Rotary Membership Drive. Please see the following from Membership Director Lee Jenkins.
" Our Membership Drive is still in progress! For those of you who have brought guests and have interested prospects, thank you for your support in keeping the North Jackson Rotary Club what it is and always has been - a great club with the best members around! We need for "Each One to Bring One" like we talked about last month. If you haven't brought a prospective member yet, think of who you know that would be an asset to our Club and invite them to a meeting. Their lunch is on us!
To encourage more participation, we are planning a Membership Social at "The Fairview Inn" ion May 10th from 5:30-7:00. You must bring at least one prospect in order to attend. We'll have beverages, delicious appetizers, and a little music as well! We want the Social to be fun and give the guests a chance to meet our members and to find out who we are. If you have brought in new members, you and your new members will be invited to the Social as well so don't wait!
Don't forget the incentives available for bringing in new members right now through the end of May.:
1) 500 Paul Harris points for each new member
2) $200 gift certificate to The Manship to whoever recruits the most NJRC members
3) $500 cash for the person who brings in the most new members in the District!
Think about who you can introduce to Rotary! Only we can keep our Club great! Please let me know what I can do to help."
Star Students. At our April 24, 2018, meeting, the Rotary Club of North Jackson will recognize the Star Students and their Star Teachers from our North Jackson High Schools. Students and teachers from Jackson Academy, Jackson Prep, and St. Andrew's Episcopal School will be recognized. The students and their teachers are as follow:
Jackson Academy: Dolph Maxwell. His teacher is Schuyler Dickson. They will, unfortunately, be unable to join us on the 24th because of a school awards assembly that day.
Jackson Prep: Graham Robertson, Mary Margaret Mitchell, Morgan Williams, and Gregory Vance. Their Star Teachers are Kimberly Van Uden, David Hogue, Lou Ann McKibben, and Marsha Hobbs.
St. Andrew's. Christopher "C.J." Carron, Joe Han, Charley Hutchison, Julia Jia, and Emily Kruse. Their Star teachers are Donna Patrick, Roscoe Stribling, John Applegate, and Ruth Holmes. Unfortunately, Joe Han will be unable to join us.
We congratulate all of them for their accomplishments.
Prayer. Thank you, O God, for the season of Spring and its message of new life Declared beautifully by buds and blossoms, evidences of repetitive newness in nature, a principle which can be applied to human life in the form of beauty reborn following the wintry seasons of life.
Bless our fellowship today and the gift of food provided for us. Deepen even more the friendships we have established and our sense of mutual involvement in things truly significant. We offer our thanks to you and our appreciation for each other. Amen.
Club Announcements
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Birthdays
Jill Warner April 24
Wedding Anniversaries
Erin & Matt Rutherford April 30
Kevin & Linda Kay Russell April 30
Membership Anniversaries
Cynthia Till 6 years, April 24
Trace Swartzfager 3 years, April 28
This week’s Rotary Foundation Thought isabout what a US$100 can do.
It is as simple as having a notebook, pencil and glue. In Pavas, a poor district in San Jose, Costa Rica a packet of educational materials means the difference between an
education and working on the street. Most public schools in Costa Rica are underfunded and lack many basic supplies, so the Rohrmoser Rotary Club, Costa Rica developed a
packet of teaching materials for students and partnered with the Vancouver Rotary Club, Canada to distribute 777 packets to children in five very poor elementary schools. $100 buys 15 packets. Without this project, many students would not be able to continue their education and would be forced to drop out of school.
When Every Rotarian, Every Year participates, our foundation is able to continue to build a brighter future for the children of the world.
Billy Brumfield House. The Rotary Club of North Jackson is serving supper once a month at The Billy Brumfield House, a Stewpot Community Services ministry. Our club serves on the 1st Tuesday of each month. Interested members need to meet @ Baker Donelson located at the corner of Eastover Drive and the I-55 North Frontage Road @ 5:15 PM and then travel together to Billy Brumfield. Also, if you are interested in sponsoring a month, the est. cost is $180 for the food. Mike Dawkins is project chair and can be reached @ 601-351-2428 or mdawkins@bakerdonelson.com.
Between the Lions. Please remember to sign up for Between the Lions. During the school year, we read weekly to pre-Kindergarteners at William Walton Elementary School on Bailey Ave. It is a wonderful experience! The children are truly information sponges and very willing learners. Contact Jenny Price (662) 213-1294 for more information. We have resumed reading and are really enjoying it.
Member Care Committeereminder: for anyone who needs assistance getting to a meeting, please call Luther Munford at (601) 985-4418.
Thinking of Proposing a New Member?
First, discuss with Classification Committee (Paul Miller) He will provide a membership application, check classification availability and discuss occupational qualifications.
Rotary Membership Occupational Qualifications Applicant should be one of the following:
A corporate officer
A Professional (Attorney, CPA, Physician. Engineer, Architect, etc) A Proprietor
An Agent of a reputable company
A Manager or Supervisor of a department or section of a business
Rotarians, don't forget to like the club's Facebook page to stay up to date on the latest happenings. Search us out at Rotary Club of North Jackson or click the link:
Binish Desai’s company makes bricks from industrial waste otherwise destined for the landfill.
By Binish Desai, a member of the Rotary Club of Bulsar, India, and a former Rotary Youth Exchange student
I started my journey in Rotary as a Youth Exchange Student in 2009-10, hosted by the Rotary Club of Waukegan, Illinois, USA. I’m now a member of the Rotary Club of Bulsar, India, and Rotary helps me live out my dream, a dream I have had since age 11 – giving back to my community in service.
In 2005, I created my first brick using industrial paper waste and chewing gum. Similar bricks of recycled materials would go on to make thousands of stand-alone toilets for rural communities by 2015. The company I founded, Eco Eclectic Technologies, continues to research and invent new products in pursuit of a clean India. It is a vision captured in one of my mantras:
“Nothing is useless in this world. What might be a waste to you is someone else’s assets.”
I like to tell people that Eco Eclectic Technologies is a transformation parlor for industrial waste. Neglected and unwanted waste comes to us instead of the landfill, and we transform it into useful items that people can use in their everyday lives.
Light fixtures made from recycled materials.
EcoLights Studio: a micro social enterprise that is connected to Eco Eclectic Technologies, aims to employ non-skilled women and rural artisans. We teach them how to create light fixtures, made entirely of waste, by hand. Every light that is purchased recycles 7 kilograms of waste, helping reduce carbon emission and electronic waste. The lights themselves are 90 percent recyclable.
Bin-Nish means “without darkness, spreading light.” To fulfill the meaning of my name, I teach a waste management course for college and high school students. Students experiment with waste to find innovative solutions. When you start experimenting with waste, you will never end up empty-handed. These students represent the hope of finding even more solutions, toward the goal of constantly improving our country.
And throughout this process, Rotary and Rotarians have supported my innovations and have been able to contribute to many of our unique projects. One way we show our dedication to the environment is plant one tree in an industrial area for every light fixture we sell and ensure they are maintained. It thrills me to know that Rotary shares my concern for the planet, a fact demonstrated by President Ian H.S. Riseley’s challenge this year to clubs to plant a tree for every member of their club. It’s yet another way I find my own values aligning with Rotary.
Rotary’s motto of Service Above Self has always inspired its members to contribute to society. To me, Rotary is family. And I look forward to continuing to make a difference in the world with innovations for a cleaner and more sustainable world, inspired and supported by my Rotary family.
About the author: Binish Desai runs Eco Eclectic Technologies, a lab that recycles and reuses more than 50 different types of industrial waste and converts it into more than 150 products. In 2017, Desai received the RI Alumni Global Service award for zone 6A. Desai was recently listed by Forbes Asia in their list of 30 Under 30 social entrepreneurs.
Dr. Robert T. Brodell, Professor, and Chair, Department of Dermatology, University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's April 17, 2018 meeting. The title of his presentation was Instructive Cases from the Deep, Deep, Deep South, Mission Medicine, Who Benefits the Most. It was an illustrated show of a mission trip that he took to Nigeria along with one of his residents, who is a Nigerian.
Dr. Brodell discussed the preparation for the trip, the statistics about Nigeria and the location of the hospital and medical school in which they worked, in Enugu State. He commented that the major problem in Nigeria is the deferred maintenance of infrastructure. For example, the Enugu School of Medicine has no running water.
According to Dr. Brodell, the exposure to the hot Nigerian sun creates a large number of skin cancer cases. He showed examples of these cases in his presentation. The hot humid climate in Nigeria also contributes to frequent skin disorders, not cancerous ones. He also showed examples of these.
Interestingly, Dr. Brodell discussed the culture of Nigeria, which includes gifts to officials for services, such as, a gift to the immigration clerk at the passport desk to overcome a procedural problem one of his colleagues had with his immunizations for yellow fever prevention.
Dr. Brodell also discussed the assistance that his group received from a nonprofit named Drug Relief who donated medicine to them for treating Nigerian patients. We thank him for his very interesting presentation and for his service to the citizens of Mississippi. Dr. Brodel (center)l is shown in the accompanying photo with Club President Witt Ruffin (left), and Matt Monsour, who is program chair for the club.
Mike Hurst, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson during its April 10, 2018 meeting. Hurst informed club members and guests what the U.S. Attorney’s office does, some recent accomplishments and Project EJECT, a joint crime-fighting task force with local law officers. The Rotary Club of North Jackson meets at noon on Thursdays at The Rickhouse. The first [photo is of Hurst during his speech. In the second photo are from left, Bill Osborne, club member; Darren LaMarca, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi; Hurst and Anna Powers, club president-elect.
We thank Mr. Hurst for his presentation and he and Mr. LaMarca for their service to our country and, more particularly, to the citizens of Mississippi.
Brent Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Make-A-Wish Mississippi spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s April 3, 2018, meeting. He discussed the history of Make-A-Wish Foundation which was founded in Arizona in 1980 and its work in Mississippi, where it helps about 100 critically ill children annually, The Mississippi Chapter's goal is to assist nearly 200 children each year as approximately 165 children develop critical illnesses annually.
When Make-A-Wish assists a child it is at no cost to the child or his or her family. Funding is always a critical item and Make-A-Wish MS is conducting three fundraising events in the spring of 2018:
Starkville Wine & Wishes, April 5, 2018
Evening of Wishes - KENTUCKY DERBY SOIREE, May 5, 2018
Tee it Up for Wishes, June 8, 2018
More details on these events are available on the chapter’s website.
We thank Mr. Wilson for his presentation to our club and for his work on behalf of the families and children of MS. He (center) is shown at the podium during his presentation and following it with Matt Monsour (left), who introduced him, and Club President Witt Ruffin (right) in the accompanying photos.
Mina Torgerson, Director of Sales, and Katie DeMetz, Sales & Marketing Associate, of Visit Ridgeland, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s March 27, 2018, meeting. The subject of their talk was Ridgeland as a tourist destination, its features, attractions, accommodations, and dining establishments.
Ms. DeMetz (second from the left) and Ms. Torgerson (second from the right) are shown in the accompanying photo with Matt Monsour (left) who introduced them and club president Witt Ruffin (right) following the presentation. We thank them for their presentation and for the work they are dong on behalf of Ridgeland.
About the author: Binish Desai runs Eco Eclectic Technologies, a lab that recycles and reuses more than 50 different types of industrial waste and converts it into more than 150 products. In 2017, Desai received the RI Alumni Global Service award for zone 6A. Desai was recently listed by Forbes Asia in their list of 
