The Illinois Lion, Lioness, Leo MD1 e-Magazine (Lite) Vol. 3 - Issue 7, January 2016
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holding a state committee chairman position or the Council Chairperson position, you need to send in your intentions to SST Michele Faires at the State Office so that she can compile the list and make the necessary interview times available to you for the convention. Thank you for your service, Lion Steve Anton Council Chairperson santonlions@comcast.net
From Council Chair:
Fellow Lions,
Editorial:
Lion Gail and I hope that each of you had a Joyful Holiday Season spent with family and friends and wish you the best for 2016.
HERE COMES 2016! It’s New Year again. 12 months of 2015 flown away like light feathers on the wide skies and the first month of 2016 is already here. Happy New Year to you all wonderful Lions, Lionesses and Leos of MD1.
As we head into the second half of the Lion year there is plenty of work to be done. The Governors are working on completing their goals for the year and working towards increasing the membership in their districts. Believe it or not the Multiple District is beginning to turn the corner in membership. We just need to keep the push going forward and using the “Ask One” campaign can do that. One of the best ways to keep our numbers up is, once you get a new member in your club, is give that member something to do to make them feel useful. A Lion that is a part of the organization will stay a member if they feel needed. Give them a purpose to be there.
New Year brings a reminder to all District Governors, State Chairs, Cabinet Members; Clubs Officers those six months are gone from their current Lionistic year and six more to go. All of us set goals this lionistic year and now is the time to shed some light and make it sure that we reach these goals set by us will fly with colors of success. A successful leader always reaches his or her goals by working hard in achieving them. It is like planting a tree; when we plant a tree, our goal is to see its growth and feel happy to see the flowers and fruits.
It may seem early but really it is not. Our MD-1 Convention is only 5 months away, May 20-22, 2016. It will be held at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Springfield, Illinois and our guest speaker will be none other than Lions Clubs International First Vice President Bob Corlew and his wife Lion Dianne. Our Convention Chairperson this year is Lion Sharon Peska from District 1-D. Lion Sharon and the committee are working hard to bring you a convention with plenty of new and different ideas and a theme, “The Circus”, that will bring plenty of excitement. So make those plans early to attend this convention.
Lion Leaders, where are we on our goals? Did we reach 50%? Are we going to reach our goals at this lionistic year at the end of June? Pretty soon all Districts will be holding their conventions, giving away awards and celebrating our success. It means we do not have six months to reach our goals as activities slow down and membership go down once we complete district conventions.
As a tradition, January also is the time to start to publicize the fact that if you are interested in
District 1A chartered 2 new clubs this year with 73 new members; which district will give them a chal2
lenge in bringing new clubs? As all of us know, we need new clubs and that is the only way to bring up membership in our districts. We need all the lions, lionesses and leos we can use for our Centennial Celebration in 2017 in Chicago. Take this challenge and show the World of Lionism that you can do it with flying colors.
see if they could use a donation of duffel bags, they were extremely happy to be chosen as a recipient. This organization is located in District 1-J, and was discovered by First Lady Lion Pam Fowler. The spouse’s will also be selling greetings cards. So if you liked the Christmas cards you will love their Greeting Cards. For more information, contact Lion Pam Fowler.
Small note to First Vice District Governors: This is the time to prepare your cabinet for your Lionistic Year. Time to set Cabinet Meetings and other District Activities. Time to prepare District Directories so that they will be ready to distribute when you come back from Japan as District Governors. All clubs must reach these directories on time for their use; to know who are cabinet members, chairpersons, RC’s and ZC’s. It is time to order your District Governor’s pins or banners so that you can take some with you to Japan to give away fellow district governors. Good luck to you all.
Thanks to the additional donations from the Lions from all over the state this project continues to prosper. The group is always looking for children to help. If you know of any groups/organizations in your area that may be a candidate please contact me so that it can be presented to the spouses for consideration. Any monetary donations can be written to District 1-J (Memo line Duffels for Dignity). Should you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the Spouse’s.
-Austin D’Souza, Editor ILStateEditor@gmail.com
Duffels For Dignity
On behalf of all of us, thank you for supporting this
The
Spouses have been busy with the “Duffels for Dignity” project this past month. At the December Council Meeting they donated 25 wheeled duffel bags, along with socks, travel kits and stuffed animals to a Lutheran Agency in the District 1-CS area. This agency was brought to the group’s attention by PDG Jani Mendenhall. Please see the attached pictures of this presentation. The next group scheduled to receive a donation will be CASA of McHenry County, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates for children. CASA was founded in 2005 and helps abused and neglected children in the court system. This is planned for some time in February. When called to
project that is so very near dear to all of us. I leave with this New Year’s resolution…………….“Make New Year’s goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you’re interested in fully living life in the year to come.” Sounds like the Lions Club…….doesn’t it? -Lion Gail 3
Lions of Illinois 2016 State Convention Attention all MD-1 Lions: 2016 State Convention book ads are available for purchase. Any individual, organization, Lions Club or District can purchase a Convention book ad. A full page ad is $50 and is approximately 3.75” x 10.5” in size. A half page ad is $30 and is approximately 3.75” x 5.25” in size.
Ads should be saved in a “.jpg” file format and submitted electronically to the State Office. Facsimile or hard copy ads will not be accepted. Ads should be in a reproducible black/white or grayscale format. Grayscale is recommended for photos. Ads and payment must be received by the State Office by 5:00 pm April 22, 2016 to be included in the Convention book. Payment for ads should be mailed with the form (below) to the State office at: Lions of Illinois, Inc., POB 127, Hopedale, IL 61747-0127. Ads can be submitted via email to lionsofillinois@yahoo.com or by saving the ad on a CD, DVD, or thumb drive and mailing it to the State Office. If you have any questions regarding Convention book ads, please contact the State Office at 217-632-7775 or by email at lionsofillinois@yahoo.com. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --
2016 State Convention Book Ad Form Name: __________________________________________________________________________ Phone:
____________________________________________________________________
Address:
____________________________________________________________________
Contact Person (if club or organization:_________________________________________________ I wish to purchase (check one): Full Page Ad - $50 Half Page Ad - $30 Enclosed is my payment of $ ; Cash
Check #
(Please mail ad and payment to: Lions of Illinois, Inc., POB 127, Hopedale, IL 61747-0127)
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IMPORTANT NOTICE
Persons interested in the position of Chairperson of the Council of Governors for the 2016-2017 Lions year are being sought. To be eligible, a candidate must be a Past District Governor, having served as an MD-1 Governor within the previous five Council years (2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016) or be a sitting Governor on the 2016-2017 Council. The Council Chairperson for 2016-2017 also must be from a District other than the current Chairperson’s District (District 1-A). More information regarding eligibility is available at www.LionsClubs.org. The duties and responsibilities of the Council Chairperson are detailed in the Lions of Illinois Constitution and By-Laws and the Policy Manual, both of which are posted on the MD-1 website, www.illinoislionsMD1.org. Candidates must send a letter of intent and a resume to the State Office to be received no later than March 31, 2016 in order to be considered for the position. The mailing and e-mail address for the State Office is listed below. Applicants will be advised by mail or e-mail of the time of their interview.
LIONS OF ILLINOIS, INC. POB 127 HOPEDALE, IL 61747-0127 lionsofillinois@yahoo.com
Post Office Box 127 Hopedale, IL 61747-0127
Ph 217-632-7775
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lionsofillinois@yahoo.com
IMPORTANT NOTICE Applications for State Committee Chairpersons for the 2016-2017 Lions year are being accepted. To be eligible to serve as a Chairperson of a State Committee, a candidate shall have served at least one year as a district appointee to the State Committee s/he seeks. This requirement may be waived by the District Governors Elect if no application is received with the appropriate requirements or if they are not in favor of any applicant. Positions are for a one year term unless denoted otherwise. A brief description of the duties and responsibilities of each State Committee Chairperson may be found in the Lions of Illinois Policy Manual, which is posted on the MD-1 website, www.illinoislionsMD1.org, along with a list of the current State Committee Chairpersons. Candidates must send a letter of intent specifying the State Committee Chairperson position being sought and a resume to the State Office, which is to be received no later than March 31, 2016 in order to be considered for the position. The mailing and e-mail address for the State Office is listed below. Applicants will be advised by mail, e-mail or telephone of the time and location of their interview. Applications are being accepted for the following State Committee Chairperson positions: Alert Campaign & Liaison
Lioness Lions Eye Health Program (LEHP)
Constitution & By-Laws
Midwest Breakfast
Information Technology
Publicity & Public Relations
International Convention
State Convention
Leo & Youth Activities/Quest
State Magazine
Applications also are being accepted to fill two (2) positions on the Finance Committee, each of which are for a three year term beginning July 1, 2016 and ending June 30, 2019. Please submit letters of intent and resumes to:
LIONS OF ILLINOIS, INC. POB 127 HOPEDALE, IL 61747-0127 lionsofillinois@yahoo.com
Post Office Box 127
Hopedale, IL 61747-0127
Ph:217-632-7775
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lionsofillinois@yahoo.com
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LEADERSHIP CORNER: This is the first in a series of articles based on Blueprint for Club Success (DA-STPBG EN 5/15). This document is available to download from the LCI website.
MEMBERSHIP CORNER: Happy New Year!
No matter what you may think of
Every
Lions Club wants to provide meaningful service to its community. However, getting everyone in a club moving in the same direction can, at times, be difficult. That is why it is a good idea to regularly take a look at where the club has been, where the club is currently, and where it wants to go in the areas of membership, service, and leadership.
the various situations around the world, 2016 is about to begin. Janst uary 1 of every year marks the transition from one year to the next. Are you ready for that transition? I can see one area where you may not be ready. That would be the fact that 2016 is a presidential election year. The election itself may not be the cause of any trepidation. The idea that we will be inundated with way too many political ads on TV, the radio, in our newspapers and, yes, in our email inbox could cause some anxiety.
One tool provided by LCI to assist clubs is Blueprint for Club Success. This ten-page document is an easy read that is straight forward about ways clubs can plan for their success.
Initially I asked: Are you ready for that transition? Changing from one year to the next is automatic and we have no control over it. There are many transitions in life. We get married and start a new life. We have children that bring about another change in our paths. These are some of the good transitions. There are also some sad transitions. Many of us have already experienced the passing of our parents. I believe that those parents would want us to concentrate on the future and not dwell in the past. That’s what we as Lions should do.
As noted on page 2 of the Blueprint for Club Success: “This guide was designed to be a tool for a club, and its members. It provides a simple process for drawing up your own Blueprint for a Stronger Club with an emphasis on four core dimensions: club operations, service, leadership development and membership. Your club may choose to include additional aspects, but these four are essential as we strengthen our clubs.
It is very possible that your Lions Club has already undergone some transitions of its own, if not in the past; there probably will be some in the future. Either increases or decreases in membership to name only a few. Perhaps one change that could benefit your club and will benefit your community would be an increased emphasis on service projects. Even if your club doesn’t have a lot of money, you could send a few volunteers to help your local food pantry to organize their shelves. Ask those volunteers to wear their Lions vests so that people know who is helping. Are there other organizations in your area where you could provide similar assistance? Again, wear your vests.
The steps include Assessing your club’s status Establishing your goals Developing your blueprint Putting your blueprint into action
In subsequent articles in the series, we will take a closer look at each of these steps as well as what the Blueprint for Success can do for your club! Jama Wahl, MD1 GLT Coordinator, 815-822-3014 or jamawahl@yahoo.com
While you are helping other organizations, be sure to have someone take a photo or two. Send those photos, along with a brief story, to your local 10
newspaper. That will let your community know that your club is there to help them. Building a ramp for a wheelchair bound neighbor can yield the same result. It provides very good PR. Be sure to post all such activities on your website and on Facebook. Writing checks for other worthwhile organizations and causes is a good thing. Performing valuable service that others know about can reap a lot of good feelings that could make recruiting new members a little easier. I would hope that most people would prefer to join an organization (your club) that is out there doing things rather than something that is a “mystery”. Think about it.
Another point to consider is the level of the disaster. Will the area qualify for aid from the different levels of Government? If you give financial help to individuals and then those individuals apply for help from the Government, they will not get as much because of our good gesture. It may seem easy to spend the money but it is not. We continue to talk about developing an Alert plan to physically helping out but we should also know how to spend the money. We also ask that as you work on your club Alert plan; keep your District Governor and Alert Chair informed. When you have a completed plan, Lions International would also like to know. They have a running list of clubs participating in this program and you receive an Alert patch for your banner.
Our motto is We Serve. The idea of service should be nothing new to us. Just make sure that people know that you are providing that service. -Paul Gergolla, PDG MD-1 GMT Coordinator Phone: 630-858-8073 Email: lionpg1@aol.com State Alert Corner: Greetings Readers of 2016:
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or just ask questions. A question never asked remains one unanswered. Lion Jim Kiser State Alert Chair LionJimKiser@sisna.com
We may be starting a new year with the start of 2016 but our Lions year is half over. Let’s not look at it as half over but we have six more months to go.
630-660-7944
ENGAGING YOUNGER LIONS: Whenever membership development is discussed, it seems that bringing in and keeping younger lions involved is a challenge for many clubs. To address this idea, at the recent MD1 Lions Leadership Forum, the topic of Engaging Young Lions was presented by a panel of Lions including Tony Holland and Mike and Kim Peavy. The following is a brief look at the ideas presented and shared. Clearly, younger lions are an untapped source for service. Please consider these ideas when you are engaging younger Lions!
In December I asked the following question. If your area just had a terrible event and your Club has been approved for a $10,000.00 Alert grant from LCIF, how would your Club spend that money properly? I am sure you are asking yourself, if we spend money to help people, how could that be improper? Let’s look at a couple things. One of our first things we think about is the water supply has been disrupted and is now contaminated. We need to get bottled water there fast. You use half your grant and buy a truck load of water and have it brought to the town center. When it arrives, the driver is told to put it next to the other four trucks of water. The thought was a great one but no one called to see if there was a need for the water.
-Meeting structures need to work for those participating. -Add new projects to stimulate the club and the community 11
-Manage the people who talk through the meeting and interrupt
camps, lacking adequate food, water and medical supplies.
-Use the Tail Twister to stimulate FUN, not just give FINES
This is where Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) and Lions can help. LCIF has approved US$200,000 to help Lions address the needs of refugees in host countries. The Lions of Sweden and Turkey are already hard at work providing relief materials to refugees near the Greece/Turkey border. The Lions in the Istanbul, Turkey, region have received a grant for refugee assistance, with which they plan to establish a school for refugee children and support the nutrition and hygiene needs of 100 families for two months.
-Use tools like YOUR CLUB YOUR WAY to determine what your members want in your club -Have meetings on a good night for everyone. Example: No meetings on Monday Night Football -Discuss the expectations for holding office. Consider having offices held for two years rather than one year -Allow kids at the meeting. program
Engage the CUB
Lions in Europe and the Middle East recently met to share stories, resources and ideas for helping the refugees. A steering committee comprised of
-Meet with other groups in the community to determine community needs -Think outside of the box. Try something different like reaching out to the Farmers’ Market or local exercise classes. Be visible in your community -Use social media‌not just email. Get out there on FaceBook, Twitter, etc. -Talk, share, and include all Lions at all meetings What will work for your club? Why not give it a try? Lions leaders in Europe was formed to help coordinate efforts. Please consider making a donation to LCIF's disaster fund so Lions in the affected areas can help where help is needed most.
-Jama Wahl
Dear Lions, If your District or Multiple District is interested in aiding refugees, you can contact LCIF to find out how to request funds for local relief projects through a pilot grant program.
No matter where you live, you have probably heard about the refugee situation in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes and make their way into Europe. They are leaving Syria, Kosovo, Afghanistan and several other countries, usually on foot and carrying what few possessions they still have. They are searching for a place to call home, where they can safely raise their families. Many of them are crowded into
Thank you for your dedication to improving lives of people all over the world. Sincerely, -JoePreston Chairperson, Lions Clubs International Foundation 12
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Chili’sgive-backprogramearnsLIF 15% of sales when you enjoy their tasty meals this January, 21016 Anywhere in Illinois EnjoyadeliciousmealatChili'sattheirrestaurantsanywhereinIllinoisand earn Lions of Illinois Foundation 15% of your sale (excluding tax and gratuity) For funding our Low Vision Screenings for youth. ThispromotionendsJanuary31,
2016 Participateasmanytimes 14
The Abe Lincoln Hotel in Springfield, IL, site of the: 2016 State Convention May 20th through May 22nd, 2016 SAVE THE DATE and plan on joining us for some: FUN, FELLOWSHIP & FULFILLMENT! More to come next month! Rates for Convention = $99 + tax per night!
RECENT REVIEWS for the ABE LINCOLN: SOME OF THE TOP THINGS TO DO in SPRINGFIELD: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum Lincoln Home National Historic Site Dana-Thomas House, a Frank Lloyd Wright ‘Hidden Treasure’ Lincoln Tomb & War Memorials Lincoln Memorial Gardens Lions of IL State Convention
COME EARLY OR STAY AFTER THE CONVENTION AND ENJOY ALL SPRINGFIELD HAS TO OFFER!
“One of the best hotels ever!” We just returned from our stay in Springfield. We thoroughly enjoyed staying at this hotel. The staff was very friendly, the beds were extremely comfortable, and the location was perfect for visiting all of the historic Lincoln sites. We ate in the hotel restaurant three times during our stay. My husband said it was the best burger he ever had! I had the prime rib and it was excellent. Our server was Sean - very friendly and very prompt to attend to our every need! “Possibly the best hotel in town” I am in Springfield often and this is my favorite hotel. Clean, well-appointed, comfortable rooms. One deficit is the walls are thin and you can hear every word, sneeze and flush. Great breakfast buffet includes made to order omelette.
Room service menu is quite limited and not the best, but it's good enough if you're exhausted or don't feel like venturing out of your room. There's always a conference or other activity so rooms book up, you'll need a reservation. Front desk staff could be friendlier, but otherwise good “One of the best hotels ever!” We just returned from our stay in Springfield. We thoroughly enjoyed staying at this hotel. The staff was very friendly, the beds were extremely comfortable, and the location was perfect for visiting all of the historic Lincoln sites. We ate in the hotel restaurant three times during our stay. My husband said it was the best burger he ever had! I had the prime rib and it was excellent. Our server was Sean - very friendly and very prompt to attend to our every need!
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MD1 State Monthly e-Magazine Edited & Published by PDG Austin D’Souza for Lions, Lionesses and Leos of Illinois. e-Mail Address: ILStateEditor@gmail.com Mail your articles, pictures and news items to above e-mail address. COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS, STATE CHAIRPERSONS WISHES YOU ALL A HAPPY AND 17 PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2016