2008-09 Rotary International theme: Make Dreams Real

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

Today’s meeting
03/13/09 - 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club Program: Club Assembly led by President Jack Robinson

Future meetings
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.

Please keep these Rotary families in your prayers.
Fred & Mary Davis. As you know, Fred has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is in the hospital now and is not able to receive visitors. Fred has been a member of our Rotary club for many years and has served the organization well and in many ways.

We will have a “thinking of you” card for Fred at the Friday meeting at the greeters’ table for club members to sign.

Gary & Martha Rutherford
Here’s an e-mail that I received from Gary on Tues. 03/10 in response to the updates on Fred.

Jean: I know I can't make it to the meeting but please sign my name (on Fred’s card) and if you send any gift count me in. Martha found out yesterday that she would require more lymph node surgery and will also have a short session of chemo therapy, once every three week for three months, she will likely loose her hair but should not experience the nausea associated with chemo. We are doing okay and with prayers of family and friends will make cancer a thing of the past by fall. We both appreciate our Rotary friends and I hope to start back (to our club meetings) in April if possible. But first we have to see how Martha is before I can commit.
God’s Love and cheers to all.
Gary”
The 2009 Rotary 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.

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

Last week’s meeting
Past President Rick James presided in the place of current president Jack Robinson who was out of town attending the Rotary District PETS seminar. Rick welcomed us to the 1,587^th meeting of the club. Bob Neal gave a beautiful invocation and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. We welcomed several guests and visitors including Tidwell Semmes, one of our club’s honorary members. Tidwell was also the first president of the club. Guests included Fataha, the little boy from Uganda who is the Gift of Life recipient, his mother, their interpreter and the two host mothers from Bellevue Baptist Church, Jody and Sandra.

Secretary Carlton Smith did a good job in raising donations for the Floyd’s Fund to benefit our Scholarship Fund. A total of $30.00 was collected---$15.00 for the Scholarships and $15.00 for the lucky holder of ticket #674355. That was Leroy Dahler who generously donated his win to little Fataha.

Sgt.at Arms Daniel Augustine put Al Hollingsworth on the Rotary Wheel because Al had missed and not made up several meetings. Daniel was in good form---his first Wheel spin landed on “X” which meant that the next spin would be doubled. The second spin stopped on $4.00 so Brother Al had to pay $8.00 for each meeting he missed. But we know that Al didn’t mind, after all the money he paid will go into the Scholarship Fund.

Program coordinator Laura House introduced Channel 5’s news anchor, Joe Birch, who gave an interesting presentation about the Taking Back our Neighborhoods project. 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.

Correction to last week’s coverage of the meeting
We reported that the speaker of the day, Janice J. Trawick, made a surprise presentation of a beautiful crystal art piece from Rotary International to Dick & Joann Wieland. The honor was bestowed upon the Wielands for their monetary contributions to Rotary International. We reported that 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.

Correction: The minimum monetary amount one must give to RI to receive this award is $10,000.00.
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 *