(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
Club Announcements:
The Rotary Club of North Jackson is meeting via Zoom due to the continuing high rate of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi. Zoom meetings will continue until a resumption of in-person meetings is authorized by the club's officers and directors.
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 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 reserve the first 15 minutes for fellowship and give our speakers nearly 30 minutes for their presentations.
Birthdays and Anniversaries.
Birthdays
Tony Klingler January 20
Wedding Anniversaries:
Bill & Susan Osborne January 20
Trost & Sarah Friedler January 24
Membership Anniversaries
David Barrett 1 year, January 21
Suman Das 7 years, January 22
Prayer. 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 beneficent hand. Eagerly do we anticipate the fellowship which awaits us and the opportunity to renew our commitment to service.
Help us to be receptive to your guiding spirit in our personal lives and corporate situations. Amen.
The Rotary Club of North Jackson recently donated 70 cases of bottled water to the Billy Brumfield Shelter. The Billy Brumfield Shelter (BBS), a shelter for up to 60 men a night, provides three services. It serves as an emergency shelter for homeless men, offering safe shelter, clean showers, nutritious food, and a supportive community. It also offers a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, supported by AA meetings, group and individual counseling, employment requirements, and a savings program. Shown from left, Greg Campbell, immediate past president; Lee Carney, president and Wilber Logan, BBS director.
Mary Margaret White, CEO of “Mississippi Today”, a digital news outlet for Mississippi, spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s January 12 meeting. White discussed the changes in the print journalism market due to the sharp decline in ad revenues and a decline in print subscribers as consumers have begun to rely increasingly on digital media. “Mississippi Today” was created to fill the void in the state’s news outlets created by that decline. She pointed out that “Mississippi Today” is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit and that it relies on donations both from citizens and several large philanthropic foundations.
To quote from “Mississippi Today”: “We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. We center readers in everything we do, informing–and engaging–Mississippians through reporting, podcasts, events, and online communities.
Founded in 2016 as the state’s first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, “Mississippi Today’s” roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes sports. “Mississippi Today” is now one of the largest newsrooms in Mississippi, proving that free, nonpartisan news is the antidote to apathy and an essential key to government accountability.”
White said that “Mississippi Today” has an annual budget of $2 million with the bulk of the expenses being for its staff of well-recognized, seasoned reporters and editors.
We Thank White for her presentation to our club and for her work to inform Mississippians. She is shown in the following file photo from Mississippi Today’s website:
The Rotary Club of North Jackson provided Christmas gift bags to the Pre-K students at Walton Elementary School in Jackson recently. The gift bags included the "We Are In a Book" book, a coloring book, crayons, beginner pencils and candy. Shown are Lee Carney, President; Neelam Goel, Foundations Chair; Bill Osborne, Public Relations Director and Greg Campbell, Immediate Past President.
Neelam Goel, Bill Osborne, Lee Carney
Neelam Goel and Greg Campbell
Book and Book Plate
Crayons and Coloring and Sticker Book
Christmas Card for the students
From the left: Bill Osborne, Lee Carney, Teacher Tamesha Ross, Teacher Tora Jones, Neelam Goel, Greg Campbell, Principal Zackery Hodge
Tommy Lofton, Executive Director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the club’s December 15 meeting. Lofton was previously on the staff of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. He is a native of Mississippi and a graduate of the University of Sothern Mississippi.
The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum is located on Camp Shelby south of Hattiesburg. Lofton gave a history of the museum and discussed the exhibits that it has. He said that those exhibits go from the War of 1812 to the present day. He invited club members to visit when they can saying that the museum is open 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tuesdays - Saturdays, and most patriotic holidays. It is closed Sundays and Mondays and most Federal And State holidays. Admission is free.
We thank Lofton for his presentation and for his service to the citizens of Mississippi. The video of the December 15 meeting can be viewed at the following link: https://vimeo.com/491910850. The following photo is of Lofton during his presentation:
