December 16, 2003
NEXT MEETING, DECEMBER 22… will be our annual Children’s Christmas Party. Come and bring your kids or grandkids, and enjoy Santa, the Mississippi GirlChoir, and lots of other goodies.
LAST MEETING, DECEMBER 15… State Senator Jack Gordon, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, gave us a rundown on the state budget. During the decade of the 90’s, our state spending rose, on a per capita basis, 76 percent – more than any other state. But when the economy soured, we were in trouble. Senator Gordon told us that more than 3200 state jobs have been cut, and travel, contractual services, and many other items have been sharply curtailed in a bare-bones budget. Education requires 65 cents out of every dollar spent – but, he reminded us, the teacher pay raise continues to be fully funded. Senator Gordon answered a lot of questions, and was very forthcoming on matters pertaining to the state’s budget. Thanks to Walter Michel for arranging and introducing this program.
THE ROTARY SPOTLIGHT…swung around on December 15 to shine on Dr. Lee Royce, President of Mississippi College, who was thoroughly introduced by Shelton Hand.
WELCOME
TO NEW MEMBER… number
15 of this Rotary year. Introduced to the club on December 15 was…
Ted Lloyd, Vice President & Co-Owner, RecordMax, Inc. Ted was introduced
by his proposer, Mark Terpstra.
DUES ARE DUE… and you should have received your statement in the mail. Dues for the January-June 2004 time period may be paid any time between now and the end of January. We accept credit cards, cash, checks, or most any other kind of payment (please, no livestock or vegetables). Come on, folks, pay up.
CHRISTMAS CHARITIES… Chairman Lee Paris reminds you that gifts for our two nursing homes will be accepted through next Monday’s meeting, and to mark your calendar for Tuesday, December 23 to take gifts and Christmas cheer. We’ll meet in the parking lot at the Ag Museum at 9:30, and will conclude by 11:30.
PRESIDENT’S CORNER… Service
above self -- what better time to emphasize that motto than Christmas!
Bell ringers, visits and gifts
to nursing homes, sharing your family with fellow Rotarians, helping
deserving students go to college, connecting with clubs and projects
around the globe -- we are blessed to be a part of this great organization
-- Rotary International. Thanks to our members for being a blessing to
our community and beyond. - Haden