May 18, 2004

NEXT MEETING, MAY 24… Linda Montgomery with the Community Foundation will be our speaker.

LAST MEETING, MAY 17… Stan Buckley, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Jackson, shared some thoughts on how each of us, in our own way, can make faith a part of our daily life. He spoke of the faith-based things we can do together without compromising our individual faiths. And he commented favorably on some of the things our club is doing – like the Mentor Scholarships – that are a way of putting our faith in action. He urged us to make daily contact with our spiritual side, and to ask ourselves tough questions that will remind us of the things we are doing – or not doing – that need to change. Thanks to Bill Dawson for arranging and introducing this program.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS… will be collected once again at our next meeting. Thanks to many who brought excellent books to the May 17 meeting – these will really help the Barksdale Reading Institute. Remember, the books need to be appropriate for kindergarten through third grade.

ROTARY MENTOR SCHOLARSHIPS… will be awarded at our regular meeting on June 7. This is always a stirring event, where we’re able to give some outstanding young people a boost in their education plans. Plan to be there.

COMMITTEE PREFERENCE FORMS… are coming in, and that’s good. More than 60 of you have already taken advantage of the opportunity to let President-Elect Danny Williams know on which of our 29 committees you’d prefer to serve. If you haven’t done so yet, do it soon.

PROGRAMS COMING UP… Here’s what we have to look forward to:
¦ May 31: NO MEETING, Memorial Day
¦ June 7: Rotary Mentor Scholarship Program
¦ June 14: Andy Bourland, Mississippi Gaming Association
¦ June 21: Walt Grayson, WLBT Television
¦ June 28: Dale Persons, Viking Range

PRESIDENT’S CORNER… As we prepare to transition to a new Rotary year, be sure you let President-Elect Danny Williams know which committee you wish to serve on. We are nearing the deadline for the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships. A past Jackson Prep valedictorian recently contacted me about applying for one. This is the calibre candidate we want to represent our club. Let chairman Ward Van Skiver know asap of any other candidates who wish to apply. Finally, I witnessed our Mentor Scholarship Committee in action today. They are to be commended for their commitment to this task. It will not be easy making the final selections for our scholarships. - Haden