MINUTES: FEBRUARY 21, 2017
Posted on Feb 24, 2017
President Jaclyn Adams presided over the meeting. Thanks to Faye Gilbert who gave the invocation and to Johnny Stevens who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Thanks also to Lynn Walton who served as our greeter today.
Tracie Fowler recognized our only visitor today, Mary Ariail who has been approved for membership and will be inducted next week.
Volunteers are still needed to help with the Children’s Center’s "Burgers & Bibs” project. Our club generated $1,230 in ticket sales for the event.
Jaclyn also reported that Steve Ramp...
is requesting our club participate in a four mile run and 2 mile march. Funds generated from this event will be used to help offset the costs of the four families who lost loved ones in the recent tornado. Our board has approved a $500 contribution out of the disaster reserve fund to the Greater Pine Belt Community Foundation’s disaster relief fund.
She also reminded members of the upcoming District Conference which will be held in Mobile May 19 – 21. Districts 6840 and 6820 are combining their regional conferences. The food-fest will be held at the USS Alabama.
Our community pantry collection is set for March 9th. Hattiesburg Area Association of Realtors members are partnering with our club to bring items for the Kids Hub pantry on that date. This is another of our club’s 100 days of service project.
The 100 days of service reading project will most likely be held at Hawkins. Paula is reaching out to that school’s leadership to set up the reading program. Volunteer readers are still needed. If you’re interested, please sign up at the name badge box.
Jaclyn also announced that our club will hold a 50/50 raffle between next week and early April. Each club member will be asked to sell 4 - $100 tickets for the raffle. Second and third place prizes will also be awarded.
Thanks to Allen Anderson with Anderson Design Center for stepping up to be the Champion Corporate Sponsor for the William Carey golf tournament. All four Hattiesburg area golf courses have agreed to participate in the March 3rd tournament. Rotarians are needed to assist with registration prior to the event and with a social after the event. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Anyone interested should see Kory Moore.
Erin Granberry then presented Maura McLaughlin, Paula Brahan and Jaclyn Adams with their Paul Harris Fellowship recognition. This is Maura’s second PHG. Erin also noted that our club will match each dollar you contribute to the foundation between now and April 18 with an equal number of points to help you reach your PHF goal or assign your points to someone else and help them. Our club has generated six Paul Harris Fellowships thus far this year.
Erin then introduced today’s guest speaker Miles Doleac. Miles has written, directed and starred in three files which were all filmed in the Hattiesburg area. He says he feels very fortunate to be able to embrace his artistic talents right here at home.
Miles says the arts save lives and generate a great deal of economic benefit to an area. They save lives because they allow people who might otherwise be judged harshly to find a way to express their talent and gain acceptance of a support group. They generate millions of economic dollars through production costs, personnel expenses, location costs, etc.
Unfortunately support of the arts seems to always remain on the chopping block according to Miles. Just this year the Mississippi Legislature tried to pass legislation that would have abolished the Mississippi Art’s Commission and all of the work it has produced on behalf of our state and our state’s art for many years. The legislation which would have incorporated the Art Commission into a state agency failed. Efforts were also introduced during this legislative session that would have stripped away many of the incentives in the film incentive package. Miles says we are fortunate because that effort also failed.
Being on the ground in New Orleans after Katrina, Miles says he saw first-hand what television production can do for a community. Since those efforts, film and television production has exploded in Louisiana. It has also exploded in Georgia with Atlanta generating more file production than any other city in the United States. He says Mississippi can also become an active player in the film and television production industry however, we must keep our eyes focused on the goals necessary to make that happen. He says the one thing we should be focused on in the immediate future is the building of crew and facility infrastructure that will support the industry. He is calling on elected officials and community leaders to work together and try and make such a facility happen.
Miles’ career began some twenty-five years ago when he was selected for a role in Camelot, a HCLO production. HCLO remains the longest, active such organization in the state. Miles has been selected to play another role in Camelot in an upcoming HCLO production.
He encouraged us to each support the arts in Mississippi at whatever level we can. He suggests making a donation to an organization such as HCLO or simply buying tickets to their performances. He says, “keeping the arts alive if not a given.”
With no other business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned by Jaclyn with our motto, “Service Above Self”.