(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
Club Announcements:
The Rotary Club of North Jackson is meeting both in-person and via Zoom. Reservations are required to attend the in-person meetings. Respond to the email from Don Roberts to make one.
Zoom meeting invites with the link and password will be sent to all club members on Mondays. The Zoom meetings will continue to start at noon on Tuesdays with club member fellowship and with the meeting starting at 12:15 p.m. If you have any issues connecting to the Zoom meeting, please email Past President Greg Campbell at gregcampbell2@comcast.net. We give our speakers nearly 30 minutes for their presentations.
Mark your calendars for our upcoming event:
Rotary Club of North Jackson 50th Anniversary Gala at the Country Club of Jackson on July 20. The Gala will start at 11:00.
More details are to come on this event. It is listed in our club calendar
SERVICE Opportunities!
1. The Rotary Club of North Jackson will be planting two trees in Parham Bridges Park at the corner of Old Canton Road and Ridgewood at 9:00 AM on Saturday, May 8. Bring your shovel and gloves and join in the experience! Y'all come!
2. For several years, North Jackson Rotarians have been reading to pre-K students at Walton Elementary School on Bailey Avenue in Jackson. With time, our cadre of readers has diminished as some of them moved away. If you are interested in becoming a reader, please contact Bill Osborne (601-594-5698). For 2020 & 2021 we have joined the class remotely via Zoom, but we hope to get back to in-person reading in the fall.
Birthdays and Anniversaries.
Birthdays
Pat Vivier May 19
Virginia Carlton May 20
Suzie Baker May 24
Wedding Anniversaries:
None
Membership Anniversaries
None
Prayer. O God, our Refuge and Strength, we are grateful for the confidence with which we can live because you are the Source of our ultimate security and hope. Grant us those blessings in response tour tenacious holding onto integrity and faith.
Help each of us to be among those who setr worthy examples of integrity and compassion. Bless our gathering here today, including the food of which we partake and the fellowship we enjoy. Amen.
North Jackson Rotarian Virginia Carlton was recognized by the club and by Rotary District 6820 for her lifetime of public service at the club’s May 11 meeting. Carlton who is now a Presiding Judge on the Mississippi Court of Appeals has served her state and country as a military officer where she rose to the rank of Colonel before retiring. Prior to becoming a Court of Appeals judge, Carlton served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives and as an assistant district attorney.
Carlton’s recognition was originally scheduled for the Women in Rotary luncheon in 2020, but that recognition was postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The following photos are from the event. In the first photo,
Carlton holding her “Champion of Change” Trophy with North Jackson President-Elect Suman Das.
From the left: North Jackson President Lee Carney, Fran Thurmond, District Governor Ed Thurmond, Past District Governor Barbara Travis.
From the left: Fran Thurmond, Ed Thurmond, Suman Das, Barbara Travis.
We congratulate Carlton on her recognition and thank her for her service to Rotary, to the Citizens of Mississippi, and to the United States.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of its charter, the Rotary Club of North Jackson has installed two benches and a trash bin in Parham Bridges’ Park in North Jackson. The benches are at the edge of the walking trail that is used by hundreds of Jacksonians daily.
The following photos are of the benches and bin being installed and of the completed installation. A commemorative plaque will be part of the installation. The plaque is shown prior to its installation. It will be installed between the two benches and in front of the waste bin.
Mary Margaret White, CEO of “Mississippi Today”, a digital news outlet for Mississippi, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s January 12 meeting. White discussed the changes in the print journalism market due to the sharp decline in ad revenues and a decline in print subscribers as consumers have begun to rely increasingly on digital media. “Mississippi Today” was created to fill the void in the state’s news outlets created by that decline. She pointed out that “Mississippi Today” is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit and that it relies on donations both from citizens and several large philanthropic foundations.
To quote from “Mississippi Today”: “We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. We center readers in everything we do, informing–and engaging–Mississippians through reporting, podcasts, events, and online communities.
Founded in 2016 as the state’s first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, “Mississippi Today’s” roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes sports. “Mississippi Today” is now one of the largest newsrooms in Mississippi, proving that free, nonpartisan news is the antidote to apathy and an essential key to government accountability.”
White said that “Mississippi Today” has an annual budget of $2 million with the bulk of the expenses being for its staff of well-recognized, seasoned reporters and editors.
We Thank White for her presentation to our club and for her work to inform Mississippians. She is shown in the following file photo from Mississippi Today’s website:
The Rotary Club of North Jackson provided Christmas gift bags to the Pre-K students at Walton Elementary School in Jackson recently. The gift bags included the "We Are In a Book" book, a coloring book, crayons, beginner pencils and candy. Shown are Lee Carney, President; Neelam Goel, Foundations Chair; Bill Osborne, Public Relations Director and Greg Campbell, Immediate Past President.
Neelam Goel, Bill Osborne, Lee Carney
Neelam Goel and Greg Campbell
Book and Book Plate
Crayons and Coloring and Sticker Book
Christmas Card for the students
From the left: Bill Osborne, Lee Carney, Teacher Tamesha Ross, Teacher Tora Jones, Neelam Goel, Greg Campbell, Principal Zackery Hodge
Tommy Lofton, Executive Director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s December 15 meeting. Lofton was previously on the staff of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. He is a native of Mississippi and a graduate of the University of Sothern Mississippi.
The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum is located on Camp Shelby south of Hattiesburg. Lofton gave a history of the museum and discussed the exhibits that it has. He said that those exhibits go from the War of 1812 to the present day. He invited club members to visit when they can saying that the museum is open 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tuesdays - Saturdays, and most patriotic holidays. It is closed Sundays and Mondays and most Federal And State holidays. Admission is free.
We thank Lofton for his presentation and for his service to the citizens of Mississippi. The video of the December 15 meeting can be viewed at the following link: https://vimeo.com/491910850. The following photo is of Lofton during his presentation:
Jill Gordon, founder and CEO of Enrich MS spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson on the "Dangers of Vaping" at the club's December 8, 2020 meeting. Gordon founded Enrich MS in 2019. The following background information is from the organization's website:
"Our Mission. Our mission is to provide a community-supported Youth enrichment education program committed and dedicated to engaging and informing youth, parents, schools, and community partners. Enrich MS is already making a substantial impact in our communities across the state towards prevention for a variety of issues affecting our youth today. We have a clear vision and specific strategies to greatly reduce vaping, educate on the dangers of substance abuse, suicide prevention, social media use, and a variety of youth-related issues.
School Programs. Enrich MS has launched a program in Central MS for youth enrichment beginning with Vaping prevention. We also continually expand by offering programs on social media use and suicide prevention. We have a Peer to Peer Youth Leadership Team for high school and middle school kids. Enrich MS covers the entire state utilizing the best technology possible. To learn more about our youth leadership team click here...https://enrichms.org/youth-leadership-team
Speaking engagements and community outreach. Enrich MS hosts small group and virtual events throughout our communities and have a panel of experts lead discussions on these topics to provide answers and resources. We invite parents, youth, and other community leaders to further our mission and provide evidence-based quality information. Our community and business partners are featured and invited to these events as well. Invite us to speak to your group so we can work on enriching the lives of the youth of Mississippi together."
Gordon discussed the extent of vaping among students. She said that youth start vaping as early as the 5th grade. She emphasized the dangers of vaping with the example of a young man who had a seizure as the result of inhaling harmful chemicals in the vapor of an e-cigarette he smoked. Vaping is addictive, particularly the nicotine in the e-cigarettes, and e-cigarettes can be used to deliver harmful drugs as happened with the young man. Vaping among youth is now an epidemic. Since 2010, vaping among students has increased by 1700% and it has doubled in the past year. In January 2021, Enrich MS will be presenting a Virtual Vaping Summit. The summit's purpose is to increase awareness and share resources that address the vaping epidemic.
We thank Gordon for her presentation and for her work to protect our youth. She is shown during her presentation in the following photo:
The recording of the club's meeting, including her presentation, is available at the following website https://vimeo.com/489023052.
