Prayer. Eternal God, as a prelude to our experience together today, we bow humbly before you in acknowledgment of your never-ending mercies. Gratefully we receive the gifts which flow from your beneficient hand. Eagerly do we anticipate the fellowship which awaits us, the food which sustains us, and the opportunity to renew our commitment to service.
We offer thanks for the food and for those who prepare and serve it. Help us to be receptive to your guiding spirit in our personal lives and corporate situations. Amen
Club Announcements:
Upcoming Events:
1. Rotary Leadership Institute. A limited number of scholarships are available for members who are in leadership positions or are interested in becoming club leaders. January 25, 2020, Jackson First Church. Parts I, II, & III are offered.
2. Saturday, February 8, 9 am - 12 noon, Mississipi Food Network, 440 W. Beaty St., Jackson. Sign up at the following link https://www.msfoodnetvolunteers.org/need/Lori Greer is the organizer.
3. Rise Against Hunger food packing at Madison United Methodist Church - February 27, 2020, 9 am - 12 noon.
4. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, Twin Lakes Camp, Feb 27- 29. For children and grandchildren of Rotarians. A limited number of scholarships are available.
5. President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) March 5-7, Natchez, MS
6. Women in Rotary Luncheon, Country Club of Jackson, March 17
7. Multi-District Conference, New Orleans, April 17-19.
Proposed New Member Announcement. Gabriel Joseph “Gabe” Grothe has been proposed for membership in the Rotary Club of North Jackson by Eric Sokolsky and is sponsored by Past President Don Roberts. Gabe is a Landscape Designer with Martinson’s Garden Works in Ridgeland. He will be loaned the classification, Landscape Design after his membership is approved by the Board.
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 his daughter, Olive Jeanette, live in Madison.This is the 1st publication of this proposed new member announcement.
Rotary International - Toastmasters International Collaboration.
At the January 14, 2020 meeting of the Rotary Club of North Jackson, Rotarian and Club Secretary, Suman Das, discussed the collaboration between RI and TMI. The two organizations have similar histories and similar organizational structures. Please see the article at the end of this newsletter for more information on the value of Toastmasters to Rotarians.
Steve Jent, Executive Director of the Sanderson Farms Championship, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s January 14, 2020, meeting. He gave a history of the tournament which began in 1968 in Hattiesburg and has undergone several name changes. It is the only “big league” event held in Mississippi. Some 156 professional golfers participate annually in the event which adds an estimated $30 million to the Jackson Metro Area economy each year. The event also contributes over $1 million annually to the Mississippi Children’s Hospital which is better known as the Batson Children’s Hospital. The 2019 tournament contributed a record $1.3 million to the Friends of Batson Children’s Hospital via its affiliate Century Club Charities. A total of over $16 million has been raised for the Children’s Hospital and other charities by the tournament.
Mr. Jent encouraged Rotarians to volunteer to help with the tournament. Over 1000 volunteers are used each year and more could be used. For the past two years, the Sanderson Farms Championship has been recognized by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) as the tournament with the best integration with its charity. The 2020 tournament will be held Sept. 28-Oct. 4, again at the Country Club of Jackson. This year, it will be a “stand-alone” event which means that there are no other PGA events at the same time as the Sanderson Farms Championship. This means that the tournament should be able to attract a larger number of “big-name” golfers.
We thank Mr. Jent for speaking to our club about this prestigious event, its impact on Mississippi, and for donations to caring for the children of Mississippi. We also thank Sanderson Farms for being the name sponsor for the event. He (center) is shown below with Rotarians Matt Monsour and Rob Whitley following his talk.
Dr. James L. Warnock, a Cardiologist at Mississippi Baptist Health Systems in Jackson, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s January 7, 2020, meeting. Dr. Warnock received his undergraduate education at Mississippi State University, his medical degree at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), completed his internship at the Naval Medical Center/Bethesda, Bethesda, MD, and his residency and fellowship at UMMC. In his talk, Dr. Warnock discussed the causes and prevention of heart disease. He cited 7 steps to prevent heart disease; namely,
Control your blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. It is important to get your blood pressure checked regularly - at least once a year for most adults, and more often if you have high blood pressure. Take steps, including lifestyle changes, to prevent or control high blood pressure.
Keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control. High levels of cholesterol can clog your arteries and raise your risk of coronary artery disease and heart attack. Lifestyle changes and medicines (if needed) can lower your cholesterol. Triglycerides are another type of fat in the blood. High levels of triglycerides may also raise the risk of coronary artery disease, especially in women.
Stay at a healthy weight. Being overweight or having obesity can increase your risk of heart disease. This is mostly because they are linked to other heart disease risk factors, including high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Controlling your weight can lower these risks.
Eat a healthy diet. Try to limit saturated fats, foods high in sodium, and added sugars. Eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. The DASH diet (dietary approach to stop hypertension) an example of an eating plan that can help you to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, two things that can lower your risk of heart disease. He also cited the Mediterranean diet which has similar properties as the DASH diet.
Get regular exercise. Exercise has many benefits, including strengthening your heart and improving your circulation. It can also help you maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. All of these can lower your risk of heart disease.
Limit alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. It also adds extra calories, which may cause weight gain. Both of those raise your risk of heart disease. Men should have no more than two alcoholic drinks per day, and women should not have more than one.
Don't smoke. Cigarette smoking raises your blood pressure and puts you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. If you do not smoke, do not start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk of heart disease. You can talk with your health care provider for help in finding the best way for you to quit.
We thank Dr. Warnock for his presentation and his work helping Mississippians maintain their health. He (center) is shown in the following photo with club Vice President Lee Carney and Club member Larry Anderson (right) who introduced him.
Four members of the Rotary Club of North Jackson served dinner at the Gateway Rescue Mission in Jackson on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2019. They served about 50 people a dinner of chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, clementines, bread, and cupcakes. Shown in the following photo are (from the left) Neelam Goel, Bill Osborne, Club President Greg Campbell, and Club Treasurer Uriel Pineda. We thank them for putting service above self into action. Happy New Year to all!
This week’s Rotary Foundation Thought is about the How Toastmasters Benefits Rotarians.
Why Toastmasters benefits Rotary clubs
posted on
Portland Rotary members at a Toastmasters meeting.
Terry Beard
By Terry Beard, Rotary Club of Portland, Oregon, USA
You may have heard that most people would rather die than give a speech. Public speaking is the number one fear for many people.
For 49 years, I too had a fear of public speaking. It was so bad, I would break out in a sweat. I’d leave the room. I’d find excuses, or ask other people to stand up and speak for me. Anything to avoid having to speak in public. A couple of bad experiences early in my life built up this fear, but I made it my goal to overcome it. Fifteen years ago at the age of 50, I was introduced to Toastmasters by a good friend, and I’ve been a member since.
As a Rotary member, I’ve been committed to Service Above Self for more than 20 years. I now believe one of the best acts of service we can do is to help people find their voice.
Four years ago, a group of Rotary members and I started a Toastmasters club to do just that. We wanted to create a “safe harbor” where people could improve their speaking skills, in the spirit of friendship and fellowship. As a charter member, I was privileged to give the first speech, which established this shared value as the cornerstone of our club.
Our Rotary club has over 250 members and our Toastmasters club has around 40. While most of the Toastmasters members are also members of our Rotary club, we are also open to non-Rotarians. Those who are in both clubs find added value in Toastmasters.
In Toastmasters, we learn how to feel comfortable in front of an audience, sharing knowledge, experiences, and values. This is not only fun for the audience, but it’s healing and even cleansing for us to share our stories. While it can initially be hard to open up and be vulnerable in front of peers, as we do so, it helps us understand and relate to each other.
When we are members of the audience listening to others speak, we also benefit. We sometimes identify with the way the speaker feels, or the thoughts they have shared, producing empathy, trust, and a sense of community. These all lead to peace.
As we learn and develop different speaking techniques, this benefits all areas of life, helping restore an art that is being lost in this day and age of communicating online.
Toastmasters can benefit a Rotary club in a number of ways.
It can improve the quality of your weekly programs by creating a pool of people who can deliver a better talk. Often clubs invite someone to give a program because of their topic, regardless of their skills as a speaker. Imagine having a built-in means of training people to deliver better programs.
It can enhance your leadership training. One of our members joined when he was selected as president-elect of his alumni advisory council. He knew he would have several speaking engagements and joined Toastmasters to practice. Toastmasters members also learn skills in running meetings.
It can teach your members how to better share their Rotary story with the public. We have developed some great storytellers, and Rotarians have amazing stories to tell.
It can introduce people to Rotary and show them why they should join. Often, when non-Rotarians join our Toastmasters club, they inevitably hear about Rotary and end up joining.
We started our Toastmasters club to help members develop their voice and grow in their leadership skills. But we got so much more than we anticipated. A huge benefit is getting to know people on a deeper level. The experiences people have shared in our Toastmasters meetings have built deeper, longer-lasting relationships. There is a sense of community and connection that goes beyond anything you can get just by sitting at a table and having lunch.
It brings tears to my eyes to be a part of this great community. The combination of Rotary and Toastmasters allows for big dreams to come true. As we build our communication and leadership skills, we become better equipped to tackle the world’s problems.
