December 23, 2003

WE WILL NOT MEET NEXT MONDAY, DECEMBER 29.
WE WISH YOU AND YOURS THE VERY HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS!

NEXT MEETING, JANUARY 5… Jack Kyle will tell us all about the upcoming Dresden Exhibit in downtown Jackson.

LAST MEETING, DECEMBER 22… we celebrated with our annual Children’s Christmas Party. Special guests were children and grandchildren galore, all of whom had a great outing. Guest speaker Santa Claus gave greetings to one and all (and to all a good night!), and the wonderful Mississippi GirlChoir, directed by Lil Lee, added to the festivities. Many thanks to Karen Crews and her committee for a job well done.

CHRISTMAS CHARITIES… In this season when we are all so blessed, we pause to remember some in our community whose best Christmases are now memories. Lee Paris and his committee are delivering presents and good cheer this week to residents of the Bond Home in Madison and the Community Nursing Home in Jackson. All this is made possible by your generous gifts of the past few weeks, for which Lee – and all Rotarians – sincerely thank you.

DUES ARE DUE… and aren’t we nice to remind you well before those Christmas bills start coming in? Actually, you still have a good bit of time before we start dunning you, but if you pay now, it’ll save us all a lot of trouble later. (Notice we refrained from saying, “no payment due ‘til next year!” What remarkable restraint we have!)

PRESIDENT’S CORNER… As we close out 2003, I want to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm this year. It is an honor to serve as your president. We have many exciting events and interesting speakers in store for 2004. Don't forget our Mentor Scholarships and the Rotary Foundation when you do your year-end charitable contributions. My hope is that all of you will have a BLESSED CHRISTMAS and a WONDERFUL 2004. - Haden

WHAT’S UP FOR NEXT YEAR? Well, Bill Allison and his Program Committee have some excellent programs in store. So you can mark your calendar with all the good stuff, here are some upcoming programs: