Having found our way to this familiar place, O God, and to the familiar format of the fellowship we cherish, we are grateful that amid change and uncertainty in life, there is also a comforting sameness about much in human experience. For that we give thanks.
Strengthen us for service by food now provided. Enrichour togetherness by reminders of our mutual identity and responsibility as servants in the world. In the name of the greatest Servant of all. Amen
Club Announcements:
Upcoming Events:
1. Women in Rotary Luncheon, Country Club of Jackson, March 17
2. Multi-District Conference, New Orleans, April 17-19.
Jackson Police Officer Jeffery Walker was honored as the Precinct 4 Officer of the Quarter by the Rotary Club of North Jackson during its March 3, 2020 meeting. Officer Walker made several felony drug arrest that resulted in recovering 9 handguns, an assault riffle, 10 ounces of marijuana, 24 ounces of codeine and approximately $8,000 in US currency. Shown from left, Sgt. Terrence Tiller, who nominated Officer Walker; Deputy Chief Tiny Harris; Layla Walker, wife of Officer Walker; Officer Walker; Steve Orlansky, club member and committee chair; JPD Chief James Davis and Tyrone Buckley, Precinct 4 Commander.
As a part of his recognition, Officer Walker received a citation, a $200 gift card from Kroger and a $100 gift card from The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen. We are delighted to have Officer Walker in Pct. 4 and congratulate him on his recognition.
Tonya Ball, an oncology-certified nurse and has worked as the Oncology Services Nurse Navigator with Baptist Cancer Center for more than 10 years spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's March 3, 2020 meeting. Her presentation was the second of three presentations that representative of Baptist will make to our Rotary club this year. The subject of her presentation was advances in colorectal cancer research. Ms. Ball discussed ways to minimize colorectal cancer by diet, activity, and regular screening. She cited statistics demonstrating that survivability of this cancer depends on how far the disease has progressed. If the cancer is local; i.e., it has not spread beyond its point of origin, five-year survivability is 90%, if it is regional; i.e., it has not spread far from its point of origin, five-year survivability is 71% and if it is distant; i.e., it has spread throughout the body, five-year survivability is 14%.
Ms. Ball noted that in February 2000, President Clinton officially dedicated March as official Colorectal Cancer awareness month. She cited that colorectal Cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer, it is the second leading cause of death in men and women 50 years of age or older, and it is one of the most treatable cancers if it is found early. One in three adults 50 years and older are not getting screened. The risk of getting colon cancer is 0ne in 23 for men and women (a combined4. 5%), but this varies widely depending on individual risk factors, some of which are hereditary (non-modifiable) and modifiable. Modifiable factors are activity, diet (red meat and processed meat consumption), smoking, obesity, increased alcohol consumption. People need to begin screening about age 50 depending on their heritage. She cited a widely advertised colorectal cancer detection system named Cologuard. Cologuard is not perfect, but the data support its use when symptoms are present in individuals. Those symptoms are blood in the stool or in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement, bleeding from the rectum, dark or black stools, change in bowel patters /shape of stool, cramping or discomfort in the lower abdomen, or unintentional weight loss.
We thank Ball for her presentation and for her service to the patients of Baptist Medical System. The information she provided is critical to our members. Shown from left, Larry Anderson, club director; Ball and Caitlin Hayden, System Community Involvement and Special Events Coordinator.
The Rotary Club of North Jackson presented the newly formed Rotaract Club of Millsaps College with it's Certificate of Organization from Rotary International. The Rotary Club of North Jackson, is the sponsor of the Rotaract club. Shown from left, John Sewell, club member and Millsaps Rotaract advisor; Cooper Morrison, club member and club Rotaract advisor; Rob Pearigen, Millsaps College President and Rotarian; Edley Jones, club member and club Rotaract advisor; Spencer Wallace, Millsaps Rotaract Club President; Christopher Bruni, Millsaps Rotaract Liaison; Dhruv Patel, Millsaps Rotaract Club Treasurer and Taylor Smith, Millsaps Rotaract Club Vice President.
Members of the Rotary Club of North Jackson recently took part in a food packing event at the Mississippi Food Network. The Mississippi Food Network (MFN) has been feeding Mississippians since 1984. MFN distributes more than 1.5 million pounds of food and feeds more than 150,000 every month or a total of 1.8 million people per year. MFN takes donations from multiple sources and distributes food and goods through 430 member agencies, that, in turn, distribute to recipients in their own communities.
The Rotary Club of North Jackson joined with the Rotary Club of Madison-Ridgeland to pack 12,000 meals for the Rise Against Hunger organization at the Madison United Methodist Church on Saturday, February 22, 2020. The two Rotary clubs were joined by Millsaps College Rotaract Club members.
The food packets contain dried vegetables, soy flour, rice, and a packet of vitamins. This was a least the fifth year that the North Jackson Club has packed the food packets with Rise Against Hunger and its predecessor organization, Stop Hunger Now.
Pictured below are the members of the Millsaps College Rotaract Club, sponsored by the Rotary Club of North Jackson, that participated in the food packing event. The second picture is of the club members that participated in the event. Two participating club members not pictured are Club Director Larry Anderson and Club President Greg Campbell.
At the February 18 meeting of the Rotary Club of North Jackson, North Jackson Rotarian Jeff Adcock honored his wife with a Paul Harris Fellowship. Past President Mark Green honored his son-in-law, Cliff Egger, as a Paul; Harris Fellow. Both Rotarians Adcock and Green are multiple Paul Harris Fellows. A Paul Harris Fellow is someone who has donated $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation or who has had $1,000 donated in their name.
Shown below are, from the left, Club Foundation Director Judy Lyons, Rotarian Jeff Adcock, Honoree Suzie Adcock, Rotarian Mark Green. We thank Jeff and Mark for their contributions to the Rotary Foundation and congratulate Suzie and Cliff on being honored.
Hon. Virgi Lindsay, Ward 7 City Council Representative and President, Jackson City Council, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s February 25, 2020 meeting. She discussed challenges and progress the City is making and has made. Progress includes the recently announced settlement by the City with the Siemens Corporation over the water metering system installed several years ago and which has had a long series of problems. The city is progressing on the improvement of some major thoroughfares throughout the City. She referenced projects in Ward 7, which includes a large portion of Jackson from Byram in the south to Meadowbrook Dr. in the north. In total, the City of Jackson has sewer, water, street and road projects totaling an estimated $600 million to $2 billion far beyond its capability to fund. The projects stem from 100 plus-year-old infrastructure and decades of neglect and deferred maintenance.
We thank President Lindsay for her comments and, in particular, for her service to our City. She is shown in the following photo with Rotarian Rob Farr (left) who introduced her and Club President Greg Campbell.
Nora R. Miller, President of Mississippi University for Women (The “W”) spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s February 18, 2020, 2020. The subject of her presentation was “The W”, how it is today and how it is progressing. Ms. Miller received her BBA and Bachelors in Accounting from the W and her MBA from Mississippi State University. She is a CPA. She joined the staff of the W in 2001 and served as vice president of finance and administration for the W for 11 years prior to becoming president. She said that the W was created in 1884 and that it became coeducational in 1982. The current enrollment is 80% female.
Miller served as chair of the University Press of Mississippi and has served on the Board of Directors of the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (SACUBO). She serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the Southern Universities Conference. She is active in a number of organizations including the Mississippi Chapter of the International Women’s Forum, Town and Tower, serving as chair in 2014-2015; Columbus Air Force Base Community Council; and Rotary Club of Columbus, serving as president in 2008-2009, and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow. A member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, she has served on the Vestry and as Senior Warden in 2015-2016. Miller was also on the Board of Directors of St. Paul’s Episcopal School, serving as chair in 2009-2010.
Miller served as Chair of the Tenn-Tom Chapter of the American Red Cross in 2007-2009 and has also been a member of the Northeast Mississippi Chapter and the Mississippi Regional Advisory Council of the American Red Cross.
A Leadership Mississippi graduate, Miller was named one of the Top 50 Businesswomen of the Year by the Mississippi Business Journal. Other honors include being named a 2019 Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts Heart of the South council, and a Rotary District 6820 2019 Champion of Change. Most recently, Miller received the Mississippi Distinguished Civilian Medal of Honor for her responsiveness to the soldiers and airmen of the Mississippi National Guard. A member of the Mississippi University for Women Alumni Association, she has served as treasurer for the MUW Alumnae Association and the MUW Ecumenical Council.
Miller emphasized that the W is a bargain in higher education with annual tuition and fees of about $15,000 for Mississippi residents. A program for moving Registered Nurses (RNs) from RN to BSN is one of the university’s stronger programs. The students in this program are non-traditional with much of the program being offered online.
The W is recognized as a great place to work and is a ‘best value” among Southern public universities. The university has an enrollment of 2813 students, with an average age of 24.6 years reflecting the emphasis on RN to BSN students. 86 % of the students are from Mississippi, 37%are African-Americans, 45% of the students are in health-related professions, again reflecting the RN-BSN program. The student-faculty: ratio of 13.1 is the highest in MS public universities. From 2010 - 2019, the W increased the number of undergraduate degrees by 67%. In 2019, the W graduated 911 students. The W’s graduates have a system low average indebtedness of students with loans of $29,393.
We thank Ms. Miller for her presentation and for her commitment to the youth of Mississippi. She is shown in the following photo with Club Director Larry Anderson (left) who introduced her and club president Greg Campbell (right).
Mark A. Tullos, Jr. President and CEO of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) in Meridian spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s February 11, 2020 meeting. Prior to joining The MAX, he served several capacities in Louisiana and Mississippi, including Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana Office of State Museum, Director of the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana and founding director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Tullos received a degree in visual arts from Louisiana State University. He attended graduate school at Stephen F. Austin University and also participated in Getty Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University.
Mr. Tullos’ presentation to the club was highlighted by a brief video clip on The MAX. He said that The MAX has inducted 18 members into its Hall of Fame, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Jimmy Buffett, Sela Ward, Jimmy Rodgers, Elvis Presley, Morgan Freeman, Leontyne Price, Margaret Walker Alexander, John Grisham, James Earl Jones, B. B. King and that 4 more members will be inducted in 2020.
The Max is an interactive cultural experience that fosters creativity in the visual and performing arts, such as pottery, painting, music, dance, to name a few. The objective of The MAX is to become a destination for interstate, intrastate, and international visitors.
We thank Mr. Tullos for his presentation to our club and for his contributions to our state. The following photo is from his biographical information.
The second photo is during his presentation to the club.
Gabriel Joseph “Gabe” Grothe was inducted into the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s February 11, 2020, meeting. He (right) is shown in the following photo with his proposer Rotarian Eric Sokolosky. He was sponsored by past club president Don Roberts.
Gabe is a Landscape Designer with Martinson’s Garden Works in Ridgeland. He has lived in the metro area for 28 years. He graduated from Madison Central High School in 2009. In 2014, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Contracting and Management from Mississippi State University.
Gabe is married. He, his wife, Claire, and their daughter, Olive Jeanette, live in Madison.
This Week's Rotary Thought is about the Rotary Foundation itself.
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.
Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.
With your help, we can make lives better in your community and around the world.
Our mission
The mission of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
What impact can one donation have?
For as little as 60 cents, a child can be protected from polio.
$50 can provide clean water to help fight waterborne illness.
$500 can launch an antibullying campaign and create a safe environment for children.
