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Speakers
Sep 19, 2017
No Noon Meeting, No Speaker
Fall Fling that evening at New Stage Theatre
Sep 26, 2017
Justin Smith, Young Life Area Director
Young Life
Oct 10, 2017
Joel Bomgar
What Must MS Do to Get Out of Last Place
Nov 07, 2017
Paul Bucurel, Past Governor, Rotary District 6820
The Rotary Foundation
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Fall Fling
New Stage Theatre,
Sep 19, 2017
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
 
Bulletin Editor
Bill Osborne
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
Executives & Directors
President
Witt Ruffin
 
Vice President
Anna Powers
 
Secretary
Greg Campbell
 
Treasurer
Lee Carney
 
Club Service Director
Steele Dehmer
 
Foundation Director
Suman Das
 
Membership Director
Lee Jenkins
 
Public Relations Director
John Sewell
 
Club Administration Director
Uriel Pineda
 
Administrative Secretary/Treasurer
Don Roberts
 
 
Meeting Announcement. The Rotary Club of North Jackson will not have a noon meeting on September 19. Instead, the Club's annual "Fall Fling" will be held beginning at 6:00 PM at New Stage Theatre at 1100 Carlisle St. in the Belhaven neighborhood. The evening will conclude with a mystery theater featuring Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." Be sure to sign up to attend so that you will have a seat.
 

Prayer. O God, whose ways we sometimes only dimly understand, but whose love is brightly revealed, whose grace is broadly given, and whose goodness flows to us in abundance, we acknowledge that we live within your overarching providence. We ask for help in fulfilling the expectations of us who are committed to serving others above ourselves.

Amid all the superficial allurements of life, help us to sort out the things ultimately worthy of our commitment. Forgive us of the deficiencies we have allowed to diminish our faith and dedication.

We offer thanks for food to nourish our bodies and for fellowship to refresh our relationships. And as we go about our tasks during the remainder of the day (or evening), keep us, we pray, in your protective and sustaining hands. Amen.

 
 

 

Club Announcements

 

Birthdays and Anniversaries
     
  Birthdays
  • Trip Barnes      September 19
  • Matt Monsour  September 20
  • Tommy Dent    September 23
     
  • Anniversaries
  • Stanley & Connie Simpson     Sept. 22
 
Membership Anniversaries
  • None
 
This week’s Rotary Foundation Thought is
about the impact of a Group Study Exchange
(GSE).   
 
For Stephen Rajamani, an insurance broker in
Tamilnadu Province, India the GSE experience
was life-changing.  Rajamani initially traveled
to Brazil to learn about the culture and lifestyle
and to learn about insurance practices there.  
His team visited many businesses, educational
institutions, and government offices.  What Raja-
mani realized is that human beings are alike
every where throughout the world, from the
mayors and dignitaries who extended a warm
welcome to the host families who showered the
team members with affection.  Upon returning
home, Rajamani became a member of the Rotary
Club of Manapparai and showed his gratitude to
The Rotary Foundation by becoming a Paul
Harris Fellow in his first year.  Every Rotarian, Every
Year – Be a part of it.  Make your annual gift today. 
  
  • 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 in-
    terested in sponsoring a month, the est. cost is $180 for
    the food. Mike Dawkins is project chair and can be reach-
    ed @ 601-351-2428 or mdawkins@bakerdonelson.com.
  • Between the Lions. Please remember to sign up for Be-
    tween 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 will resume reading when the children the new school
    year begins.
  • Member Care Committee reminder: for anyone who
    needs assistance getting to a meeting, please call Luther
    Munford at (601) 985-4418.
     
  • Thinking of Proposing a New Member?
    1. First, discuss with Classification Committee (Paul
      Miller or Julian Carroll). They will provide a member-
      ship application, check classification availability and
      discuss occupational qualifications.
      1. Paul Miller
      2.          email  - pomiller3@gmail.com
  •          Phone - 601-956-2223
    1. Julian Carroll
    2. email - juliancarroll@comcast.net
  • Phone – 601-981-3886
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 Face-
    Book page to stay up to date on the latest hap-
    penings. Search us out at Rotary Club of North
    Jackson or click the link: 
 
“Service above self; they profit most who serve best.”
P. O. B O X  9 5 2 8,  J A C K S O N, MI S S I S S I P P I  3 9 2 8 6 - 9 5 2 8
WWW.N O R T H J A C K S O N R O T A R Y . O R G
 
 
 
 
 

Why it’s not good enough just to bring in new members

A club member gets a turn in the driving simulator during the Rotary Club of Brisbane’s vocational visit to the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety.

By Daniel Vankov, president of the Rotary Club of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

One of the biggest conversations around Rotary these days is membership growth. There are quite a few stories flying around and all of them provide good advice. But there is a second topic that is as important, if not more so, than membership acquisition, and that is retention. What can we do to keep these members we have worked so hard to bring in? 

My club did well in both membership growth and retention last year, receiving our district’s Errol Richardson Membership Development trophy, and one for membership retention, having not lost a single member over the previous year. As I began my year as club president, I naturally focused on growing our membership. In the first two months, I brought in two members, but we also lost two members. So no retention trophy this year! But more importantly, I realized I needed to discover what gives value back to our members. It is not good enough just to keep them busy.

The grim statistics suggest most clubs lose 50 percent of their new members within a year, and another 25 percent within two to three years. I knew I needed to do something but also didn’t want to undertake a monstrous effort or reinvent the wheel. So we looked back on some things Rotary clubs have done in the past and decided to dust a couple off and try them.

Club President Daniel Vankov, second from left, at the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety.

First, we focused on vocational visits. But we put some thought into how to make sure we weren’t just boring club members by having them sit in someone’s office listening to how their fellow member crunches numbers or browses the web. We thought hands-on would be a better way to go. For our first one, we went to the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety — Queensland and drove in state-of-the-art driving simulators. Top researchers hosted our club members and informed us on road safety research. Members enjoyed both their turn behind the wheel, and watching other members mess up. We even went home with gift bags to remind us of the visit.

Our second focus will be on leadership development. The club has organized an outing with the Institute of Managers and Leaders for a seminar open to members and non-members alike. Our speaker is Tony Holmes, a past district governor and one of Australia’s top business builders. We want to learn how he went from being an army officer to a leading management consultant, and how he builds businesses all over Australia and internationally while living on a 22-acres property on the Sunshine Coast.

Soon, we plan to put some other innovative ideas to work such as using virtual reality to build awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence.

Through all this, what we have learned is that membership retention is very much as important as member acquisition!

Encourage members to get involved for a more meaningful Rotary experience with the ideas in Connect for Good and other membership resources.

 
Rotary District 6820 Matching Gifts Campaign!
 
Please see the following from PDG Paul Bucurel.who is Assistant Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator 2017-2020.
"Four years ago we were pleased to offer the first Rotary Foundation Matching Gifts Campaign.  As a result, we saw record setting numbers of our members being recognized as Paul Harris Fellows and Multiple Paul Harris Fellows. Governor Bill,  District Foundation Chair Jen and I are pleased and excited to be able to offer you the same opportunity this year."
 
Information about the campaign was distributed to District 6820 Rotarians in early September. However, you need to hurry because there is a cap on the amount of Paul Harris points and a deadline of October 31, 2017, whichever comes first.
 
     Please don't hesitate to call or email Paul at 601-480-6402 or paul_bucurel@yahoo.com  if you have questions. He looks forward to celebrating with you the success of this campaign.
 
Please note that our website address
has been updated to:
                            www.northjacksonrotary.org
The bulletin is available on this site
every Friday if you prefer to view it
online. You will, of course, have to
log in to see your personal information.
 
Stories
Ex VP of MS Mfg. Assn Speaks to Rotary Club of North Jackson
Posted by Bill Osborne on Sep 12, 2017
John "Jack" McKay, Executive Vice President of the MS Manufacturing Association spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at its September 12, 2017, meeting. Per Mr. McKay, the MMA is a 60-year-old organization whose aim is to represent the interest of the manufacturers in the state and to lobby on their behalf. He focused his talk on the legislative needs of his members; i.e., infrastructure improvement, tax reform, and education. With respect to infrastructure, he commented that he wasn't too optimistic that the legislature would deliver the improvements that are needed for the manufacturers to receive their raw materials and to transport their products. Concerning, tax reform, he was more optimistic. The Legislature has passed legislation to eliminate the Franchise Tax over a period of years and to reduce the Inventory Tax. He commented that these taxes put Mississippi at a disadvantage versus other locations, domestic and international to attract new business. The third point that he made was the need to develop an educated workforce. We have an excellent group of community colleges that can produce the needed workers, but the candidates need to attend and graduate from those institutions. He expressed the opinion that jobs of the future will require technical skills to install, maintain and operate robotic equipment. He believes that the day of the lightly educated manual laborer is passed. 
 
Mr. McKay is shown during his presentation in the accompanying photo. We thank him for his presentation and for his service to the State of Mississippi. Club member Matt Monsour, who introduced Mr. McKay is shown seated to his right in the photo.
JPD Pct. 4 Officer of the Quarter Honored by Rotary Club of North Jackson
Posted by Bill Osborne on Sep 12, 2017
The Rotary Club of North Jackson honored and recognized JPD Pct. 4 Officer of the Quarter William Huff at its September 12, 2017, meeting. Officer Huff was recognized for his exemplary service to the City of Jackson in capturing truck burglars. In being a JPD officer, Officer Huff is following in the footsteps of his father who is a retired JPD officer. Officer Huff is shown in the accompanying photos with Club Past President Edley Jones who originated the recognition program for Pct. 4 officers and with his certificate following the club meeting. We thank Officer Huff for his service to the citizens of Jackson.
Centry Club charities Representative Speaks to Rotary Club of North Jackson
Steve Jent with Century Club Charities and the Sanderson Farm Championship spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at its September 5, 2017, meeting. He provided an overview of the tournament, its history, and what to expect for this year's tournament. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this PGA tournament has a $26 million economic impact in the area and raises millions in support of Batson Children's Hospital and other area charities. Mr. Jent is shown at the lectern during his presentation. Immediately to his left is Witt Ruffin, Rotary Club of North Jackson President. We thank Mr. Jent for his presentation to our club and for his work on behalf of Century Charities and the Sanderson Farms Championship.
 
Central District Public Service Commissioner Speaks to Rotary Club of North Jackson
Posted by Bill Osborne on Aug 29, 2017
Hon. Cecil Brown, Central District Commissioner of the Mississippi Public Service Commission spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at its August 29, 2017, meeting. Commissioner Brown has dedicated several decades of his life to the citizens of the State of Mississippi. He previously served as Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, a State Representative, and now as a Public Service Commissioner. Commissioner Brown is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and of the University of Texas. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.
 
The subject of Commissioner Brown's speech was the Kemper County Power Plant constructed by Mississippi Power Company (MPC). He commented that the project was originally envisioned as a $2.4 Billion one but that it is now $4.0 Billion over budget and three years behind schedule. He said that the project was based on work performed in FL on a plant 10% of the size envisioned for the Kemper County site. As envisioned, the plant was to convert lignite mined on the site to syn-gas via a coal gasification process and to use the syn-gas as fuel for a 750 MW gas fired electrical power generating plant. 
 
Currently, MPC has abandoned the syn-gas part of the facility and has written off its $6.0 Billion cost. The gas fired electrical generating plant was started-up in 2016 using purchased natural gas. MPC and its parent company  The Southern Company, still have the project on their books for $1.5 Billion. The Public Service Commission is awaiting a proposal for the project going forward.
 
Mr. Brown is shown in the accompanying photo during his presentation. We thank him for his presentation and for his service and commitment to the citizens of the State of Mississippi.