Mallory Donald presided over the meeting. Mike Ratliff provided the opening prayer. Joe Meador led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mallory then led the club in the Four Way Test. The meeting was held at the Mugshots Bar and Grill in Hattiesburg. 
 
Mallory announced that the board will meet next Tuesday at Mugshots, beginning at 11:15 am. She also noted that she will pick SPOKES back up next week. She also encouraged members to register for the District Conference in the near future.
 
Annie Jackson won the 50/50 drawing today but did not draw the correct card. 
 
Stew Deen introduced today’s guests. Richard Topp has Matt Manning as his guest. Mark Killingsworth has Jim Scott as his guest.
 
Annie Jackson then introduced today’s guest speaker, Rebecca Stewart. Rebecca is the Executive Director of the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter. The Shelter serves eleven counties with a location in Hattiesburg and a second location in Laurel. It was established in Hattiesburg in 1994 and operates a 24-hour crisis line. There are fifteen domestic abuse shelters throughout Mississippi. 
 
Every person who comes to the Shelter is assigned an individual case manager. The Shelter provides medical care, food, shelter and clothing, at no cost to the victims. Pets are also welcome at our Shelters. According to Rebecca, the most prominent need in the Hattiesburg area is as a result of sexual trafficking. She sees many parents selling their children.
 
The average client goes to a shelter seven times. Our shelters served 261 individuals in 2022.
 
There being no further business to come before the club, Mallory thanked Rebecca for her comments and then adjourned the meeting with our motto: “Service Above Self.”