There will be no meeting of the Rotary Club of North Jackson on December 26, 2017. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 2, 2018. Happy Holidays in the interim
Club Announcements
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Birthdays
Mark Kennedy Dec. 28
Bill Osborne Dec. 30
Joe Harris Dec. 31
Bob Ridgway Dec. 31
Anniversaries
Bob & Naomi Ridgway Dec. 28
Patrick & Tessie Smith Dec. 28
Brad & Bridget Benton Dec. 30
Tag & Dot Gamblin Dec. 31
Membership Anniversaries
None
2018-2019 officers and directors are as follow:
Incoming Treasurer: Uriel Pineda
Incoming Secretary: Lee Carney
Incoming President-Elect: Greg Campbell
Incoming President: Anna Powers
Incoming Past President: Witt Ruffin
Board of Directors:
Jeff Adcock
Suman Das
Matt Monsour
Luther Munford
Steven O'Neill
Congratulations to all who were elected and thanks to all who stood for the election.
Holiday Party. The Rotary Club of North Jackson celebrated the Holiday Season by holding its annual Holiday Party at the River Hills Club Tuesday evening, December 12. The club was decorated festively for the season. A great time was had by all! Special thanks to Club Vice President Anna Powers for chairing this event and to River Hills for providing a great venue and excellent eats and drinks.
Rotary Foundation Thought. This week's Rotary Foundation Thought is about Service Above Self!
Plagued by famine, the impoverished nation of Niger struggles to feed its citizens. But Rotarians like Ernie and Sally Montagne, of Arizona, USA, are helping to break this cycle of hunger and grinding poverty. During a planning trip to Niger on a Volunteer Service Grant, the Montagnes saw firsthand how The Rotary Foundation’s humanitarian efforts are supporting sustainable projects there.
“The Rotary Foundation is our vehicle of choice to enable ordinary Rotarians to make a lasting difference in the lives of thousands of villagers in Africa.” Ernie and Sally Montagne
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 dawkins@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 or Julian Carroll). They will provide a member-
ship 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:
“Service above self; they profit most who serve best.”
P. O. Box 9528, Jackson, MS 39286-9528
www.northjacksonrotary.org
Posted on
Whirlwind tour of alumni in Japan
Bill Rintz, second from left, in the radio studio with alumni in District 2650.
By Bill Rintz, Rotary alumni relations specialist
A visit to Japan last month took me on a week-long, whirlwind tour. My visits to multiple Rotary districts gave me the chance to meet members of the Rotary family, including classically-trained musicians, development workers, school teachers, architects, university professors, business leaders, and young professionals. Despite their varied backgrounds, those I met have something in common: they proudly call themselves Rotary alumni.
Who are alumni?
Alumni include former recipients of Rotary scholarships, Rotary Peace Fellowships, and past participants of Group Study Exchange, Youth Exchange, Rotaract, and other programs. Japan’s Rotary Yoneyama Memorial Foundation awards over 700 scholarships annually, adding considerably to the Rotary alumni family. Through these programs, Rotary has helped foster in alumni a desire to give back to their communities. Within Japan, there is a strong network of alumni associations which help them do just that while maintaining their connection to Rotary and each other.
Alumni associations around Japan
A lesson I quickly learned, however, was that no two alumni associations are exactly alike!
My first stop was in Kobe, where the Japan Rotary Alumni Association held their 7thannual meeting. This group brings together former scholars and other Foundation alumni from around Japan. A lively reception and performances by some seriously talented music scholars made it easy to feel the common bond the alumni enjoy. Foundation alumni associations like these often hold orientations for new scholars and reunions for returnees, and passionately support the programs that impacted their own lives.
Relatively newer associations, like those I met in Osaka and Kyoto, have members from a variety of Rotary programs, though their energy and enthusiasm are equally infectious. In Kyoto, I was given the opportunity to talk about The Rotary Foundation on the local radio. The radio host, an Ambassadorial Scholar alumnus, told me about his desire to give back to Rotary, and how he and his alumni association advocated for Rotary’s mission locally.
Yoneyama alumni associations also operate in nearly every district in Japan, sometimes using their connections abroad to help Rotary find partners for international projects. Thanks to a partnership with an alumni association in Sri Lanka, Rotary District 2620’s Yoneyama Alumni Association is currently organizing a medical equipment donation project.
Support alumni near you
During a group trip in Kobe to view the spectacular Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, I thought about the value of alumni to Rotary. I felt I had stumbled across the perfect metaphor. Rotary alumni act as a bridge: a bridge between countries; a bridge between Rotary and the public; a bridge for current program participants to continue their involvement in Rotary.
In order to play this role, they first need Rotarians’ help. Alumni associations might operate quite differently around the world, but they can best thrive when they have support from Rotarians who see alumni as equal partners. Alumni already feel a sense of gratitude and want to give back. How can they do so in your district? Ask them!
Do you have questions about engaging with alumni in your district? Want to create an alumni association? Email us at alumni@rotary.org.
The Rotary Club of North Jackson recognized Officers Aldritch Harvey and Patrick Williams as JPD Precinct 4's officers of the second and third quarters of 2017 at its December 19, 2017, meeting for outstanding work on behalf of the citizens of Jackson. Officers Harvey (second from left) and Williams ( second from right) are shown in the accompanying photo with Precinct 4 Commandeer Keith Freeman (left) and Deputy Chief James McGowan (right). Thanks and congratulations to both officers.
Ben Moncrief, a 1998-1999 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Scotland, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club's December 19, 2017, meeting. Mr. Moncrief is currently working in the Strategic & Governmental Relations Department of C Spire. In 1998-1999, he attended St. Andrew's University in St. Andrew's, Scotland. The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars program was started in 1947.
The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program was to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. The program sponsored several types of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies. While abroad, scholars served as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and gave presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars shared with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country.[2]
There were approximately 38,000 Ambassadorial scholars in the program which lasted until 2013. In announcing the discontinuation of the Ambassadorial Scholars program, Rotary International said.
"Beginning in 2013-14, The Foundation will offer scholarship opportunities through district and global grants. This new grant structure gives Rotarians greater flexibility in sponsoring the next generation of leaders."
One other key point Mr. Moncrief made is the need for more STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math graduates in Mississippi. Adding to this is the need to retain these graduates in the state. Now, nearly all of them emigrate to other states. His employer, C Spire, has an ongoing need for people with these qualifications.
Our club thanks Mr. Moncrief for his presentation and we congratulate him on his recognition as an Ambassadorial Scholar. He is shown during his presentation in the accompanying photo.
Suman K. Das, M. D., a member of the Rotary Club of North Jackson, spoke to the club at its December 5, 2017, meeting. The subject of his talk was "The Chemicals of Emotion." He distributed cards with the chemicals used by our bodies to express emotions. In his talk, he gave examples of his own emotions during his life from riding an overcrowded tram in his native India to a dinner with his widowed mother, and a near-death experience of his own from drowning. It is interesting to consider the chemicals released into his brain at those times. Dr. Das (Center) is shown followings his talk in the accompanying photo with Club President Witt Ruffin (left) and Club Member Bill Osborne (right).
Dr. Das' handouts on the chemicals released by the brain in various emotional circumstances are shown below:
We thank Dr. Das for his interesting and informative talk and for his membership in our club.
John Noblin, Director, MS Blues Marathon spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's November 28, 2017, meeting. He discussed the fact that this will be the 11th annual event in Jackson and he discussed the history of the event. The event will be held January 27, 2018, and will include full, half, and quarter marathons plus a 5K and a relay marathon. The first MS Blues Marathon was run in 2008. This year's Title Sponsor is Continental Tire which is building a plant in Clinton, MS. The first Blues Marathon was run in January 2008. Normal participation is about 4,000 runners, representing all 50 US states and 30 or more countries in addition to the US. The race begins and finishes in downtown Jackson with the course going to West and Northeast Jackson. Expert marathoners complete the 26-mile course in 2 1/2 hours, but the course will be open for about 7 hours. The experts average about 5.8 minutes per mile.
Mr. Noblin (center ) is shown in the accompanying photo with Club Past President Sean Culhane (left) and 2017-2018 President Wittt Ruffin (right). We thank him for his presentation to our club and for his efforts on behalf of the Blues Marathon and our city.
December promises to be a busy month for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH), as the state agency prepares for the opening of two new major museums along with the celebration of the state's bicentennial.
Chris Goodwin, director of public information at MDAH, provided an overview of the agency's mission and its role in the development and support of the new Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.
"The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is a comprehensive historical agency, started in 1902," Goodwin said. "The agency holds the greatest collection of Mississippi artifacts." In addition to its work in collection and preservation, the agency oversees several museums around the state, works with local agencies and municipalities on historic preservation, and assists state, county, and local agencies with the management of their records.
In his remarks to the Rotary Club, Goodwin also provided a brief history of the founding of Mississippi. A group of elected delegates met at historic Jefferson College in Washington, Mississippi in 1817 to develop the state's founding constitution and submit it to Congress as part of their application for statehood. Mississippi officially became a state on December 10, 1817.
Goodwin also offered a sneak peek into the two new museums scheduled for their grand opening on Saturday, December 9. The Museum of Mississippi History will give visitors a chance to experience a broad spectrum of history from 13,000 B.C. to the present day. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum will focus on the state's often difficult history, from the period of 1945 to 1976.
Once the museums are permanently opened, operating hours will be 9:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sundays. The museums will be closed on Mondays.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Greg Raimondo , Chief, Public Affairs Office for the Vicksburg district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed the role and mission of the District with the members of the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's Nov. 14, 2017, meeting. Col. Raimondo retired from the U.S. Army after 26 years of worldwide service. He described the service area of the District which is part of the Mississippi Valley Division and includes;
the Mississippi River from below Memphis to just below Natchez at the point where the Red River joins the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya River exits the Mississippi.
The Red River to approximately Texarkana,
The Ouachita/Black River to its headwaters in the Ouachita Mountains, and
The Pearl River.
The District also includes several lakes in Mississippi, which were built for flood control purposes and for which the Corps is responsible for maintaining their ability to control floods.
The district is also charged with implementing the requirements of the Clean Water Act, including the prevention of pollution or "navigable" waters as well as managing the water flow levels in the rivers in the district.
Col. Raimondo (Center) is shown in the accompanying photo following his talk with club president Witt Ruffin (left), and Matthew Monsour (right) who introduced him. We thank him for his interesting and informative presentation to our club and for his continuing service to our country.
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