University Rotary Club of Jonesboro

March 8, 2006

Glenn Bowers, Presiding

Jay Clevenger, Invocation

Bert Price , Pledge

      Visiting Rotarians – Jim Miles

      Make Ups - Teresa Ashley

Guests - Brandon Cooper – Proposed new member introduce by 

      Debbie Patton with Morgan Stanley introduced by Mary

      Merrill

Outstanding Seniors

      Melissa Parks, is a senior at Westside High School. She was introduced by Jay Clevenger. Melissa is the daughter of Sharon and Marvin Parks who were also guests of the club.

      Julieann Watkins, a senior at Bay, was introduced by Donna Haley

      Lindsey McVay -a senior at Nettleton High School is the daughter of Skipper McVay, who was a guest of the club. Lindsey was introduced by John Shannon.

      Glenn Bower introduced Andrew Brown.  Andrew was an Outstanding Senior from Bay High School in 1999. He went on to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and completed Flight School in December at which time he received his Wings. Andrew thanked the club for the opportunity to be an Outstanding Senior, to get to know the members and to thank the club for the scholarship the we awarded him.

Vocational Minute  - Ronda Irving - Ronda is a nurse with AHEC Family Practice. She superv! ises staff, trains interns, and is chair of Quality Management Team. She is enroll at the U of A working on a degree in Human Resource Development

Announcements

*****Glenn Bowers – District Assembly is at Beebe April 8^th

                  District Conference is May 5^th and 6^th - The three

      Jonesboro Clubs will be co-hosting the conference.

                  Next Board Meeting will be March 21^st

***** Jay Clevenger – Returned from a quick trip to Fort Worth (Thanks to Bob Troutt’s airplane) where he received special recognition on be half of the Rotary Clubs for the development of Rotary Park. The awar! d was given by the Southwest Regional Council of National Parts and Recreation. This is an organization made up of five states. They were so impressed with the park, the way it was developed, how it was funded they are interested in replicating the project in other areas.

*****Pam Kail - Three tickets remain to be sold. The decoration committee will start work in the Holidome Friday morning at 9:30.

*****Josh Fletcher – Won a trip to the Kentucky Derby (bad news is his wife did not)

Gary Childers – Jonesboro High School made it into the AAAAA Basketball Finals in North Little Rock on Saturday.

Larry James – Announced the ballgame could be heard on Clear Channel

Mike Webb – Congratulated Paul Holmes for receiving the Media Support Award at the recent Governor’s Conference held in Jonesboro.

Paul Holmes - An! nounced that his son, Lane, would be discharged from the Marines next week.

      There are two types of exchange programs. Long term and short term. Long-term exchanges involve students spending an entire school year living in another country, going to school, and being fully involved in the culture of the country. Students must be between 18 and 19 and go through a rigorous application and interview process before being selected. While living in the host country, students visit different clubs sharing their country and experiences they have had in the country they are visiting. Students could live in as many as two or three different family settings.

      Short-term students live with one family and only stay for about five weeks. Students applying for this program are from ages 15 to 25. This allows colle! ge students to also take advantage of the program without losing a semester of college. The same rules apply for short-term students as do long term students. The rules of the host family are the same rules for the exchange students. In addition, there is no drinking, driving, drugs, etc. Rotary is very strict on this and students are return home if they brake the rules.

      Cost to be exchange student involves providing airfare, insurance, spending money, clothes, passport and visa, and additional money for travel and/or tours. Money is kept by the host club and members of the club are assigned to assist students.

      Exchange students whether in this country or visiting another country have a host club and counselor in addition to the host family(s). Jonesboro Rotary clubs are hosting an exchange student from Germany this year. Donn is serving has the counselor. 

      The Jonesboro Clubs have participated in the program for many years both sending students and hosting students. It is a wonderful educational and cultural opportunity and one that students never forget.

      Several members of the club have hosted exchange students or taken students on trips and have found it very rewarding. Club members are encouraged to participate if they are interest.