2009-10 Rotary International theme: The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands.

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

Today's meeting
10/09/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: Karen Spencer will share information on Compassion International.

Karen Spencer, a native of Canada, calls Memphis home after 16 years of living, working, and volunteering in this great city. After working several years as an administration and marketing manager, she chose to stay home with her young children and invest in their early childhood development. During that time she volunteered extensively with Compassion International, Hope Church, and the Bickford Community Center (north of downtown Memphis). She now combines her skills and her passion working as Regional Advocate Relations Manager for Compassion International, serving 400 child advocate volunteers in six states (Florida to Texas and Arkansas). She speaks regularly for women's ministry and Compassion advocacy events, and leads vision trips for sponsors and pastors to see their impact on the lives of poverty's children firsthand.

Future meetings
10/16/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: Club Assembly – vocational services
Program coordinator: President Ray Darby
10/23/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: TBA
10/30/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: TBA

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.

Time is running out----this is the LAST week to make a donation to the club's Literacy Project!!! The October 9^th meeting is the last date to officially make a donation to our club's Literacy Project. Please make your check payable to “the Rotary Club of Memphis Central Foundation” and give your donation to club treasurer Bill Eddings who is also a member of the Literacy Committee.

Literacy Chair Jean Patterson reports that as of last Friday we had received $450.00 for the literacy program. That's an admirable number but it is $150.00 short of our $600.00 goal. If you haven't already given to this important project, please consider doing so now. Remember, donations collected for the Literacy Project will be given to the Memphis Literacy Foundation and toward our Rotary District 6800 Dictionary project.
Holiday Dinner and Silent Auction
This year's annual Holiday Dinner and Silent Auction will be held on Saturday, December 12 at the University Club featuring the MPD Peacemakers as our after-dinner entertainment. For those who are not familiar with the group, the MPD Peacemakers is a quartet of the finest singing voices in the Memphis police department. Here's how you can help to make this event a resounding success:

Attend the event! Mark this date on your calendar and plan to bring friends and family
Actively participate by collecting auction items – we need interesting and useful items at all price ranges, so please help look for donated items from vendors, friends or people you do business with.

Please direct any questions or comments to Jim Crone, chair for the event.

Club members celebrating October birthdays
10/04: R. E. Linkous (Linkous Construction Co.)
10/06: Karen Shea (Shea Wealth management)
10/07: Gary Rutherford (Glenn Rutherford & Co.)
10/11: Carlton Smith (Remote Internet Corp.)
10/12: Bill Eddings (Chris Woods Construction Co., Inc.)
10/16: Floyd McDaniel (honorary member)

Lee Whipple
Please send cards and e-mails to our dear friend, Lee Whipple, who is facing a health crisis. We know that both Lee and Shirley would enjoy hearing from you with cards and e-mails. We miss seeing Lee's smiling face at our meetings and hope that he will be able to return to us soon. Lee, you and Shirley are in our thoughts and prayers.

Lee's e-mail address is: arliewhip@comcast.net Mailing address: 6962 Surrey Lane, Germantown, TN 38138

A Toast to Memphis Central Rotary Club!
The members of the Rotary Club of Rossmoyne, Western Australia read with interest the report in the August edition of "The Rotarian" (international magazine) of your very commendable project to give the specially trained dog, Denali, to help Skyler monitor her blood sugar level continuously.

At their meeting on Wednesday, 30th September, the members of the Rossmoyne club drank a toast to your club and I send you sincere good wishes from President Laurie Money and us all.

Geoff Wyatt, PDG

Last week's meeting
Past president Jack Robinson ably filled in for the travelling Ray Darby. Tom Michael gave the invocation and led us in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Randolph Reeves introduced guest Josh Sudberry, law clerk, who was making his third visit to our club. We hope this means that Josh likes what he sees and hears and that perhaps he may join our club on a permanent basis. We also welcomed Bob Lund from Pittsburgh PA, guest of Karen Shea. Bob is the father of Karen's daughter-in-law. Another guest in Karen's group was Patty Cherry. We also welcomed Dottie Tompary, guest of Jim Crone. Dottie is a junior at the University of Memphis.

Sgt. at Arms
John May continues to amuse---and confuse---us with the many variations of card trickery he comes up with to mete out fines to wayward members. For example, Al Hollingsworth was on the Wheel for not making up several missed meetings. John spun the Wheel to determine Al's fine. The Wheel landed on “4”. That should have been enough; however, John is a financial man so he saw an opportunity to bring in more money Next, he asked Al to draw from a deck of cards. Al drew the 8 of diamonds. Now, this is where almost everyone became confused (at least Al and I did!). John was still explaining a double or nothing offer when Al decided “enough is enough”. He left John in mid-explanation and headed to the treasurer's table where he paid his fine. Only Al and the treasurer know for certain the amount of the fine paid! Thanks, Al, for your patience and your willingness to pay! After all, it's the Scholarship Fund that benefits in the long run.

Floyd's Fund raffle
Bill Eddings announced that $72.00 was raised in the Floyd's Fund raffle. That's $36.00 for the Scholarship Fund and $36.00 to go into the winner's pot for a total of $137.00. David Luiken pulled the lucky raffle ticket of the week, #333140. That ticket belonged to Jean Patterson. She selected a card from the shrinking deck and was close—but no cigar. Jean drew the Ace of Hearts. The winning card is the Queen of Hearts.

That means that going into this week's meeting on October 9, the winner's portion of the fund has grown to $137.00! After raffle tickets are purchased on Friday, half of the amount raised this week will go directly into Floyd's Fund and the other half into the winner's pot. Let's all participate by purchasing lots of raffle tickets to make the Scholarship Fund grow by leaps and bounds.

The holder of the lucky raffle ticket gets the opportunity to draw from the remaining cards in the deck---now down to less than 50. The winning playing card---when drawn from the cards left in the deck---is the elusive Queen of Hearts.
Remember, if you don't purchase raffle tickets you can’t win the prize!

Karen Shea introduced Ms. Arlender Jones, the speaker of the week. Ms. Jones gave a power point presentation titled “Minimize Your Risk” about identity theft. One of the web sites she recommended we visit for more information is www.privacyrights.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
Rotary Club of Memphis Sunrise – 7:30 a.m., Crescent Club, 6075 Poplar
West Memphis, Noon, Southland Greyhound Park
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, First Regional Library (NW side adjacent to the Square) – catered lunch
Holly Springs – Noon, Annie's Restaurant, 198 N. Memphis Street. Phone 662-658-2825.
Marion, Arkansas – Noon, The Cedars, 200 Washington Ave.
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 *