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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.
Please note that we will not have a noon meeting on June 1. Instead, there will be a membership social at Aplos Restaurant in Highland Village. The social will begin at 5:30 PM and last an estimated 2 hours. Bring your prospective members so that they may meet our members.
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 11:00.
More details are to come on this event. It is listed in our club calendar
Birthdays and Anniversaries.
Birthdays
None
Wedding Anniversaries:
John & Kim Sewell June 1
Virginia & Scott Carlton June 2
Lindsay & Justin Buford June 3
Gabe & Claire Grothe June 6
Membership Anniversaries
Rob Farr 33 years, June 1
Tom Parry 32 years, June 1
Don Roberts 32 years, June 1
Jim Walden 17 years, June 1
Paul Howell 23 years, June 2
Josh Walker 5 years, June 7
Prayer. Dear God, we come to this gathering fresh from the world outside, feeling the exhilaration of work well done, contracts signed, items produced, persons helped, contributions made, lessons learned, and perhaps even praise received.
Now, bless to ur use and your service the food and the fellowship we enjoy, and the high purposes we share. Amen.
Garrett McInnis, Executive Vice President, the Skills Foundation of Mississippi spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's May 25 meeting. The purpose of Mc'Innis' talk was to review the mismatch between the job skills of Mississippians and the skill requirements of available jobs and steps that are being taken to address the shortfall. His data showed a shortage of people trained in technical skills such as computer science, diesel engine maintenance and repair, electrical technology, instrumentation, engineering, and welding, and the available jobs in the state. McInnis cited SB 2564 passed in 2020 by the legislature that created an Office of Workforce Development in the state whose objective is to address the mismatch between worker skill levels and job requirements. McInnis' data showed that Mississippi has an excess of low-skilled workers compared to the number of low-skill jobs that are available.
Quoting from the Foundation's website, McInnis said that
"Growing a skilled workforce is a high priority around the United States, and Mississippi is no different. Large and small businesses across our state have expressed the need for a more skilled workforce in a number of career fields.
The Skills Foundation of Mississippi is a non-profit focused on increasing the skilled workforce in our state. We work to engage private industry, communities, and state leaders for true public/private partnerships to grow the pipeline of skilled workers for the next generation of Mississippians.
By identifying the high-demand careers and appropriate training programs in Mississippi, The Skills Foundation crafts messaging to educate Mississippians about the opportunities available and connect them to a training program in their area.
The Skills Foundation of Mississippi has partnerships with over fifty private companies, public entities, and non-profit organizations. We work with and on behalf of our partners to encourage growth in a skilled workforce, which ensures success not only for Mississippians but also for communities and our state as a whole."
We thank McInnis for his presentation to our club and for his commitment to helping grow the number of Mississippians qualified for the jobs of the future. He is shown in the following photo during his presentation.
McInnis' presentation and the complete meeting may be viewed by clicking the following link. https://vimeo.com/555685892
Nancy and Emmie King of Nandy's Candy located in Maywood Mart in Northeast Jackson spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's May 18 meeting. Nancy founded the firm in 1980 and retired five years ago. Emmie now owns and operates Nandy’s Candy with a dynamic team.
Nancy discussed the founding of the company, and the support she got from her family and friends in the early years. Emmie discussed the current operations and the company's legacy of support from the community. Note that Nandy's Candy is the "go-to" place for candy in Northeast Jackson, irrespective of the occasion, be it a holiday, or a special occasion.
We thank Nancy and Emmie for their presentation to our club. The following photo was taken after their presentation:
From the left: Club Program Chair Jenny Price, introduced the Kings, Nancy King, Emmie King, and Rotarian Dorsey Carson. The Kings' presentation and the complete meeting may be seen at the following link: https://vimeo.com/552496193.
Dr. Stuart Rockoff, Executive Director of the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC), spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club's May 4 meeting. Dr. Rockoff is a graduate of Wesleyan University with a BA in History and of the University of Texas with an MA and a Ph.D. in American History. Rockoff was born in Ft. Worth, Texas, and raised in Houston. He has been Executive Director of the MHC since 2013.
Rockoff discussed the MHC, its role, and its work in Mississippi. He said that the MHC is an "independent nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for Mississippians to learn about themselves and the larger world and enriches communities through civil conversations about our history and culture." The MHC receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mississippi Legislature, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Federation of State Humanities Councils, several foundations, and private donors. In 2018, MHC's total funding totaled nearly $1 million. Uses of its funds we 5% for fundraising, 17% for administrative, and 78% for Program Services. Activities and services it funds include grants to nonprofit agencies, a Family Reading Program, Museums on Main Street in smaller communities across Mississippi, Ideas on Tap, Humanities Awards, a Speakers Bureau, and Prison Education. Quoting from the MHC 2020 Biennial Report, Rockoff says" We are a creator, funder, and catalyst for public programs that explore Mississippi's history and culture. The breadth of programs we develop and support reflects our core belief that humanities are for everyone."
We thank Rockoff for his presentation and for his service to Mississippi and Mississippians. His presentation may be seen at the following link of the meeting: https://vimeo.com/545762780. The following photo is of Rockoff during his presentation:
At it’s April 27 meeting, the Rotary Club of North Jackson honored the Star Students and Teachers from North Jackson high schools. Students and teachers from Jackson Academy, Jackson Preparatory School, Madison Ridgeland Academy, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School were invited. Unfortunately, the students from Jackson Academy were unable to attend. The honorees attended the meeting virtually via a Zoom link. Each student was asked to discuss their school, name their Star Teacher and why that teacher was chosen, and where they intend to attend college in the fall, and their intended field of study. The student and their teachers are as follow:
The Mississippi Economic Council was represented at the meeting by Vickie Powell, Senior Vice President, Foundations. This year’s Star Student and Teacher recognition is the 56th year that the MEC has recognized the Students and Teachers. We congratulate all of the students and teachers and thank the MEC for conducting this program for our state's youth.
The complete meeting, including the presentations by each of the students, can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/542932169.
