Prayer. Dear God, we give thanks for the life of our departed member, Joe Harris. We are blessed that he did so much for our club and for Rotary International. Our thoughts are for him and for his family.
We turn to you also with sincere supplications of our minds and hearts. Caught up in the demands of business, the pressures of our professions, the expectations of others, and the quest for things, we allow the beauty of quiet moments to elude us and the deeper satisfaction of life to escape.
We offer thanks for food to strengthen our bodies, for fellowship to strengthen relationships, and for commitments within the club to make us useful. We voice our petitions with the hope that they will be granted.Amen.
Birthdays And Anniversaries.
Birthdays:
Suman Das May 6
Anniversaries
Kevin & Linda Kay Russell April 30
Alison & Scott Kelly May 6
Membership Anniversaries
Wyatt Emmerich 29 years, May 1
Bob Ridgway 47 years, May 1
Jon Turner 36 years, May 1
Lori Greer 3 years, May 3
months
May 03 2016
This week's Rotary Foundation Thought is about Group Study Exchange (GSE).
A GSE team from Holland spent four weeks in California, USA. During their time in California, the Dutch GSE team raised $2,913 for the Inca Educa charity based in Cusco, Peru to build a school library for underprivileged young adults. The team, led by retired firefighter, Bob Boersma, was composed of people from diverse professions: working in public service, administrative law, public broadcasting and financial services. The team participated in vocational and cultural days and returned home, having made new friends and business contacts, ready to share new ideas with their Dutch countrymen. Has your club sponsored a GSE? It’s a great way to create Service through Acquaintance. Contributions to our Foundation are the oil that makes the Rotary Wheel of service turn.
The Rotary Club of North Jackson recognized 17 2019 Mississippi Economic Council Star Students and Teachers from North Jackson at the Club’s April 23, 2019 meeting. Students from Jackson Academy, Jackson Prep., Madison Ridgeland Academy and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and their Star Teachers were recognized. The recognition consisted of having each student describe their school, what it has meant to them, identify their Star Teacher and why they selected that person, and identify their future education plans.
In an effort to encourage scholastic achievement among the state's high school students, the STAR Program has two specific purposes:
Emphasize scholastic excellence and encourage greater scholastic effort among Mississippi students.
Recognition of the teaching profession.
A total of 342 STAR Students were recognized statewide in the spring of 2019.
The STAR Student program seeks to recognize students for academic and ACT test achievement. Students are awarded a certificate and medallion as recognition upon becoming a STAR student. In addition, the Rotary Club of North Jackson, awarded each Star Student a check for $100.
The STAR student program does not directly award scholarships - any scholarship a student is granted is given through the Kelly Gene Cook, Sr. Charitable Foundation, Inc. or other outside organizations.
STAR Student Requirements
To be eligible for the STAR Student honor, a student may be a regularly enrolled senior or an approved dually enrolled student in an accredited public or private high school and or an accredited post-secondary institution. The student must be completing his or her last year of work and must be eligible to receive a diploma in the current school year. The student must have an overall ACT composite score of at least 25 and an overall average of 93 or above in selected subjects in the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and first-semester twelfth grades.
Selection of a Star Teacher.The STAR Student is asked to designate his or her STAR Teacher. The STAR teacher should be one of his or her elementary or secondary classroom teachers (active, former, or retired). The teacher selected is, in the STAR Student’s opinion, the person who has made the greatest contribution to the student’s scholastic achievement.
STAR Student Julia Mitchell was the second runner up in the M. E. C. Star Program, which recognized 342 STAR Students statewide and will receive a $16,000 Scholarship from the Kelly Gene Cook, Sr. Charitable Foundation, Inc. Madison Ridgeland Academy STAR Student Wilson Benton is the son of North Jackson Rotarian Brad Benton. The Rotary Club of North Jackson congratulates these students and teachers on their accomplishments.
2019 Star Students.
The Students and Teachers are shown in the following photo. They are as follow: Shown (from left standing)Andrew Watson, Prep; Kimberly Van Uden, teacher Prep; Judy McKeigney, teacher JA; Anna Griffin, teacher Prep; Cory Caton, teacher Prep; Kimberly Reedy, teacher Prep; Laurie Babb, teacher MRA; Jharick Shields, teacher St. Andrew’s; Donna Patrick, teacher St. Andrew’s; Sarah Shaw, JA and Burkette Moulder, JA. Shown (from left seated) Eliza Burnham, Prep; Columbia Holeman, JA; McKenzie Nichols, Prep; Genevieve Hurst, Prep; Abigail Pittman, Prep; Wilson Benton, MRA; Ishan Bhatt, St. Andrew’s; Julia Mitchell, St. Andrew’s and Henry Sanders, St. Andrew’s. Not pictured are Jackson Prep Star Students Alex Gibbs & Charlie Ott. We congratulate all on their accomplishment.
The Rotary Club of North Jackson conducted its annual Blood drive Tuesday, April 16, at the Rickhouse by the Manship Wood Fired Kitchen. In lieu of its regular meeting, Club members experienced fellowship while eating box lunches prepared by the Manship. The Blood Mobile was parked in front of the Rickhouse on Poplar Blvd. The following photo shows Ms. Sherri Book, MS Blood Services representative, in front of the Blood Mobile. A total of 30 North Jackson Rotarians attempted to donate blood. Twenty-four were successful. Thanks to all who attempted and who successfully donated and to MS Blood Services for theircommitment toMississippians.
North Jackson Rotarian Rob Farr II received his third Paul Harris Fellow recognition at the April 9, 2019, meeting of the Rotary Club of North Jackson. This Paul Harris Fellowship award is in recognition of Rob’s third one thousand dollar donation to the Rotary Foundation. Club Foundation Director Suman Das (left) presented the award to Rob. Both of them are shown in the following photo with Club Secretary Lee Carney. We congratulate Rob on this recognition and thank him for his long term support of the Rotary Foundation.
Ashby Foote III, the Jackson City Council Representative for Ward 1 in Northeast Jackson, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s April 9, 2019, meeting. Mr. Foote discussed the status and ongoing activity of the City Council and the results being obtained by the current City Administration, particularly in the use of the 1% additional sales tax approved by the Citizens.
Mr. Foote noted that he is the only Republican on the City Council reflecting the demographics of the Ward that he represents. He was very positive on the new Public Works Director, Robert Miller, and what he is accomplishing. We thank Mr. Foote for his comments to our Club and for his service to the citizens of Jackson. He (right) is shown in the following photo with Club Vice President Greg Campbell (left) and Past President Wyatt Emmerich who introduced him.
Murray Harber, Executive Director of the Mississippi Business Group on Health (MBGH) spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s April 2, 2019, meeting. The subject of Mr. Harber’s presentation was "Employer Health Management", i.e. workplace wellness and health. He cited data which conclude that 50% of a person’s lifetime health is determined by lifestyle. Family historyis a 20% determiner, and environment 10%. The balance is chemicals, substance abuse, etc. He discussed the wellness program implemented by Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance which included factors such as a healthy cafeteria, a Farmers' Market, incentives to live a healthy lifestyle, including workstation ergonomics, an active lifestyle, healthy eating and reduced sedentary times. The result has been reduced health benefit costs from the trend on which the company was embarked.
We thank Mr. Harber for his presentation and for his work on behalf of Mississippi companies and their employees. He is shown in the following photo with Club Member Marisa Davidson who introduced him.
