with.

The Club recently welcomed the following new members:

John Guy

Maggie Guy

Ellen Levin

There is a waitlist in place for our membership now that there is a membership cap in place, and there are many individuals currently on this waitlist. The board is working to determine the criteria for admission off the waitlist. That criteria will be presented at the next membership meeting in April. Until then new memberships are on hold.

The Club honors the memories of our members and their loved ones.

The bulletin board in the card room has space to place memorial cards, and

news of a loss can be shared with Peter Pieracci who will share the information with our members.



Paul Mocogni

Officers

President

Tom Holleman

Vice President

Mary Ann Pedersen

Treasurer

Heidi Peddle

Recording Secretary

DeeDee Niebling

Trustees

Frank Bacci

Bruce Bertucci

Lenny Innocenzi

Frank Lomoro

Peter Pieracci

Miles Russell

Steve Thornberry