Mallory Hill presided over the meeting. Annie Jackson provided the opening prayer. Tyler Gravley led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mallory led the club in the Four Way Test. The meeting was held at the Holiday Inn in Hattiesburg.
Mallory read a note that Bill Hughes narrated to his wife before he passed away on July 29th. He thanked Rotary for the many years of service and the friends he made over the years.
Mallory announced that our club will meet on August 30, which is the 5th Tuesday of the month. Senator Roger Wicker will be the guest speaker. We will not meet on September 6.
Stew Dean introduced the rules for the 50/50 raffle. Tickets are $1.00 each. The winner each week will get to pick one of the remaining five cards. If the winner picks the queen of spades, they will the pot. Richard Topp is today’s winner. He did not draw the queen of spades so the pot will continue next week.
Lucy Sanguinetti then introduced today’s guest speaker, Reverend Eric Davis with the University of Southern Mississippi Wesley Foundation. He joined the foundation in 2018. Davis says at USM Wesley they foster meaningful relationships that provide a faith family for students during their college years. Many students feel disconnected when they arrive on campus. They provide a space for grace, meeting weekly on Tuesday night. In addition to their regular meetings, they host on and off campus activities throughout the school year, including a golf tournament. They also provide an indoor and an outdoor food pantry for students and offer free mental health counseling.
The Foundation was founded 80 years ago and is supported by citizens and local churches. They recently received a donation of a 15-seat passenger bus. Plans are underway to build a new facility for the Foundation on the campus. Their current location floods every time there is a heavy rain. The new facility will have residential units for students who need a place to stay.
There being no further business to come before the club, Mallory thanked Reverend Davis for his remarks and then adjourned the meeting with our motto: “Service Above Self.”