Calendar of Events

Welcome Rex Fan Chiang, Rotary Youth Exchange Student

Tuesday, April 3, 2012
WE MEET AT RIVER CITY BREWING COMPANY
Lunch Begins at noon - Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m.


Meet Shih-Chang (Rex) Fan Chiang
Rotary Youth Exchange Student

Shih Chang Fan Chiang was born and lives in Taichung, Taiwan.  He lives there with his parents, younger brother and younger sister.  His father, Chun-Liang Fan, is a member of the Rotary Club of Taichung South, District 3460 in Taiwan.  Shih Chang is 15 years old, loves music, likes to hang out with his friends, plays basketball, table tennis, and soccer and runs track.

We know Shih Chaing as Rex. Rex is a Rotary Youth Exchange student sponsored by the South Jacksonville Rotary Club.   He came to Jacksonville, Florida in August 2011.  He attends Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and plays the violin.  Rex became interested in becoming an exchange student after hearing about the program while attending a Rotary meeting with his father.   He wanted to travel to a different country, meet different people and experience a different culture.     

The following is how Rex describes being an exchange student:

"Exchange is about learning.

It's not as easy as learning whatever is taught in school though.

It's about learning how to listen, how to speak, how to think. Learning who you are, who your friends are and the type of people you want as friends. Learning how to trust your innermost feelings, and how to find these feelings in the first place. Learning what's important to you and what is not.

Exchange is about learning how to tolerate, how to accept, how to like and how to love. Learning how to give as you receive and how to trust that everything will even itself out on its own. Learning that your mom and dad do have the right answers sometimes, and that your kid sister isn't such a dumb kid anymore. Learning that sometimes a kiss isn't just a kiss, sometimes it means more, sometimes it means less.

Exchange is about learning how to achieve, how to succeed, how to accomplish.

Learning how to not come in first place and still be proud and how to come in last and admit that you could have done better. Learning that large parties don't necessarily mean a good time. Learning that loneliness doesn't go away in a crowd, and that sometimes its ok to be on your own a Friday or Saturday night. Learning that your lunchtime crowd doesn't constitute your popularity, and that popularity is all a matter of perspective.Learning that boredom is simply laziness of the mind, and watching 3 hours of TV isn't quality relaxation time.

Exchange is about learning how to pack a bag and to pack away a room full of way too much stuff.

Learning how to motivate yourself and how to motivate others. Learning how to swear in all the different languages of all the other exchange students. Learning that people probably like you a whole lot more than they'll ever tell you and that it's your responsibility to make sure your friends know how much you appreciate them.
Exchange is about learning. Learning how to live life."


Lenny Curry 
Article in Tallahassee Democrat

Lenny Curry wrote an article published in the Tallahassee Democrat about Obomacare.  The entire article can be found at:



Rotary Literacy Project

The well-known and well-attended “Box-A-Go-Go” is making its return Spring appearance in April.  “Books-A-Go-Go” Executive Director, Betty Metz, will be our guest at the upcoming April 3 meeting to remind us about the importance of placing a child’s first book in the hands of children who would not receive one otherwise.  Contributing books (new or gently used, age appropriate for a first time reader) and donations will make our Spring Literacy Project even more successful than last fall!  (Donations can be made directly to Patti or they can be charged to your account.)  Thanks!


Welcome Our Newest Member
 Kevin Hyde is a partner with Foley & Lardner, LLP.  Kevin is vice chair of the Labor & Employment Practice and is a member of the Automotive Industry Team.  He has been a deacon or elder with the Lakeshore Church of Christ since 1992.  Kevin has served the community in many roles including Board of Youth Crisis Center, Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, NE FL Safety Council, Volunteers in Medicine, Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens, just to name a few.
Kevin and Kathi have been married since 1987 and have two daughters, Virginia,19 and Michal, (pronounced Michael) 17.

 

Suns Baseball Event for South Jacksonville Rotary
Tuesday April 10, 2012 5:45pm
Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville
$16.95 per person – kids under 3 get in free
The ticket includes group seating in section #101
Includes Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Popcorn and Sodas
                   Sign-up sheets on the table at weekly meetings 


Rotary Night at the Jacksonville Symphony 

Cirque de la Symphony

Thursday April 26, 2012 7:30pm
Jacoby Symphony Hall
Rotary Special discount tickets: $40
$10 of each ticket will support  
Rotary’s Polio Eradication Program
credited to your club
Ticket includes Pops Concert and Symphony hosted beverage reception at 6:45pm for Rotarians and guests in the Davis Gallery
To make reservations and purchase tickets call Bill Cosnotti at 356-0426 or bcosnotti@jaxsymphony.org
Fidelity National Financial Pops Series    Concert Sponsor: SunTrust


TPC Players Championship 
Discounted Tickets for D6970 Rotary Club Members

THE PLAYERS Championship is offering District 6970 Rotary Clubs a private, specially priced ticket program allowing members the opportunity to purchase 2012 PLAYERS Championship tickets at a substantially discounted rate. In addition, for each ticket purchased, THE PLAYERS will make a $2.00 donation to the Rotary Foundation for Polio Plus. Members can purchase good any one day grounds tickets for $35.00, regularly $55.00! Because these tickets are good any one day, there are no worries if you are not sure which day you would like to attend as these tickets are good any one day, Thursday – Sunday (May 10-13). This program is not limited to Rotary members and there is no limit to the number of tickets one member can purchase. Youth, 18 and younger, are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. To purchase, go to the link listed below and enter the promo code, ROTARY1. Tickets will be emailed to you after the purchase is complete. Your Ticketmaster link: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=pgaplayers&o=20025&g=156

Thank you for your support of THE PLAYERS Championship as we endeavor to showcase Northeast Florida and improve the lives of those in our community.

Mark Your Calenders
  • Our "Books-A-Go-Go" drive will be during the month of April.
  • Suns Baseball Event - April 10th.
  • Rotary Night at the Jacksonville Symphony - April 26th.
  • TPC - Rotary Discount - May 10th - 13th
  • Rotary Alhambra Event - May 22nd.

Welcome Curtis Hazel, 2012 TPC Tournament Chairman

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

WE MEET AT SAN JOSE COUNTRY CLUB
Lunch begins at noon - Meeting Begins at 12:30 p.m.

Meet Curtis Hazel
2012 TPC Tournament Chairmen

Curtis was born in Jacksonville, Fla., and graduated from The Bolles School in 1992. He attended the University of Florida, a study-abroad program in London, and graduated from the University of North Florida. He and his wife, Jenny, live in St. Augustine, and have two children – McKenna (8), and Jackson (6). 

Curtis is involved in a number of community service and volunteer activities. He currently serves on the board for the following organizations; University of North Florida Athletic Department, the Jacksonville School for Autism, River Garden Foundation, and The River Garden Holding Company Board.  He was a founding board member and continues to serve for Children’s Safe Passage, created in 2010. Curtis also serves as a Mentor for Take Stock in Children (TSIC), and is a member of their Leadership Council.

Professionally, Curtis is the founder and president of Hazel Partners LLC, an independent property and casualty insurance firm, specializing in commercial insurance brokerage and risk management consulting.  

Curtis has volunteered with THE PLAYERS for 16 years. His volunteer assignments have taken him from Standard Bearers to General Parking, and have included Special Events, Shuttle, Island Club, Corporate Hospitality, Practice Area, VIP Parking and Benefactors. Curtis has served as Vice Chairman for Player Services, Spectator Services, Facilities and Volunteer Services.   In 2011, he was First-Vice Chairman.  Curtis is now Tournament Chairman, with leadership responsibilities over the 2,000-plus volunteers who work tirelessly to stage the event.   

Rotary Night at the Jacksonville Symphony 

Cirque de la Symphony

Thursday April 26, 2012 7:30pm
Jacoby Symphony Hall
Rotary Special discount tickets: $40
$10 of each ticket will support  
Rotary’s Polio Eradication Program
credited to your club
Ticket includes Pops Concert and Symphony hosted beverage reception at 6:45pm for Rotarians and guests in the Davis Gallery
To make reservations and purchase tickets call Bill Cosnotti at 356-0426 or bcosnotti@jaxsymphony.org
Fidelity National Financial Pops Series    Concert Sponsor: SunTrust


Suns Baseball Event for South Jacksonville Rotary
Tuesday April 10, 2012 5:45pm
Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville
$16.95 per person – kids under 3 get in free
The ticket includes group seating in section #101
Includes Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Popcorn and Sodas
Sign-up sheets on the table at weekly meetings 


Mark Your Calenders

  • Our "Books-A-Go-Go" drive will be during the month of April.
  • Suns Baseball Event - April 10th.
  • Rotary Night at the Jacksonville Symphony - April 26th.
  • Rotary Alhambra Event - May 22nd.
  
Pictures from Past Meetings





Welcome Neil McGuiness, Businessman & Author

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

WE MEET AT RIVER CITY BREWING COMPANY
Lunch begins at Noon - Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m.

Neil McGuiness, Author of
"The Beaches: A History and Tour"


Neil McGuiness moved to Jacksonville with his parents at age 17.  He attended Jacksonville University and graduated from the University of Florida. After serving three years as a Marine Corps officer, he earned his MBA in Finance at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Neil has had a varied career ranging from owning and operating a 250 passenger paddlewheel riverboat on the St. Johns River to being assistant to the Chairman and CEO of IBM. Neil moved from the technology industry to the investment industry and was President of Fidelity Investments Employer Services Company and later Corporate Senior Vice President of the Prudential  Insurance Company of America in Newark, NJ. Currently Neil is a board member and Chairman of the SEI Private Trust Company, a national thrift in Philadelphia and is a full time business broker and merger and acquisition specialist here in Jacksonville. He owns the First Coast office of Murphy Business and Financial Services in Jacksonville.

Neil is the author of "The Beaches: A History and Tour".  The book is a history and a tour of the 37 mile-long island in North Florida which includes Mayport, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra, the Guana Preserve and Vilano Beach. 

Rotary Night at the Jacksonville Symphony 

Cirque de la Symphony


Thursday April 26, 2012 7:30pm
Jacoby Symphony Hall
Rotary Special discount tickets: $40
$10 of each ticket will support  
Rotary’s Polio Eradication Program
credited to your club
Ticket includes Pops Concert and Symphony hosted beverage reception at 6:45pm for Rotarians and guests in the Davis Gallery
To make reservations and purchase tickets call Bill Cosnotti at 356-0426 or bcosnotti@jaxsymphony.org
Fidelity National Financial Pops Series    Concert Sponsor: SunTrust


Suns Baseball Event for South Jacksonville Rotary

Tuesday April 10, 2012 5:45pm
Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville
$16.95 per person – kids under 3 get in free
The ticket includes group seating in section #101
Includes Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Popcorn and Sodas
Sign-up sheets on the table at weekly meetings 


Mark Your Calenders

  • Our "Books-A-Go-Go" drive will be during the month of April.
  • Suns Baseball Event - April 10th.
  • Rotary Night at the Jacksonville Symphony - April 26th.
  • Rotary Alhambra Event - May 22nd.
  
Pictures from March 13th Meeting




Board Action
At the Board meeting this past week, the following actions occurred:  Approved for your consideration into membership - Dr. Leandra Dopazo, sponsor is Rick Mullens and the classification is Dentistry-Orthodontics; Lynn Betros, sponsor is P Odette Struys and the classification is Non-Profit Development.  Anyone having an objection, please submit it in writing within ten (10) days.

Welcome Past President Ken Weiss

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

WE MEET AT RIVER CITY BREWING COMPANY
Lunch begins at noon-Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m.

Ken Weiss
Associate Director of the Youth Crisis Center Foundation


Kenneth Z. Weiss is the Associate Director of the Youth Crisis Center (YCC) Foundation.  The foundation supports the work of Jacksonville’s Youth Crisis Center.  It will be his topic for the March 13th South Jacksonville Rotary Club's meeting.  YCC is known and has been recognized both nationally and statewide, but is little known by most residents of Jacksonville.

Prior to his current position, Weiss was CEO of Georgian Galleries, Inc. from 1976 until 2008.  Georgian Galleries owned and operated both Ethan Allen and La-Z-Boy Furniture retail locations in West Virginia and North Florida.

From 1964 until 1968 he attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida where he studied Management and Marketing.  After serving in the US Army, Weiss attended West Virginia University, in Morgantown, WV,  where he received a Board of Regents Degree in Journalism and Public Relations in 1978.

A Rotarian since 1979, Weiss served as President of the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville in 2000 and 2001.  Among the numerous organizations and boards on which Weiss has served are:  Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, Hospice of Northeast Florida, Congregation Ahavath Chesed, Mental Health America, Deerwood Country Club and the Mountain Area Chapter of Cystic Fibrosis.

Weiss spearheaded the “Big Wheel” reading program between South Jax Rotary members and students at Hogan-Spring Glen Elementary School and was one of the early supporters of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program during its infancy in District 6970.  His favorite volunteer positions are when he coached youth soccer and basketball teams.  

Rotary Night at the Jacksonville Symphony 

Cirque de la Symphony


Thursday April 26, 2012 7:30pm
Jacoby Symphony Hall
Rotary Special discount tickets: $40
$10 of each ticket will support  
Rotary’s Polio Eradication Program
credited to your club
Ticket includes Pops Concert and Symphony hosted beverage reception at 6:45pm for Rotarians and guests in the Davis Gallery
To make reservations and purchase tickets call Bill Cosnotti at 356-0426 or bcosnotti@jaxsymphony.org
Fidelity National Financial Pops Series    Concert Sponsor: SunTrust


Suns Baseball Event for South Jacksonville Rotary

Tuesday April 10, 2012 5:45pm
Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville
$16.95 per person – kids under 3 get in free
The ticket includes group seating in section #101
Includes Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Popcorn and Sodas
Sign-up sheets on the table at weekly meetings



 Joy Hardaker 
 Joy Hardaker was showcased in the 
Financial News and Daily Record this week.   
The full article can be found at 
<http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=535851> 

 Pictures from March 6th Meeting