January 4, 2005

NEXT MEETING, JANUARY 11… our speaker will be Steve DeSalvo, who will tell us all about Braves Baseball.

LAST MEETING, JANUARY 3… Senator Jack Gordon of the Mississippi Legislature gave us an overview of the problems the Legislature will face when they convene this week. In short, there’s not enough money. He says it’s the most serious budget shortfall since he’s been in state government, and that’s been 28 years. The Senator ticked off the piece parts of the shortfall one by one, and spoke of the issues surrounding each part. It’s a sobering list. He concluded that the only way the Legislature can address the problem is by borrowing from the Tobacco Trust Fund. Otherwise, the Governor will have no choice but to make substantive cuts in the budget with severe consequences to Medicaid, Education, Transportation, and all other parts of the state budget. Thanks to Walter Michel for introducing this timely speaker.

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR… for paying your Rotary dues. Enclosed with this Rotagram is your bill for dues through the end of June. PLEASE pay prompt attention to this (and we’re sorry it comes so soon after the Christmas bills!). Every six months, we have to chase down a bunch of good Rotarians who simply overlooked paying. So do it now!

THE CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY… was a huge success, thanks to Chris Carmichael and her merry group of elves: Neva Eklund, Patrick Phillips, Robby Toombs and Chuck Staten. Special thanks also go to Shelton Hand, Malcolm Ewing, Nancy King, and Robert Leard. (And who was that man in the red suit, anyway?)

JUST SO YOU’LL KNOW… here are some dates between now and the beginning of the new Rotary year in July when we’ll NOT meet. Mark your calendar!
•Monday, January 17 – MLK Day
•Monday, February 21 – Presidents’ Day
•Monday, March 21 – Spring Break
•Monday, May 30 – Memorial Day
Every Monday other than those, we expect to have a regular meeting. And we expect you to be in attendance!

PRESIDENT’S CORNER… It’s hard to believe that we are already in 2005! We have a lot to look forward to during the coming months. Remember, this is Rotary’s Centennial Celebration year. Let’s make it the best year in our club’s history. As you now know, the push is on for raffle ticket sales. The proceeds go towards funding our Mentor Scholarship Program (our only official club project). My goal is 100% participation. We were privileged to have one of our current mentor scholars at our January 3 meeting. Adam Wells, who is attending the University of Southern Mississippi, reminded us of the impact this scholarship has had on his life. His grades are a testament to his desire to better himself, and I’m proud to have him as a representative of our club during the coming years. Thanks to all that have already purchased their two tickets to support this worthy program. I’m looking forward to a great new year! Yours In Rotary, Danny