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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 11:30.
More details are to come on this event. It is listed in our club calendar
SERVICE Opportunity! 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
James Clay April 26
Wedding Anniversaries:
Kevin & Linda Kay Russell April 30
Rita Sun and Xaio Lao May 1
Membership Anniversaries
James Clay 1 year, April 28
Wyatt Emmerich 31 years, May 1
Bill Osborne 13 years, May 1
Bob Ridgway 49 years, May 1
Jon Turner 38 years, May 1
Lori Greer 5 years, May 3
Prayer. Thank you, O God, for the season of Spring and its message of new life declared beautifully by buds and blossoms, evidence 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 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.
Nick Walters, with the National Hemp Growers Co-Op, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson during its April 20, 2021 meeting. Walters informed club members and guests about the difference between hemp and marijuana and the uses of the hemp plant. Shown from left, Walters, Lee Carney, club president, and Don Roberts, club administrative secretary-treasurer.
Walters is a seventh-generation Mississippian from Wiggins, Mississippi. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in History from Mississippi College. He and his wife Lisa and their three children live in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Walters has been active on many boards and commissions that keep him active in his church and community.
Walters said that hemp can have a maximum of .03% THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, more fully, tetrahydrocannabinol) whereas marijuana contains on the order of 6% THC. He stressed that all parts of the hemp plant are useful, with the buds harvested for oil production, the seeds for grain, and the stalks for rope, and other high-strength products such as biodegradable plastic and hempcrete, a building material. Thus hemp is used to produce many useful products.
Beginning Wednesday, April 28, the National Hemp Growers Cooperative will be hosting a Wednesday webinar at 2:00 PM CDT. The first webinar will feature “Adrian Zelski – Principal and Chief Business Development Officer with Center Pivot Group in Longmont, CO. Center Pivot is an industry leader and supply chain management firm that focuses on hemp production, logistics, and distribution. Zelskiwill brings a wealth of knowledge to our webinar series.” The link to Center Pivot is https://www.centerpivotgroup.com/.
We thank Walters for his very informative presentation. His presentation and the entire North Jackson meeting can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/539863688.
Dr. Grace Gore Sturdivant, Doctor of Audiology (AuD) spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s April 13 meeting. Sturdivant is a native of Grenada, MS, and resides in Jackson. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of Mississippi and her doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University. She is the founder and president of OtoPro Technologies which provides tailored technology for active ears. By active ears, Sturdivant means ears exposed to high decibel sounds such as music, hunting, shooting sports, high-speed automobiles, or jet engines She can also provide recommendations as to clinical audiologists for persons with hearing loss. Sturdivant came to Jackson and completed her doctoral externship at UMMC after which she served as an Assistant Professor and Vice Chief of the Audiology division before founding OtoPro Technologies in 2018.
Sturdivant discussed hearing, its loss, and the causes of hearing loss. She also discussed recent research that appears to link untreated hearing loss and the onset of dementia. That link has yet to be conclusively proven, but she said that there is a high correlation between the two. The hypothesis linking hearing loss and dementia relates to the lack of stimulation of certain brain areas by sound which stimulation is not present when the person doesn't hear. This is thought to result in loss of memory or dementia.
We thank Sturdivant for her presentation and for her service to Mississippians having or at risk of having hearing loss. She (center) is shown below following her presentation with club member Bill Osborne (left) and club President Lee Carney (right).
Sturdivant's presentation and the entire meeting can be seen at the following link:https://vimeo.com/536898436
Bradley Lum, CEO of Mississippi Prison Industries Corporation (MPIC), spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson about MPIC at the club's April 6 meeting. Lum is a graduate of the University of Mississippi where he was a relief pitcher on the baseball team and of the Mississippi College School of Law.
According to Lum, MPIC is a non-profit corporation that receives no direct appropriations from the State. It operates solely on monies generated from the sale of the products it creates. Those funds are then reinvested into the corporation (training and certification, transitional support, creating classrooms, supplying teaching materials, etc.), MPIC is able to offer on-the-job training and work experiences to inmate workers because of its independence in generating its own cash flow. MPIC operates in four correctional facilities throughout the state of Mississippi including the State Penitentiary in Parchman and the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County. Products produced by MPIC are offered through a full-service sales division The products that MPIC produces and sells include printing, metal fabrication, office furniture, products for schools and universities, and items for correctional facilities. The organization is developing an online store.
Within the MPIC program, inmates learn trades that give them marketable skills upon their release. Per its brochure, the mission of MPIC is "leading offenders to a brighter future through job training and realistic work experiences." The ultimate goal of MPIC is to have a creditable impact on the recidivism rate of the work program participants. Per Lum, the current recidivism rate is 35% after three years and 72% after seven years.
Lum also discussed the HOPE Alliance which is a collaboration of MPIC and the Mississipi Department of Corrections (MDOC). HOPE offers comprehensive programming for offenders currently incarcerated and connects returning citizens with community-based employers as they integrate back into society. Its mission statement is " We are committed to providing HOPE to returning citizens by way of comprehensive outcome-driven pathways that led to long-term sustainability."
We thank Lum for his presentation and for his service to the State of Mississippi. His presentation and the complete meeting can be seen by clicking on the following link https://vimeo.com/534204033. Lum is shown in the following photo (left) with club Program Director Jenny Price (center) and North Jackson President Lee Carney (right).
Matthew Hebb, State Director for Marsy's Law Mississippi spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's March 30 meeting. Marsy's Law is the name for a proposed amendment to the Mississippi Constitution that would ensure that crime victims' rights are protected. The goal behind the push for Marsy’s Law in Mississippi, a Constitutional Amendment, is to put specific rights into the State Constitution for crime victims. Right now, there are protections in there for those accused and convicted of perpetrating crimes but not for crime victims. The law, which has been enacted in 27 states is named after Marsalee Ann Nicholas who was killed by her former boyfriend in California in 1983. Subsequent to her murder, the family was dismayed at the lack of rights the victims of crimes had. As a result, a law has been enacted to protect the rights of victims.
The Marsy’s Law initiative began in California and was led and sponsored by Marsy’s brother, Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III. When it passed in November 2008, Proposition 9, The California Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008: Marsy’s Law, became the strongest and most comprehensive Constitutional victims’ rights laws in the U.S. and put California at the forefront of the national victims’ rights movement. Since its passage in California in 2008, the movement has spread throughout the United States. the proposed amendment has received broad support throughout the state, but the legislature has been unable to muster the 2/3rds majority in both the House and Senate to adopt it. That effort continues.
We thank Hebb for his presentation and for his efforts to get the victim's rights amendment adopted in Mississippi. He is shown during his presentation in the following photo.
Members of the Rotary Club of North Jackson participated with members of the Rotaract Club of Millsaps College in preparing a dinner for the residents of the University of Mississippi Medical Center Ronald McDonald House on March 23. The following are photos from the event.
Rotaract Club of Millsaps College members Nazm Rahat, left and Newlom Gillihan, deliver the meal to Courtney Laseter, right, evening manager at the Ronald McDonald House.
Suman Das, Rotary Club of North Jackson President-Elect, assists a member of the Rotaract Club of Millsaps with melting the queso
Rotary Club of North Jackson PR Director Bill Osborne helps prepare the meal.
From left, Lori Greer, Rotary Club of North Jackson Service Director; Taylor Smith, Rotaract Club of Millsaps President; and Don Roberts, Rotary Club of North Jackson Exec. Sec./Treasurer, shred chicken for the enchilada casserole.
Rotaract Club of Millsaps College Past President Spencer Wallace cooks corn.
Suman Das, Rotary Club of North Jackson President-Elect, assists members of the Rotaract Club of Millsaps with the meal prep, while Rotary club member Bill Osborne chops cilantro.
Grace Gore Sturdivant, Au.D., Board Member, Valerie Linn, Executive Director, and Joshua Friedel, Capital Campaign Manager, of the Magnolia Speech School spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s March 23, 2021 meeting. They discussed the school and its approach to assisting hearing and language-impaired children.
Grace Gore Sturdivant completed her Doctorate of Audiology Degree (Au.D.) from Vanderbilt University Medical School and maintains professional certification through the American Speech and Hearing Association. She has recently been involved in the ACHIEVE research study at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which studies the effects of hearing aid intervention on the progression of dementia. Dr. Sturdivant believes in the importance of delaying and preventing hearing loss in order to maintain the integrity of auditory-neural pathways vital to overall health and wellness over a lifetime.
SCHOOL HISTORY
In the early 1950s, a group of parents of hearing-impaired children in Jackson, Mississippi, began to search for a means to teach their children to talk. These parents struggled with problems of financial support, facilities, and teacher capabilities. In September 1956, Magnolia Speech School for the Deaf was chartered with Mrs. Elizabeth S. Matthews as its director. Under her very capable leadership, the school provided training to children with hearing and language impairments for over 18 years. The school grew from a single class of seven to several classes, outgrowing facilities one after the other.
DEVELOPING TEACHING METHODS
During these early years, Mrs. Matthews began to notice a few of the hearing-impaired children were having difficulties with memory and seemed to learn differently from the others. Based on this observation, Mrs. Matthews believed a different learning technique was needed. Mrs. Matthews had studied with Mildred McGiniss to learn the Association Method. After continued success using this method, Magnolia began to document and refine a cohesive program based on this methodology, and the school’s program for children with language-disorders was born.
EXPANSION OF SERVICES
Within a few years, the school gained full accreditation by the State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Shortly thereafter, an emphasis was placed on the expansion of services into new and innovative areas, such as audiological services, a hearing aid bank, financial aid for low-income families, and an early intervention program.
In June 1994, Anne Sullivan, M.Ed., CED, became the executive director of Magnolia Speech School. Ms. Sullivan, with certification in both Hearing Impaired and Speech/Language, had previously spent 14 years at Magnolia where she began as a student teacher and rose to the rank of assistant director. Ms. Sullivan retired in 2012.
Prior to becoming executive director of Magnolia Speech School, Valerie G. Linn, M.S. in Communicative Disorders/Speech Pathology, was the executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Jackson. Prior to her work as a non-profit executive director, Valerie worked for over 24 years as a pediatric speech/language pathologist. She served in various capacities, including clinic director and senior speech/language pathologist, at the Mississippi Society for Disabilities (formerly MS. Easter Seal Society), and as a speech/language pathologist at the Children’s Rehabilitation Center, Willowood Developmental Center and in county school districts.
PIONEERING SPEECH AND HEARING PROGRAMS
Today, Magnolia Speech School continues its tradition of incorporating the latest information and technology to help our students succeed in the mainstream. Magnolia Speech School joins other “OPTION” programs worldwide to provide quality listening and spoken language instruction for children who are identified as deaf or hard of hearing. In addition, we are one of this country’s pioneer programs in coupling sensory integration and classroom instruction. A revised, updated, and unique “Magnolia Speech School Curriculum” is now the foundation for our instruction, provided by skilled teachers and support staff in small groups and in individual therapy.
Dr. Sturdivant discussed how children are tested for hearing capability at birth and that since the 1980s cochlear implants have made it possible for the hearing-impaired to hear and speak normally.
We thank Sturdivant, Linn, and Friedel for their presentation and for the work they are doing to assist speech and language-impaired children. Linn and Sturdivant are shown in the following photos during their presentation. Linn is accompanied by 5-year old student Coy Watkins.
