2008-09 Rotary International theme: Make Dreams Real

We are Rotary club #3931.
Visit our web site: www.memphiscentralrotaryclub.org

Today’s meeting
03/06/09 - 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club Program: Joe Birch, news personality, WMC-TV 5 – “Taking Back Our Neighborhoods” Program coordinator: Laura House

Joe Birch co-anchors Action News 5 at 5, 6 and 10 o’clock weeknights on WMC-TV.

2008 was a landmark year for WMC-TV. Tennessee’s first television station celebrates 60 years of service to the Mid-South in December. In May 2008, Joe marked his 30th year with the Memphis NBC television affiliate. The Mayors of Memphis and Shelby County declared May 20, 2008 "Joe Birch Day" in honor of the newsman’s marathon of service in West Tennessee, North Mississippi, East Arkansas and the Boot heel of Missouri.

The Emmy Award winning news anchor personally produces Action News 5’s Taking Back Our Neighborhoods reports that air each Wednesday night at 6 o’clock. The solution-oriented stories shine a light on what the people of Memphis and the Mid-South are doing about crime, problem properties and other threats to healthy neighborhoods.

Future meetings
03/13/09 - 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club Program: Club Assembly led by President Jack Robinson
03/20/09 - 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club Program: Vicki Rush, A&I Travel will share travel tips and security while on business trips or that special vacation. Program coordinator: Laura House
03/27/09 - 11:45 a.m. – off-site. Annual joint meeting with Air Force group. Program coordinator: Jerry Daws

Have you signed up yet?
On March 27 we will have our annual joint meeting with the Air Force Association. We need to know if you plan to attend this off-site event. Sign up sheets will be available at our registration table for the next several meetings. Please be sure to let us know your intention to attend by registering now. When you sign up you may also indicate your preference for the box lunch---your choice of a turkey or ham sandwich or chicken or tuna salad. Our club will pay for our members’ lunches. Costs for other visitors and guests will be $7.50 each.

Note: All meeting information is provided to the newsletter editor by the Program Committee. We believe our meetings listings are current and as accurate as we have been made aware. Please contact Jean Patterson, newsletter editor, if you have update/corrections for the future meetings section.

Coming up: Fataha, our District’s Gift of Life child from Uganda will visit our club on Friday, March 6. Fataha is making a remarkable recovery from his recent surgery and wants to go out on the town. He and his mother are leaving soon to return to their home country, Uganda. Before they leave, they want to thank Memphis and its Rotary clubs for helping make this "Gift of Life" possible.

Club members celebrating March birthdays
03/12: John Bennett (honorary member)
03/15: Laura House (retired – Chickasaw Country Club)
03/20: Bert Canfield

Update on a former Character Achievement Award recipient
Leroy Dahler, chair of the Character Achievement Awards project, received an e-mail from Ray Darby, our club’s president-elect in which Ray advised that he had learned that one of the past recipients of our Character Achievement Award, Jose Escobdeo, just received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. We are very pleased that Jose is continuing his life’s journey on the good path. We hope to be able to contact Jose and bring him back to the club for a visit and receive an update on his plans directly from him.

Last week’s meeting
President Jack Robinson welcomed us to the 1,586^th meeting of the club. John May gave the invocation and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Welcome committee member and greeter, Randolph Reeves, introduced our guests, all of whom have visited our club before and as always, we were pleased to have each one of them with us again. Guests included Joann Wieland, wife of Dick, and their granddaughter Katie who is interning at St. Jude’s Children Hospital; District Governor King Rogers and DG-elect, Mike Moffatt.

Our guests brought us up-to-date on several Rotary events and projects including:

The PETS (President-elect training seminar) is scheduled to be held soon and our club’s president-elect Ray Darby plans to be there. Newer Rotarians may not be aware of the purpose of PETS. The President Elect Training Seminar (PETS) is designed to provide essential and current information to incoming club presidents in order to prepare them to have an effective and successful year. Presidents-elect will have the opportunity to hear addresses by top Rotary leaders and motivational speakers, attend small group discussion sessions and roundtables on various topics lead by knowledgeable and experienced discussion leaders, and network and exchange ideas with other presidents-elect within our District 6800.

The 2009 District conference will be held in Memphis on April 23-25 at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Memphis adjacent to the Peabody Hotel.. DG King invited everyone to the conference and said he is asking all Shelby County Rotary clubs who have regular meetings during the conference to suspend their meetings so that all area Rotarians will have an opportunity to attend the District Conference. Our club follows this tradition and 2009 will be no exception.

DG-elect Mike Moffatt reported that approximately 60 members from the Olive Branch Interact club are in Memphis over the weekend actively participating in service projects. Recipients of the Interact groups’ volunteer work include MIFA LeBonheur and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Our friend and speaker of the day, Janice J. Trawick, made a surprise presentation of a beautiful crystal art piece from Rotary International to Dick & Joann Wieland. Janice was assisted in making the presentation by District Governor King Rogers. The honor was bestowed upon the Wielands for their monetary contributions to Rotary International. Only several hundred of these awards are given each year to Rotarians who donate a minimum of $1,000.00 to the Rotary International Foundation. Congratulations, Dick and Joann!

Treasurer Bill Eddings did his usual good work in raising donations for the Floyd’s Fund to benefit our Scholarship Fund. A total of $61.00 was collected---$31.00 for the Scholarships and $30.00 for the lucky holder of ticket #674240. That was Rick James who generously donated his win back to the club, designating that the money go toward purchase of prizes for our annual charity golf tournament. Thanks, Rick, for your kindness! It is much appreciated.

Sgt.at Arms Daniel Augustine may be our club’s youngest member but he works like a veteran pro when it comes to finding members to go on the Wheel. This week was no exception as he enticed Randolph Reeves to take his punishment. Daniel spun the Wheel and it landed on the $4.00 space. What I’d like to see next is our perpetual “Wheelie”, Tom Michael, take his turn on the Wheel. That’s fun to watch and Tom always pays his fine in good spirit and sportsmanship.

Dick Wieland introduced---although she really needed no introduction----our speaker of the day, Janice Johnson Trawick. Janice traveled from her home city of Tupelo to share with us the story of the Rotary Foundation’s End Polio Now campaign. Janice is truly a motivational speaker! She is enthusiastic about her topic (anything Rotary) and captures her audience right away. This week was no exception. I’m sure I can speak for almost everyone who attended our meeting when I say that Janice showed us the way and now there is no excuse for any of us to neglect donating a minimum of $20.00 a person each year for the next three years toward completing the goals of the End Polio Now campaign.

For more information, visit www.rotary.org

Club meetings in the surrounding area
For the convenience of our members we’ve provided a list of nearby club meeting sites where we can make up our misses. Please save this list for future reference.
MONDAY
No meetings close to the Memphis area.
TUESDAY
Collierville – Noon, Ridgeway Country Club
Memphis– Noon, University Club
Olive Branch – Noon, Olive Branch Country Club, Germantown Road
Oxford– Noon, Oxford University Club, 300 North Lamar
WEDNESDAY
Germantown-- Noon, Germantown Country Club, 1780 Kimbrough
Hernando – Noon, Windy City Grille (NW side of Square)
Holly Springs – Noon, Annie’s Restaurant, 198 N. Memphis Street. Phone 662-658-2825.
Memphis East – Noon, Racquet Club, 5111 Sanderlin Dr.
Robinsonville -- 8 am, Tunica National Golf & Tennis facility, Highway 61 & Casino Strip Blvd.
THURSDAY
Bartlett/Cordova – Noon, Colonial Country Club, 2736 Countrywood Pky, Cordova
Southaven – Noon, Boiling Point Restaurant, 55 Church Rd. (near Civic Center)
Tunica – Noon, Women's Club Building, corner of River and School Streets
FRIDAY
Senatobia – 12:15 p.m., Northwest Junior College campus, Haraway Center

Are you unable to make up in person at a nearby Rotary club location? Then you may wish to consider going on-line to make up your missed meeting(s) at Rotary’s e-club one. It’s very easy to do and the variety of program topics allows you to learn a lot about other Rotary club projects worldwide in addition to business subjects and critical needs.
Make-up meetings at your convenience, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Spending 30 minutes on the website constitutes an on-line Rotary meeting. It is mandatory that your visit MUST be 30 minutes or more. Visit www.rotaryeclubone.org today

Our mailing address

Memphis Central Rotary Club
P.O. Box 772296
Memphis TN 38177

Your individual Rotary membership number is printed on your copy of the Rotarian magazine.
Or contact our club secretary to find out your number before corresponding with Rotary International.

Honorary members of the club*
John Bennett 853-3460 *
Henry Francis 754-3405 *
Floyd McDaniel 327-2013 *
Chester Perry 685-0972*
Tidwell Semmes 767-5752 *
Henry Springer 757-9005*
Jim Vandenburg 735-7003 *