We praise you, O God, from whom all blessings flow, from whom we gain inspiration for living and incentive for serving. In the season of Thanksgiving, we are grateful for our national heritage of giving thanks derived from our Pilgrim forebears. We honor the stalwart settlers and courageous statesmen who fashioned America on the bedrock of religious faith which they were not hesitant to boldly express and practice.
Bless now, we pray, not only our food and table fellowship but also the noble purposes for which we exist. Give us new visions of service opportunities and deepen our commitment to them. We pray the same for other clubs worldwide. With thankful hearts, we pray. Amen.
Club Announcements:
Proposed New Member Announcement Neelan Goel has been proposed for membership in the Rotary Club of North Jackson by Dr. Suman Das and is sponsored by past president Don Roberts. Neelam is Office Manager for PSP Medical Clinic in Canton. She holds a Master’s degree in English Literature. Neelam is married. She and her husband, Dr. Parvesh Goel, have 2 children and live in Madison. This is the 2nd publication of this proposed new member announcement.
Remember to purchase your District 6820 Dream Raffle Tickets. See Flyer.
Birthdays and Anniversaries:
Birthdays:
Jenny Price November 23
Joe Dove November 23
Wedding Anniversaries:
Jeff & Suzie Adcock November 27
Chuck and Virgi Lindsay November 27
Jay & Martha Cooke November 30
Tom & Betty Parry December 01
Membership Anniversaries:
Katie Browning 6 years, November 27
Lee Carney 23 years, December 01
Joe Dove 38 years, December 01
Edward Erlich 23 years, December 01
Claude Harbarger 31 years, December 01
Erik Hearon 41 years, December 01
Social Media. Do you want to keep up with the service activities and members of the Rotary Club of North Jackson? Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@RotaryNorth) and Instagram (rotarynorthjackson)
Rotary Foundation Thought. This week’s Rotary Foundation Thought is December 2018 President's Message from Rotary International 2018-2019 President Barry Hassin.
"Dear fellow Rotarians,
It’s traditional that the first "Rotarian Magazine" of the Rotary year carries a profile of the incoming RI president and his or her family. I’ve always read those profiles with interest, never giving much thought to the possibility that one day, I might be the one bringing a writer from the magazine to my Rotary club meeting! I have never liked a lot of attention, and the idea of having my picture on the magazine cover made me a bit uncomfortable. But when I saw the photo the editors chose, I smiled. Because the star of that picture definitely isn’t me, or even my wife, Esther. It’s the flock of flamingos, none of which could care less about Rotary, all strutting past us in the same direction. All of them — except one.
I couldn’t think of a more appropriate image to reflect the message I want to convey to Rotarians. That one flamingo, going the other way, represents so much of what we need to do in Rotary. That flamingo knows everyone’s going one way. She sees it. But she also sees that maybe the path they’re on isn’t the best path. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a better path over there, and she wants to get a good look before she goes marching on with her friends. And if, when she does stop and look, that new path does seem better, she’ll call the rest of the crew to come over and check it out with her. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll all choose that better path together.
Change is hard. And the longer we’ve been going one way, the more friends we have with us, the harder it is to be the one who turns around and does it differently. But change — not change for its own sake, but careful, considered, goal-directed change — is essential for any organization that wants to evolve, stay relevant, and move forward in the right direction.
So take a look at that picture, but don’t look at me. I’m not the one that cover’s about. That cover is about the flamingo. It’s about having the curiosity, the courage, and the conviction to look at different paths that might be better — whether you’re out for a stroll on a beautiful Bahamas morning or helping chart the course for our organization."
BARRY RASSIN
President, Rotary International
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. Please sign up for 2018-2019. Call Bill Osborne @ 601-594-5698 to sign up. This year we will be reading on Tuesdays and Fridays at 09:00.
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
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:
Dr. Charles H. Beady, Jr., CEO, Mississippi Food Network (MFN) spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club's November 19 Meeting. Dr. Beady is a native Georgian and was formerly president of the Piney Woods School in Rankin County. The purpose of his presentation was to thank the Rotary Club for its financial support and to discuss the role and activities of MFN. MFN was formed in 1984. and it serves 150,000 people monthly. MFN's mission is "to relieve poverty-related hunger in our service area by distributing donated and purchased food and grocery products through a network of member churches and nonprofit organizations. We provide nutrition education to our needy clients. We also emphasize advocacy and related needs." Per Dr. Beady, MFN serves 150,000 people monthly.
MFN is the only food bank located in Mississippi. It is a member of Feeding America, the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization. From its beginning in 1985 when it distributed 139,000 pounds of food, MFN has grown to the point that 21.4 million pounds of food were distributed in 2017. MFN is governed by a 24 person Board of Directors, Chaired by Felicia Lyles. MFN's 2017 Form 990 shows total revenue of $24.1 million in cash, grants and food donations received and operating expenses of $19.3 million. Overhead and fundraising totaled $1.8 million.
MFN receives funding from a variety of sources, including grants, individual donations, churches, businesses, and foundations plus a small handling charge paid by member agencies for food receipts. Dr. Beady said that at any time, MFN will have 1.5 million pounds of food in inventory. Food is purchased when necessary. It is also received via food drives by local businesses, and donations from retail vendors such as Kroger, Sam's Club, & WalMart.
Dr. Beady is shown in the first following photo during his presentation and in the second with Club Vice President Greg Campbell who introduced him.
We thank Dr. Beady for his presentation and for his efforts on behalf of the needy citizens of Mississippi.
Mandy Jones Sisson, Community Relations Director of The Mustard Seed in Brandon Mississippi spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s November 13, 2018, meeting. According to its website, The Mustard Seed “seeks to meet the spiritual, physical, and intellectual needs of adults with developmental disabilities by providing a loving and protected Christian community with meaningful activities that allow the participants to fulfill the potential that God has created within them.” Ms. Sissons discussed the role and activities of The Mustard Seed and its seedsters. One of the things she discussed is the painted ceramics that The Mustard Seed sells to help finance its activities. She also discussed some of the seedsters view their lives and the fact that The Mustard has waiting lists for its residential and day programs. According to Ms. Sissons, the majority of seedsters are Down’s Syndrome affected.
Ms. Sissons is shown in the first photo below during her presentation and following it in the second photo (right) with Club Vice President Greg Campbell (second from right), Club Member Lori Greer who introduced her (second from left) , and Jon Wiener (left) of Bash Brothers Media who discussed his upcoming video show “Between the Pines”, Episode 2, “The Vet”, the history and story of Mississippi Veterans Stadium, which will air Saturday, November 17 at 9:00 PM on WLBT in Jackson and on Cspire.com.
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We thank Ms. Sissons for her presentation and for her efforts on behalf of The Mustard Seed.
Ms. Anne LeBreton, Outreach Coordinator, for Mississippi Blood Services spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s November 6, 2018, meeting on the need for and uses of blood donations. In her presentation, Ms. LeBreton said that she has been with MS Blood Services for 26 years and that she is a native of South Louisiana and a graduate of LSU.
Ms. LeBreton emphasized the ongoing need for whole blood, blood platelets, and red blood cells. A visit to their website, MSblood.com, shows the current status of their need for blood donations. MS LeBreton also thanked the Rotary Club of North Jackson for its ongoing support of MS Blood Services, both by its annual blood drive and its financial support.
We thank Ms. LeBreton for her presentation and for her service to the citizens of Mississipi. She is shown below during her presentation and with Club Member Lori Greer who introduced her following the presentation in the following photos.
Jackson Police Department Pct. 4 Corporal Fred Johnson was recognized by The Rotary Club of North Jackson as the Officer of the Quarter at the Club’s November 6, 2018, meeting. Corporal Johnson was recognized for his community awareness and his perseverance in capturing a suspect of an armed robbery of a Northeast Jackson business. Corporal Johnson received a call from the manager of a business. The manager said that his store was in the process of being robbed. Corporal Johnson had given the manager his telephone no. earlier and told him to call if he had an incident. This was the exact type of incident that Corporal Johnson was talking about. On receiving the call, Corporal Johnson went directly to the store. The robber was still on the premises. He fled and Officer Johnson pursued. By the time Corporal Johnson caught him, the suspect had discarded a red hoodie that he had been wearing and his weapon. Retracing the steps, both were located and the suspect was arrested. Congratulations Corporal Johnson!
Corporal Johnson is shown in the first photo with club Past President Edley Jones who leads the recognition committee. The second photo is of officer Johnson following the meeting. In it are shown (from the left) Past President Edley Jones, Corporal Johnson’s Mother, Corporal Johnson, Club President Anna Powers, Pct. 4 Sgt. Tiny Harris, and Pct. 4 Lt. White.
We congratulate Corporal Johnson on his recognition and thank him for his service to the citizens of Jackson.
Members of the Rotary Club of North Jackson distributed dictionaries to third-grade students in 6 north Jackson elementary schools the week of October 22nd: Boyd, Casey, Dawson, McWillie, McLeod, and Spann. This is an annual project for the club as it has been occurring for at least 11 years. The Rotarians emphasized that the dictionaries belong to the students, that they should put their name on the faceplate at the front of the book, they demonstrate how to use a dictionary and what information it contains in addition to words and their definitions. The following photos are from the event.
Mississippi State Senator Hob Bryan spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at its October 30, 2018 meeting. Senator Bryan is a native of Amory, Mississippi. He represents Itawamba, Lee, & Monroe counties in the Mississippi State Senate and is a graduate of Mississippi State University and the University of Virginia Law School. Sen. Bryan is also a member of the Rotary Club of Amory.
Senator Bryan described how the legislative process has changed since he first came to the Senate in 1984. Committee and subcommittee public debates over the language of bills have generally been replaced by secret caucuses with the Speaker or the Lieutenant Governor followed by up-or-down votes on the floor of the legislature. He compared the open process that led to the adequate education bill in the 1990s with the consultant-driven secrecy that accompanied proposed education reform earlier this year.
Senator Bryan is shown during his speech in the following two photos The second photo also shows Rotarian Luther Munford who introduced Senato Bryan at the speaker’s table.
We thank Sen. Bryan for his presentation to our club and for his service to the citizens of Mississippi.
