Prayer.O God of ages past and of every present moment, as rich and varied as our language is, it fails to adequately express our gratitude for the richness of life which we are privileged to experience. As we offer our deeply-felt "thank you," we also pray for help in substantiating what we say by the quality of life we live. Let our gratitude be clearly seen in the pursuit of our vocations, in the integrity of our actions, in our devotion to truth and fairness in our dealings with others and in our loyal stewardship of the resources which you have entrusted to us.
Thank you, God, for the nourishing food and nurturing fellowship which we enjoy from week to week. We offer our prayer with humility and praise. Amen.
Club Announcements
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Birthdays
None
Anniversaries
Trost & Sarah Friedler Jan. 24
Membership Anniversaries
None
This week’s Rotary Foundation Thought is about District Simplified Grants.
District Simplified Grants allow Rotary clubs to identify, plan, and fund worthy projects
in their own communities or internationally. Grants can fund improvements such as
kitchen equipment for a food pantry, assistance for after-school programs, dictionaries or encyclopedias for primary school children, or renovations to a playground. The more we contribute to our Foundation’s Annual Programs Fund, the more opportunities and funding we will have for such projects.
The Rotary Foundation allows us to “do good in the world” here in our own community,
as well as internationally.
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:
BE THE INSPIRATION Since Rotary was founded 113 years ago, its role in the world and in the lives
of its members has been in a state of continuous evolution. In its earliest
days, Rotary offered its members a way to find fellowship and friendship and
to build connections within their communities. Soon after, service found
a place in Rotary, and as our organization expanded, so did its influence.
In time, Rotary’s service, supported by our Rotary Foundation, would
change the lives of families and communities across the world. We formed
partnerships and focused our service to increase our impact. We launched
the world’s largest public-private health initiative, partnering with governments, international
organizations, and countless local and regional health agencies to eradicate polio. More and more,
our members came to us seeking not just friendship but a way to take action for good.
Rotary still is, and always will be, the organization Paul Harris envisioned: a place where people from
every corner of the earth can come together to become something greater than themselves. Yet Rotary
today offers something of singular and enduring value: the chance to be part of a global network of
people who have the talent and the drive to change the world. We are men and women who believe in
the power of community action to make a global impact — and together, we have the capacity and the
resources to achieve almost anything.
Globally, Rotary is more relevant than ever before, and its potential for good is vast. Unfortunately,
not enough people fully understand what Rotary is and does. Even within our clubs, many Rotarians
don’t know enough about Rotary to take full advantage of what Rotary membership offers.
Rotary service transforms lives and communities. To achieve even more of that truly transformational
service, we need to think differently about our role in Rotary, and Rotary’s role in the world. We need
to put more emphasis on our public image, using social media to build our membership and attract
the partners that can help us scale up our service. We need to focus on larger projects that have a
more lasting impact, taking the time to research and plan work that spans Rotary years and terms of
office. Most important of all, we need to Be the Inspiration for positive change, inspiring our clubs,
our communities, and our organization to face today’s challenges head-on, with courage, optimism,
and creativity.
As Paul Harris put it, “Rotary is a microcosm of a world at peace, a model which nations will do well
to follow.” To me, Rotary is not only a model but an inspiration. It shows us what is possible, inspires us
to reach for it, and gives us a path to act — and to Be the Inspiration to our world.
Don Roberts, Rotary Club of North Jackson Administrative Secretary-Treasurer, reviewed the features of the Club Runner software that the club uses to manage its administrative functions, including invoicing and membership lists plus the club's web page and bulletin for the members at the January 16, 2018, meeting of the club. Mr. Roberts filled in for Mississippi State University Women's Basketball Coach, Vic Schaefer, who was prevented from coming to Jackson by wintry weather. Mr. Schaefer will be rescheduled to a late date.
Mr. Roberts is shown during his talk in the accompanying photo at which he used his laptop to demonstrate the points he was making. Thank you, Don, for all that you do, especially your willingness to be a last-minute fill-in for Coach Schaefer and thanks to Greg Campbell for the photo of Don.
At the January 16, 2018, meeting of the Rotary Club of North Jackson, five club members were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows: Suman Das, Bob Potesky, Don Roberts, John
Dorsa, and Steven O'Neill. Messrs. Das & Roberts were recognized as multiple Paul Harris Fellows. Dr.mDas noted that our club has donated approx. $500,000 to The. Rotary Foundation which uses the money for such projects as the elimination of Polio, digging & maintaining water wells in Africa, and in global peace initiatives
We congratulate these members. They are shown following their recognition ceremony in the accompanying photo. From The left: Suman Das, Bob Potesky, Don Roberts, John Dorsa, and Steven O'Neill. Thank you, sirs, for your support of and commitment to Rotary.
Motivational speaker, Lemzel Johnson, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's January 2, 2018, meeting. The purpose of his talk was to discuss what he calls "Strategies for Becoming Effective." The vehicle of this effectiveness he mentioned is an organization named LiveVersation. The following is from the LiferVersation website (Lifeversation.com): "Lemzel Johnson almost died in 2008 with an undiagnosed brain tumor that was over 2 inches in size. Being that the tumor was inoperable Lemzel kept himself motivated with inspirational speakers and motivational books. Being encouraged to have a better future than his current position, he worked to live out what he believed. As he did this, he recognized that many were being inspired to have hope for their future too. Today, Lemzel continues to inspire and motivate hundreds each year to find their identity and purpose in the midst of their difficulty. His mission is to help individuals and business find harmony through the application of life principles." The website further states "If you clarify your motive, then becoming and staying motivated will follow close behind."
To quote from the material that Mr. Johnson distributed, " Over the last several years LifeVersation has studied some of the rising problems in business today. It has found that the lack of well-developed 'Soft Skills' is the number one destroyer of productivity and effectiveness in businesses and teams. 'Soft Skills" are defined as character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person's relationships with other people."
"LifeVersations has created "Strategies for becoming effective" as an interactive training to boost the 'Soft Skills' of organizations, teams, and individuals. This training curriculum is designed to enhance the much-needed cohesiveness from within each individual or team member to build harmony toward success. We thank Mr. Johnson for his presentation to our club and for his commitment to improving productivity and effectiveness. He is shown during his presentation in the accompanying photo.
