Friday, April 27, 2007 - Rotary Exchange Visitors on Day of Rotary Relays

Rotary Relays & Rotary Exchange Program

      Today, Rotarians are busy on two fronts—manning the annual Rotary Relays at the UCHS Track, and playing host to visitors to our club and community through Rotary’s Group Exchange Program.
     The Rotary Relays started in 1978 and have become the best run, best organized high school track meet in West Tennessee.  Each year, hundreds of athletes from West Tennessee and West Kentucky gather for the Rotary Relays as a prelude to their various regional and state track meets.
     This year’s directors include Randy Barnes, Jim Rippy, Bob Young and Charles Denaburg.  Please check your assignments and help us make this the best Rotary Relays ever!
     Our Rotary Group Exchange visitors today include Nicolas Buffille, a real estate agent, and Philippe Ayme, a TV cameraman and director.
     As you know, Rotary International’s Exchange programs foster fellowship and goodwill.
     Thanks to Bill and Linda Simrell for helping with the housing and hosting of our distinguished guests to Union City.

Rotary Scholarship Program Next Friday

     Next week, Union City Rotarians will stage their 26th annual Rotary Scholarship Program—a day when lives are changed and lifetime relationships between donors and student recipients are established.
     The Rotary Scholarship Program began in 1982 when the family of Gus B. White, our first Rotary Club President, endowed the first scholarship.  Soon afterwards, others were coming forward to create other scholarships and soon, the program had a life of its own.
     Twenty-five years later, nearly $2.8 million in scholarships have been awarded to deserving Obion County students from Union City, Obion County Central and South Fulton High Schools who have met a needs and merit examination.
     As you know, the Rotary Scholarship Program is recognized statewide and takes many, many man-hours to make it work—not to mention those who donate to the program, both from the Rotary Club and outside.
     A special thanks to those serving on the Rotary Scholarship Committee and to our high school guidance counselors for their assistance to the students and our committee.

Jim Ellis Fills Distinguished Speakers’ Role

     Last week, many Rotarians turned out on Thursday night to hear movie subject Jim Ellis discuss his much heralded efforts to “make a difference in the world” by taking Philadelphia’s inner-city youth and turning them into world-class swimmers.
     A number of community leaders joined the Rotarians and their wives for the annual Distinguished Speakers Banquet, which included a fabulous meal here at the Hampton Centre.
     Ellis told how Hollywood producers got wind of his life’s’ work through a newspaper story in the New York Times and pursued him about making movie, Pride, which is now showing nationwide.
     Growing up in the Sixties, when young black men and women didn’t have as much access to swimming pools, it was a common myth that African-Americans couldn’t swim.
     Ellis learned to swim the day his father threw him overboard from a perfectly good boat. He perfected his talents at the local YMCA in Philly and a Boys & Girls Club.
     After graduation from college, Ellis started to work wit the Philadelphia Department of Recreation, where he started his now famous swim team.  Within ten years, he had swimmers competing for spots on the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team and for scholarships at major universities.  Instead of joining gangs and becoming drug addicts, Ellis’ kids were becoming productive members of society with professional degrees and skills.
     Thanks to Jody Kizer and Ron Green and others for helping arrange this year’s Distinguished Speakers Banquet and to those of you helped with your financial support and attendance.

Coming Attractions

5/4       Rotary Scholarship Program
5/11     Mark Brooks—WBBJ-TV in Jackson with update on changing technologies
5/17     TBA—Perhaps Ladies Night
5-25     Verhine Scholarship Program

Happy Birthdays

4/28      Phillip Creswell
5/2        John Warner

       Happy Anniversaries

4/27     Joe and Hope Antal
4/30     Sam and Kim Bradberry
4/30     John and Jane Hale
5/2       David and Heard Critchlow, Jr

Quips

 “One of the worst things you can possibly do is to worry and think about what you could have done.”

“Silence is evidence of a superb command of the English language.”

“Speak well of your enemies—you made them.”

“The biggest worry of a doting father is a dating daughter.”

“Education isn’t worth much if it teaches children how to make a living—but doesn’t teach them how to live.”

In Memoriam

Porter Keightley
1923-2007

Return to Weekly Bulletin News Index page.