Prayer. Sovereign God, having come to these tables to add yet another experience of Rotary fellowship to the adventure of life, we give thanks for the opportunity to be adventurers in our respective fields of endeavor. As we pursue our vocational journeys in a sometimes unfriendly cultural environment, help us to hold fast to the high moral and ethical standards which lie at the heart of the Rotary experience. Give us the courage and will to employ the Four-Way Test in decision making and in relationships.
We thank you for the food to sustain us, fellowship to enrich us, and ideas to inspire us. Be present with us as a silent guest at our tables, and give us your blessings. Amen.
Birthdays And Anniversaries.
Birthdays:
Ben Walton March 27
Rich Sun March 28
Anniversaries
None
Membership Anniversaries
Uriel Pineda 10 years, March 31
Jeff Adcock 31 years, April 1
Lucian Harvey 47 years, April 1
David Nicholas 34 years, April 1
This week’s Rotary Foundation Thought is the April 2019 Presidental Message from 2018-2019 Rotary International President Barry Rassin
Every two minutes, somewhere in the world, a woman dies from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. And babies whose mothers die within the first six weeks of their lives are far more likely to die themselves than babies whose mothers survive. As I've traveled around the world as president of Rotary, I've met families for whom these aren't simply tragic statistics. But I've also met people who are devoting themselves to helping mothers and children — and because of them, I'm hopeful. And because many of those people are Rotarians, I'm also proud. April is Maternal and Child Health Month in Rotary, so it's a perfect time to tell you about some things Rotarians are doing that will make you proud too.
Last fall, I paid a visit to a hospital in the town of Jekabpils, in Latvia. It's a modern hospital, and the doctors and nurses there are caring, dedicated, and skilled. But despite all their hard work, the maternal mortality rate at the hospital had remained stubbornly high, due to a factor that was beyond their control: a lack of vital diagnostic equipment and even basic items like incubators.
And that's where Rotary came in. Twenty-one clubs from around the world joined forces for a global grant that provided what the hospital required. And in September, when I walked into the maternity ward there, I saw state-of-the-art equipment, and I met patients who were getting the care that they needed — and that every mother and child in the world deserves to have.
In Brazil, club members worked with fellow Rotarians in Japan on a global grant project that dramatically increased the capacity of an overstretched neonatal intensive care unit. New incubators, monitors, and other equipment have enabled the local hospital to save many more babies' lives each year.
And in Mongolia, a vocational training team from New Zealand organized instruction in emergency response techniques for doctors and midwives, set up a program that taught midwives modern best practices, and researched and wrote a culturally relevant childbirth education manual. Between 2013, when the team first went to Mongolia, and 2017, the neonatal mortality rate in the country fell from 11.2 to 9.1 per 1,000 births, and the maternal mortality rate has decreased as well.
That's what I mean when I talk about transformational service, and it's what Rotarians do best. Because of our networks, which span the globe; our community presence, which allows us to see what's most needed; and our expertise, which encompasses countless skills and professions, we're able to serve in a manner that has no equal. And we're able to Be the Inspiration as we help those who need us most.
JPD officers Longino and Jefferson were honored as the Pct. 4 Officers of the Quarter by the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s March 19, 2019, meeting. They were honored for their pursuit and capture of three culprits that robbed a gasoline station/ convenience store in Northeast Jackson. The culprits fired on the officers who returned the fire and captured them.
Officers Longino (2nd from left) and Jefferson are shown with Club Past President Edley Jones (left) who chairs the Club’s Pct. 4 Officer of the Quarter Committee and Rotarian Steven O’Neill (right)in the following photo
Officers Longino and Jefferson are shown with Officer Longino’s mother Betty Longino in the next photo.
We thank them for their service to the citizens of Jackson and congratulate them on their recognition.
Mr. Leland Speed founder, former chairman, and CEO of EastGroup Properties, a real estate investment organization with in excess of $1.0 billion in assets, and former Executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson about charter schools at the Club’s March 19, 2019 meeting. He described the success of charter schools in increasing test scores, improving students’ behavior, and providing students with life skills. He also discussed the value of keeping fathers in homes to mold young people. He is shown preceding his talk with Club Past President Wyatt Emmerich, who introduced him and with Club Vice President and President-Elect Greg Campbell following his talk. We thank Mr. Speed for his talk and for his contributions to the State of Mississippi and its citizens.
Greg Campbell, Club Vice President, and President-Elect spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson about his January trip to Guadalajara, Mexico as part of a District 6820 service project. He showed photos of the children they assisted, the hospital and organizations they served, and of the City of Guadalajara. His key point that trips like this are the reason Rotary exists, to serve others. He is already planning to return on the next service trip in February 2020. He also said that our club should host a Rotary Exchange student in 2020. Greg is shown in the following photo with Club President Anna Powers following his presentation.
We thank Greg for his presentation, for his passionate service to others, and for his service to our club.
At the March 5, 2019, meeting of the Rotary Club of North Jackson, Club Executive Secretary-Treasurer Don Roberts announced that the Club's Board of Directors has established the "Joe Harris Service Above Self Award" in honor of Long-time club member Joe Harris who joined the club in its charter year of 1971 and has achieved perfect attendance for those 47 years, including serving as President of the Club for the 1977-1978 Rotary Year. Additionally, he has served as Chair of the Club's Foundation Committee for 35 years during which period Club members contributed more than $550,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Mr. Harris, himself achieved multiple recognitions as a Benefactor, Multiple Paul Harris Fellow, and Major Donor to the Foundation. The purpose of the award is to recognize Mr. Harris' contributions and service and to motivate and encourage Club members to serve the community, the Club, and the Foundation. The minimum criterion for receiving the award is to achieve status as a Paul Harris Fellow Sustaining Member.
The Club is delighted to establish this award and to recognize the contributions Mr. Harris has made to Rotary and the community. We thank him for his many years of faithful service!
The Rotary Club of North Jackson joined with the Rotary Club of Jackson and the Mississippi College Rotaract Club to pack 30,000 meals for the Rise Against Hunger organization to provide healthy nutritious meals for malnourished people in the United States and around the world. The clubs have done this together for several years. The meals contain multivitamins, vegetables, soy and rice which the recipients prepare by boiling.
Rise Against Hunger is driven by the vision of a world without hunger. Its mission is to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable and creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.
In 1998, envisioning a world without hunger, Ray Buchanan — a United Methodist minister — founded Stop Hunger Now. In 2017, Stop Hunger Now rebranded to become Rise Against Hunger. After enlisting as a U.S. Marine during the Vietnam War, Ray Buchanan quickly recognized that accomplishing a mission required “commitment to something larger than yourself.”
Driving Rise Against Hunger’s work is the recognition that ending hunger is more than just feeding people, which led Rise Against Hunger to focus its feeding programs in areas where we can have a real impact and expand its hunger-fighting programs beyond meal packaging and distribution.
Rise Against Hunger's approach to ending hunger centers on mobilizing a global network of hunger champions. Rise Against Hunger meal packaging volunteers produce millions of nutritious meals annually that are then distributed to partners in countries around the world. Those partners are best able to address the causes and effects of hunger based on their local presence and expertise. Through thorough monitoring and evaluation process, the organization ensures the meals distributed by those partners are used as a tool to change lives by promoting education, improving students’ health and nutrition, addressing gender inequalities, stimulating economic growth and fighting child labor.
Another core focus of Rise Against Hunger is responding to crises–both natural and man-made. From droughts to floods, in conflict zones and transitioning political situations, food is often the most immediate need. When everyday access to food, wages, and market systems are destroyed in the wake of emergencies, Rise Against Hunger works through a network of in-country partners to address these needs. It strives to ensure aid is efficiently and effectively deployed to and received by communities when it is needed most.
The third approach to eradicating hunger centers around grassroots community empowerment. Rise Against Hunger bolsters agricultural production and incomes through programs promoting improved agricultural methods, business skills, and market access. With training and access to quality seeds and fertilizers, farmers can increase production and harvest a variety of nutritious crops. By supporting the establishment of fish and livestock production, we also provide pathways to diversifying diets and improving nutritional outcomes.
The following photos are from the event. More photos may be seen on the Rotary Club of North Jackson's web page.
Keith Key, P. E., Photo Voltaic Sales and Design, Mississippi Solar LLC spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's February 5, 2019 meeting. He described the progress that has been made in reducing the cost of photovoltaic cell systems and the economics of using these systems with the rebates and tax credits that are available to purchasers of them. plus the ability to sell electricity back to the electrical energy suppliers when the PV systems are generating more electrical power than the owner is consuming. Per Mr. Key, the simple payback on the system investment is slightly more than 8 years and the ROI is 11.4%. We thank Mr. Key for his presentation and for his work in improving the use of this technology. He (right) is shown in the following photo with club Vice President Greg Campbell.
Nancy Suzonne “Suzy” Tubb was inducted into the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s February 26, 2019, meeting. Ms. Tubb is Tax Director at BKD LLP, CPAs and Advisors, in Jackson. She and her husband, Zach, are the parents of twin sons and live in Flowood. She is a graduate of the University of MIssissippi with Bachelor and Masters degrees in Accountancy from the University of MIssissippi and is a CPA. She (center) is shown with her proposer Jon Turner and her sponsor Past President Ann Somers in the following photo. We welcome her to our club!
Chris Harris, Director of Communications, Media & Broadcasting for the Mississippi Braves spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s February 26, 2019 meeting. He was accompanied by Tim Mueller, the club’s Assistant General Manager and Director of Sales.
Chris enters his 11th season in minor league baseball and second with the Mississippi Braves as Director of Communications and radio "Voice of the M-Braves".
The two-time Southern League Broadcaster of the Year (2013 and 2017) served the past three years as the Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the Southern League's Biloxi Shuckers. Before moving to Biloxi in 2015, Harris served as Manager of Media Relations and Broadcasting and eventually Vice President of Communications for the Jackson Generals in Jackson, TN from 2009-2014, earning his first Southern League Broadcaster of the Year award in 2013.
Harris led the public relations efforts for Biloxi's move into MGM Park after a 54-game road trip in 2015 and oversaw the national coverage of the historical beginning of the franchise. Harris was once again recognized by the league in 2017, being awarded the Southern League Broadcaster of the Year award for the second time.
In his talk, Harris said that the Mississippi Braves team is the Atlanta Braves AA affiliate, that the club is owned and operated by the Atlanta Braves, and that it plays in the Southern League with teams from throughout the Southeast. Other Braves affiliates range from the Rookie League to the AAA where the Gwinnett Stripers compete. He stated that opening day is April 10 and that the MS Braves want to be viewed as family entertainment. Trustmark Park, where the Braves play, will have its 15th season in 2019 and is very well designed and built. It has a capacity of about 8,500 and expects to welcome its 3 millionth guest this season. To permit play except during rain, the field has 8,000 ft. of drainage pipe.
Mr. Harris discussed notable MS Braves alumni and the promotion and special events for the season. The “takeaway” from his speech is the family orientation os Central MIssissippi’s team. Y’all come!
We thank Messrs Harris and Meuller for coming to our meeting and invite them to return. Mr. Mueller, a longtime Rotarian, is invited to consider moving his membership to our club. Mr. Mueller(second from left) and Mr. Harris (second from right) are shown in the following photo withClub Director Lori Greer (left) and Club President Anna Powers (right)following Mr. Harris’ presentation.
