Vol. 30. No. 29 February 18, 2005 Meeting 1411 Editor: Henry Francis

Today’s program
The fourth annual joint meeting of the Memphis Central Rotary Club and the E.R. Cook Chapter of the Air Force Association will take place today. The speaker will be Col. James M. Rushing, Tennessee Wing Commander of the Civil Air Patrol. Col. Rushing will tell us about the activities of the Civil Air Patrol, which include search and rescue operations. Jerry Daws, one of several Air Force veterans in our club, serves as this program’s coordinator.

Life is different for Jack Robinson these days. He goes to work at the Smith-Doyle Construction Co. In the morning, then goes home to his family in the later afternoon. He doesn’t have to seek shelter whenever he hears bombs bursting nearby. He doesn’t have to worry about a suicide bomber attacking his group. He doesn’t sleepless nights wondering if things are OK at home and wishing he was there.

Jack spent just under a year in Iraq where his construction skills were called upon as Americans began the rebuilding of Baghdad. Now that he’s back with us again, he tells how much the messages his Rotary friends sent to him were appreciated. "Some of those bombs came mighty close, and messages from home helped my spirit."

Gary Rutherford said it all last week when he said, "It’s so good to look across the table and see you."

Bill Matthews is going abroad once again, but this time it’s NOT on business and the destination is NOT Japan. He’s going to Rome to attend the wedding of his granddaughter Michelle. Her fiance was born in Italy but has lived in New York City for the past 12 years. Both are in the computer design business. You’ve seen the AFLAC logo – that was designed by Michelle.

Sheffield needs volunteers for Job Shadowing
Sheffield High School is planning to provide their students with an opportunity to participate in a job-shadowing experience on March 28-30. Job shadowing gives young people a new perspective on their studies by showing them new choices for their future. Students often become more academically motivated after experiencing Job Shadowing because they are better able to grasp the connection between school and careers. A job shadowing experience builds a more prepared work force. It also introduces students to the requirements of a professional career.
Job shadowing consists of four to six hours at a work site structured with written assignments and reflection. The student spends one-on-one time observing the daily routine of a worker.
You can help by hosting a student in a career area. The idea is to pair each student with a host in an area of the student’s career interest. As a host, you will provide the student with a brief tour of the organization or work environment; present a typical day at your job (including taking the student to lunch); help the student complete assignments (e.g., interview); and give students appropriate hands-on tasks. Hosts will be introduced to their student via a resume that will be completed prior to the shadowing experience.

The following career clusters are the areas we want to make available for the students: Arts and Communications; Business and Marketing; Health and Medicine; Human Services; Technology; Engineering and Science and others.
Please contact me if you are willing to host a student(s) in one of the areas listed above. I am available to address questions and concerns at 366-2375 or 416-2370 (any time between 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Monday – Friday. I can also be reached at home after 4:00 p.m. at 850-9893, mobile 240-3332. My email address is lindahurd@midsouth.rr.com. If at all possible, please respond on or before March 1, 2005.
Linda Williams, Instructor
Business Technology Department

Business Address_______________________________________
 

Scott Shepard of the Memphis Business Journal and author of Street Talk, our speaker. Rosemarie Ardire, who has moved here from California. Richard Tomlinson, father of Wesley. Martha Rutherford, wife of Gary. Honorary member Jim Vandenburg.

Tomorrow about 300 Sheffield High students and teachers will converge on Zion Cemetery on South Parkway where they will spend the day cleaning up the graveyard where more than 200,000 slaves were buried. The group will return to the cemetery next Thursday to complete the job. School officials understand that this burial ground has never been cleaned before. The project is part of Black History month. David Luiken will provide ice cream snacks for the youngsters.

Wesley Tomlinson is tingling with excitement and anticipation as the day of her missionary journey approaches. Wesley will leave on March 30 for Costa Rica, where she will do missionary work on a full-time basis. She will be associated with Christ for the City International.

"I’ll be working the Central America area for at least a year," she said. She will work with the local churches and she will serve as hostess for visiting North American teams. She expects to work in Nicaragua and Panama as well as Costa Rica. She also hopes to have the chance to work in Cuba again.

District Youth Leadership Conference
The District Youth Leadership Conference will be held from March 31 to April 3 at the Whispering Woods Conference Center in Olive Branch. Our club will sponsor three deserving students. Justin Crone, a junior at Houston High School, will be one of our representatives. Once again we will send two juniors from Sheffield High School, our adopted school. The club pays conference fees and provides transportation.

Upcoming events
April 4, 5, 6 and 7 are the potential dates for our annual golf tournament, one of our two top-fund raisers held annually to raise money for our Scholarship Fund.

April 15 is the date for the annual Character Achievement Awards program. Committee members work hard over several months using an impressive review process to select two eighth-graders and two sophomores who have overcome major obstacles. LeRoy Dahler serves as committee chair.

April 22-23: The annual District 6800 Conference will take place at the Hilton Hotel, Memphis. District Governor Dick Wieland, a member of our club, is conference chairman and our club will serve as the host club.

May 5-7: GSE Team from Nottingham, England, will visit the Memphis area. Rotarian families are needed to handle local hosting duties. Please consider volunteering to serve as a host during the team’s stay.

May 13: Annual Scholarship Program at which six high school seniors will be awarded $1500 scholarships. The committee, headed once again by Jerry Daws, selects the winners on criteria based on grade scores, SAT results, activities and an essay. The top dozen candidates are then interviewed individually the by committee before the final selections are made.

Rotary on the River II offers every member of District 6800 a wonderful way to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Rotary. The dates are April 22 and 23 and the place is the Hilton Hotel right here in Memphis. It’s the annual District Conference, and our club is the host this year. District Governor Dick Wieland will be in charge.

In addition to the business sessions, there will be many extras. On Friday night we’ll be rolling down the Mighty Mississippi on a Memphis Queen river boat. District Governor-Elect Vijay Surpuriya of Germantown will host the hospitality suite, after Saturday’s sessions. Also on Saturday there will be a lunch and tour of the Dixon Galleries for Rotary spouses.

Registration forms will be available soon. Mark your calendar now.

Our own Dick Wieland, the District Governor, was the keynoted speaker at the Olive Branch club’s celebration of the 100^th anniversary of Rotary. The special event took place Wednesday at the Center Hill Elementary School.