District Reports

27-A1 NEWS

wilions.org

THE CAMBRIDGE AREA LIONS CLUB –

District Governor David Stedman presided over the induction ceremony of the 2022 officers: President, Michelle Krueger; 1st Vice President, Darin Zimmerman; 2nd Vice President, Lea Ann Mueller; 3rd Vice President, Marla Burton; Treasurer, John Sherman; Secretary, Amy Pidsosny; Immediate Past President & Membership Chairperson, John Sherman; Lions Club International Fund Coordinator, Gary Posorske; Marketing & Communications, Carol Sapienza; Service Chair Jesse Pidsosny; Tail Twister Kris Runge; Sunshine Club, Dixie Kasmar.

MUSKEGO LIONS CLUB – The Lions have been an important part of National Night Out (NNO), keeping Muskego kids safe! Veteran’s Memorial Park in Muskego was the place to be on August 3. Muskego Lions distributed 200 bike helmets, 200 safety vests, and 200 safety lights to children at the event.

Youth Exchange Student Thanks Lions for the Trip of a Lifetime

BY DELANEY ADKINS, YOUTH EXCHANGE STUDENT FROM WEST ALLIS. SPONSOR: WEST ALLIS LIONS CLUB)

From the moment I got off the plane in Poland in July 2022, I was met by warm hospitality that made me feel so welcomed. I knew this was going to be a great experience, but it exceeded any expectations. My host family was so generous-always making sure I was comfortable-and they really were excited to showcase their country. They were also hosting another girl from France, so not only was I able to learn about Poland’s culture, I was also able to learn a lot about France. My host family really wanted us to experience Poland and show us around. Immediately after we met, we went to Książ Castle. I was able to experience architecture that the U.S. doesn’t have anywhere. Along with its castle, came its history, including the rulers that had once lived extravagant lives there. From there, we dove into the cuisine by eating the most Polish food I could think of: Pierogies! Instead of just trying one pierogi, my host mom, Karolina, ordered us four different kinds so we could really experience it all. While in Poland, I was able to better understand the culture. Staying with a host family has helped me to better understand what life is like in Poland – What they do for fun, what they eat, how they travel, etc. Living with people from the country really immerses you in a way regular traveling might not. The whole host family stay is a memory I will never forget.

After one week with my amazing host family, it was time to go to camp. Right off the bat, everyone was so very friendly. I met people from all over the globe and learned everything there was to learn about their countries. It was tons of fun comparing and contrasting our countries! The Poland camp was a sailing camp. And while I don’t know the first thing about sailing, I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone. When I got there, I found out no one really knew how to sail and I still think that is one of the first bonding experiences we all shared. Sailing really is a team effort so within the first day, we all became comfortable with each other. There was even one day when we went tent camping! It was tons of fun! We put together our tents, ate dinner that was cooked over the fire, and sang. In the short week we had together, we all became really close, which is why the last few days were so hard. On Friday, we took a five-hour bus ride to Krakow where we would stay at a hotel and where people would depart. On Saturday, people started to leave and it was one big cryfest. From this experience, I think we were all able to learn a lot about each other and form lifelong friendships.

Traveling changes your perspective of the world and brings us all a little closer in this big world. I cannot thank the Lions Club enough for helping me go on the trip of a lifetime.

District Bowling

Nov 5, 6 and 12, Root River Center, Franklin

Franklin Lioness Lions Cousin’s Donation Night

Nov 13, Franklin Portion of funds from 4-7pm benefit Franklin Lioness Lions

Zone 2.2 Meeting

Nov 14

Zone 1.2 Meeting

Nov 17, South Milwaukee

Zone 1.1 Meeting

Nov 28

Franklin Lioness Lions Culver’s Fundraiser Night

Dec 15, Culvers, 4220 W Oakwood Park Ct, Franklin Portion of funds from 4-9pm benefit Franklin Lioness Lions

District Convention

Candidates Wanted!

We are seeking candidates for the following offices: • District Governor • 1st Vice District Governor • 2nd Vice District Governor • District Bowling • District Golf

Please submit your paperwork by November 15th to Lion Cindy Lotzer at cindy.lotzer@yahoo.com. Remember to include the meeting minutes stating that your club is supporting you.

FORT ATKINSON LIONS CLUB – Members came out in full force for the Brat and Curd Fry community event. Grilling, serving customers, selling raffle basket tickets and more. Together, they had a successful event that not only served as a fundraiser, but brought members together to socialize and be reminded about the community of the “We Serve” Lions. It was the first time the club participated in the city-wide Rhythm-Remix event and had a great turnout of Lions Club members, district Lions officers, and the community. Thanks to Lion Michelle Ebbert for heading up the fry portion and Lion Nancy Onufer who handled the raffle. Lions Jeff Woods and Kevin Becker cook the brats.

Lions Jim Schafer, Pete McMillen, and Don Gross sold beverages and snacks. The second shift of Fort Atkinson Lions Club.

Fort Atkinson Lion Glen Schafer welcomed District Governor Dave Stedman and partner in service Lynn Klug. A handful of Lions: 2VDG Ray Jones, Sue Jones, 1VDG Tal Janowitz, Darlene Janowitz, and organizer Michelle Ebbert.

The Fort Atkinson Lion was our best promotion, waving to city travelers and encouraging them to head to the food stand. There were over a dozen baskets with a variety of prizes from resort stays, wine collections, and family fun packages. The cheese curds were a popular item. Lion Jim Glynn scoops the curds from the fryer for hungry customers. FROM THE 27-A1 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

DAVID STEDMAN

tubabuzz@charter.net 920-650-2113

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

“Membership is Everyone’s Responsibility”

Membership is one of those topics you can spend a lot of time discussing how to improve our clubs, but the truth is the solutions are quite simple. We all have a responsibility when it comes to our club’s success when it comes to membership growth. It’s not solely the responsibility of the membership chair or the president to attract new people to our clubs; it takes the whole team effort by all the members to make those non-Lions join us in our efforts to serve our communities. TEAMWORK MAKES LION WORK!

Each Lion has the ability to impact the lives of 70 people annually, so the more we invite the more we can serve. Imagine if every Lion asked just one person to join their club – think how many people we could serve. All it takes is asking one family member, friend, or neighbor. You might be surprised to find that many individuals would join our organization, but have never been asked directly to become a member. JUST ASK!

When non-Lions see us performing our service in the community, do we stop to think about how our actions may influence others? Better yet, how much visibility do our clubs have in the community, letting them see what we are all about? What we do, and how we present ourselves has a major impact on our future growth. How many times have you heard that Lions are the best kept secret? You might be surprised at how many individuals have heard about us, but have never been given the meat and potatoes about our organization – what we do not only for our communities, but for the whole world. So, when the opportunity presents itself, have your elevator speech ready to go! Share your passion with others as to the reason you are a Lion. TELL YOUR STORY!

Not only is it important to attract new members, but it is also important to be retaining our current members and making sure they are valued, respected, needed, and above all enjoy being a Lion. Everyone has a different reason for joining a Lions club. Be sure you are nurturing each other with an element of fun and excitement when at meetings or performing service activities. Our International President Lion Brian Sheehan emphasizes the importance of having fun while serving and that is such an important part of lionism. KEEP MEMBERS HAPPY!

It’s also a great idea to go beyond your own club and experience the whole world of Lions. Attend another club’s festival or event. Think about going to a district, state, or international convention, even if you have never gone or haven’t attended in a while. You’ll be amazed at what you will learn about what other clubs are doing and how their club functions. You will make FRIENDSHIPS THAT LAST A LIFETIME!

Hopefully, you can look at yourself and your club and say everything is going great, but if you are not quite so sure, maybe it’s time to evaluate where things are and what can be done to improve things for the future. Encourage new ideas from the newer members and embrace diversity. Our clubs are not the same as they were decades ago. Change is never easy, but if our clubs are going to grow in membership, we have to work through changes and accept the fact that some change is actually alright. All of us should have the same goals as Lions which is to give back to communities by serving in the best way we can. By doing so and showing others what a great organization we are a part of, it will help us to grow our membership and clubs to be strong pillars in our communities and live up to the true meaning of our motto, WE SERVE!

JUNEAU LIONS CLUB – The Flyin Pancake Breakfast. CLYMAN LIONS CLUB – The Annual Pork Chop fund raiser.

lionsdistrict27a2.org

THIENSVILLE-MEQUON LIONS

– Raising funds at the Taste of Mequon event. THERESA LIONS CLUB – Tractor pull with Past Club President Rob Bowe and 2VDG Deb Freeman.

GRAFTON LIONS CLUB – The Annual Golf Ball Drop awards funds to the Grafton Fire Association and the lucky winner whose golf ball is dropped closest to the cup from atop a ladder truck. Lion Dave Antoine and Grafton Lions President Rose Sauers present a check for $206 to Firefighter Luke Van Natta, who climbed the ladder and dropped the balls. It is a fun event and a great community builder.

BEAVER DAM LIONS CLUB

– In preparation for new and improved playground equipment, Club members tore down the obsolete equipment.

BEAVER DAM LIONS CLUB –

Members Dr. Alan Earhardt, Desi Jimenez, Robert Wyman, Mike Baxter, and Mary Nummerdor classifying prescriptions on donated glasses.

5 Gun Raffle and Meat Raffle

November 13, 12-3pm Iron Ridge Inn Restaurant

Hartford Lions Club Pancake/ French Toast Breakfast

Nov 12th, 7:30am-1:30pm Hartford Union School

HUSTISFORD LIONS CLUB

– Lions Jerry Jahns, DG Bert Freeman, Beth Lueder, and Michele Jahns at the Venetian Night Fundraiser with youth volunteers. FROM THE 27-A2 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

BERT FREEMAN

lionsubway206@gmail.com 608-733-1801

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

“The more I help others to succeed, the more I succeed.” Ray Kroc

A couple of items of interest as I begin my 4th month as 27-A2 District Governor

Lions Supporting Lions

In the past 2 years as the Vice Governor visiting clubs, it became increasingly clear to me that some clubs are not willing to take on service projects or a fundraising event because of the lack of members to help, be it advancing age or dwindling membership. At the District Zone Chair meeting held in August, I announced a plan to have those clubs that need help and could use some assistance, contact their zone chair. Describe the event, times needed, mention how many Lions they need, and the zone chair will assist in contacting the clubs in their zone for help. If need be, that same zone chair will seek region or district support for additional help, if the support numbers are not met. We need visibility to grow our membership. It all comes down to, CLUBS SUPPORTING CLUBS. This is nothing new to those who perform vision-screening in our district. It is not uncommon to have 3 or 4 clubs combine efforts to support a vision-screening service project in a district schools. Let’s use this as a role model to support each other.

Zone Chair Meetings

In the past, officers of the respective clubs attended the zone chair meetings and starting immediately, any member of a club in that zone will be able to attend and participate in that zone meeting and share their thoughts and offer suggestions.

Lions have one of most recognizable brand/logo in the world. I cringe when I hear “Lions are the best kept secret”. WE ARE NOT, and I shake my head when I hear that comment, because it is not true. We as Lions need to talk to our neighbors, family, friends, and share exactly who and what Lions are all about and the awesome services we provide to those in need. It may take more than one discussion with that potential member to garner interest. It is called the “5 touch rule”.

“I said what I meant, I meant what I said”

BEAVER DAM LIONS CLUB –

$7,000 was raised at the Annual Emily C. Lyons Memorial Golf Outing at Old Hickory Golf Club in Beaver Dam. We are so grateful to the Lyons-Wood families for their continued support and generosity. #EMSTRONG Pictured are: Dawn LyonsWood; LEBW Board Treasurer, Ron Blawusch; Elle Callies; LEBW Community Outreach Coordinator, Adam Crowson; & LEBW Past Board Chair, Rick Daluge. Save the date for 2023 - July 8th at Old Hickory Golf Club.

COLOMA LIONS CLUB – The Club celebrated their 50th anniversary at their annual Community Appreciation Picnic held at the Coloma Community Park on August 15th. There were over 100 fellow Lions and members of the community that joined in the celebration, including District Governor Dave Brinkman, Zone Chairperson David Przekurat from the Wild Rose Lions Club, Max Harrington from the Plainfield Lions and other Lion members from Plainfield and Hancock. The celebration couldn’t have happened without the help of members and their families. Community businesses made donations to make the anniversary a success. The Coloma Lions Club was chartered May 30, 1972 and the rest is history. Charter member Arden Bandt spoke about the history of the club. District Governor Dave Brinkman congratulated the Club on their success and recognized the history of the Club. Max Harrington of the Plainfield Lions Club talked about his role in sponsoring the Coloma Lions Club fifty years ago. He and Jim Wenzel met with community members of Coloma to talk about the benefits of having a Lions Club. When there is a need by a group or someone in the community, the Coloma Lions Club is ready to step up.

MARKESAN LIONS CLUB – On Labor Day, the Club held their annual chicken BBQ. They served 400 meals and sold out in about an hour and a half. It was a great day for a barbecue.

27-B1 District Convention

November 11-12, 2022 Radisson Hotel and Conference Center 625 W. Rolling Meadows Dr., Fond du Lac • Visit wilionsb1.org for more information

Send your District Calendar additions to lionsof27b1@gmail.com HEART OF THE VALLEY LIONS

CLUB – On July 30, the Club held a Stuff the Bus event at Walmart on Calumet St. in Appleton. It was made possible by a number of generous supporters, including Kobussen Bus Inc. in Kaukauna and Dixon Ticonderoga in Appleton. The club worked with the schools to identify a list of the most needed supplies. They received an overwhelming response from the community. In addition to supply donations, they received over $2,000 in monetary donations; these monies were used to purchase gift cards for gym shoes.

wilionsb1.org

DISTRICT 27-B1 VISION-

SCREENING PROGRAM – The school vision-screening program was started in 2014 by the Appleton Noon Lions after purchasing their first screening device in the fall of 2013. It was made by PediaVision and called the SPOT vision-screening camera. Lions clubs throughout the United States have acquired the SPOT screener for use in vision-screenings. In 2015, the Wisconsin Lions Foundation received a $100,000 LCIF Grant where each district could acquire three screening devices of their choice. B1 District chose the SPOT screener and currently has 134 trained screeners with six certified trainers. At present, B1 District has eleven SPOT vision-screening devices of which seven are district owned and four are club owned. The screenings not only include schools but also community functions, daycares, and county fairs. In 2019 we eclipsed the 100,000 mark at 106,521 students screened with 11,584 referrals. PID Doctor Ed Cordes challenged the nations Lions to screen one million students between August 15, 2021, and December 31, 2021, in response to the Covid-19 school closings. District B1 came in second in the nation with 21,504 screenings and 2,709 referred. The bottom line to all these numbers are the thousands of lives we have impacted by improving the quality of vision.

Winnebago East Shore, St. Peter and Van Dyne Lions Clubs combined efforts and set up a Lions booth in the Expo Center at the Fond du Lac County Fair. They provided vision-screening to any child accompanied by an adult.

The Cleveland Lions Club held a vision training class in which 11 members attended and were certified. The class was conducted by certified instructor PDG Fred Gebhart. They were trained on the WelchAllyn SPOT device under the district vision-screening program. St. Peter and Winnebago East Shore Lions Clubs set up a visionscreening training and refresher class for the upcoming school year. The training and certification were conducted by PDG Fred Gebhart in which seven Lions were certified and six Lions renewed.

Since beginning a Spot visionscreening program in 2014, the Appleton Noon Lions Club has vision screened more than 73,000 young people. The club has referred more than 7,000 students for professional follow up eye exams as a result of the Spot vision-screening.

Montello Lions Club held a visionscreening at Montello City Park on the first weekend of May. They screened 29 kids.

WILD ROSE LIONS CLUB – The Club celelebrated their 70th Anniversary. Past presidents Jim Erdman, Dave Przekurat, Patricia Karasek, Joe Turcotte and Jack Dickson spoke of the highlights of their prospective years. The 70th Anniversary logo was used throughout the celebration.

WILD ROSE LIONS CLUB – The theme for this year’s parade for Party on the Pond was Hometown Heroes. The Club chose to honor their senior members by having them ride on their float. The combined years of service is 187 years! Pictured is Jim Morgenroth, Jack Dickson, Dave Przekurat, Jim Erdman, not pictured is Sandy Dickson. WILD ROSE LIONS CLUB – The Club hosted the 27-B1 Zone Meeting on Monday, September 6th. The tri-yearly Zone Meetings are intended to help the various Waushara County clubs connect and share ideas and successes, while enjoying a meal and social hour. The guest speaker was DG Dave Brinkman. The focus of the evening was “Being of Service”. He challenged the clubs to go into their communities and seek out the needs and then come up with plans to meet those needs to the best of their abilities. Mr. Brinkman also encouraged the clubs to “Tell Their Story,” often the community is unaware that they have a local Lions Club but they don’t understand the reach and scope of the Lions Club International. There are five types of service excellence events that all clubs host yearly; Hunger, Vision, Diabetes Awareness, Environment, and Childhood Cancer. The clubs 27-B1 clubs excel in this commitment.

MISHICOT LIONS CLUB –

Thanks goes out to Kambrya who repainted all of the Mishicot Little Libraries. She did a fantastic job! FROM THE 27-B1 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

DAVE BRINKMAN

brinkdav@yahoo.com 920-344-2585

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

?? Hello Lions and Leos of 27 B1,

We are in the final days leading up to the District Convention, which is November 11-12. If you haven’t registered yet, don’t fret, you can register at the convention which is being held at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Fond du Lac. More information can be found on the District 27-B1 website, wilionsb1.org. The schedule is full with 3 seminars; the first on Old Glory Honor Flights, followed by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department brief on Internet Scams and Fraud and finishing it off is International Director Dianne Pitts’ discussion on Lions Club International Foundation. Come join us for some good old-fashioned Lions fellowship and a chance to win some raffle prizes to boot.

As the District progresses through the year, we are moving closer to achieving the goals the District has established. The question I would like to ask, has your club established goals? Something that your club would like to accomplish during the year? How about individual goals? Maybe there is something you would like to accomplish as Club President or Club Service Chair? SMART is the acronym for characteristics of goals:

S – Specific - clear and describes what will be accomplished

M – Measurable - so you can measure progress

A – Actionable - having control over accomplishing the goal

R – Realistic - challenging and not something that is impossible

T - Time-bound - have a target end date to keep process focused

Clubs and individuals who set goals that are SMART have a higher chance of achieving greater success. A quick example: I would like to add 38 new members to my club by the end of the year. Not realistic is it? How about, I would like to add three new members to my club by the end of the year. More like it. At your next club meeting take a couple of minutes and think about some SMART goals you think you or your club can establish before years end. If you get stuck, let me know if I can help. My contact information is on the page.

WAYSIDE MORRISON LIONS

CLUB – The last Music in the Park was hosted for the season. Bent Grass Band from Green Bay performed for a crowd of over 600 people. Because of the outstanding community support throughout the year, the club was able to give back to five different organizations; WI Lions Camp, Leader Dog, Syboll Hopp School in DePere, ASPIRIO, and the Brown County K9 Unit. VAN DYNE LIONS CLUB – A $1000 check was presented to the DAV and a $1000 check to the Am Vets. The funds were raised at their annual Smalltown Days and car show on August 20th. The theme of this year’s event was “Smalltown Salutes Veterans”. Members of both the DAV and Am Vets held a flag raising ceremony at the event, marched in the parade and helped with the car show. Pictured are (l to r): Lion Brian Seffern, Jeff Bedward, Steve Chestna, Lion President Scott Scovronski

SISTER BAY LIONS CLUB – The Annual Labor Day weekend Sister Bay Marina Fest was started by Lion Bill Steger who was with the US Navy at the Sturgeon Bay Shipyards decided he wanted to do something for kids. Children and parents rig sailboats or powerboats inside an event tent using scrap lumber cut into various sizes. Tables were equipped with hammers and nails, string, colored markers and flags. Lions staff a table with glue guns and help supervise the working tables. The kids assemble their boats with the scraps to rig the boat as they choose. The Lions have continued the event every year since Bill’s passing in 2005. His wife Judy continues to assemble the sails every year, over 170 this year! The Club makes an annual donation of $750 to the Leader Dog Program in Lion Bill Steger’s name.

OCONTO LIONS CLUB – The Club delivered glasses, used toner cartridges, and clear medicine bottles to the Lions Camp on August 27th. Although no rain was forecasted the pic says it all. Pictured: Adam Orth, Sherri Orth, Chris Schwartz, Bob Schwartz. HOWARD-SUAMICO CLUB – The Club is seeing an increase in requests for accessibility ramps for persons with various physical challenges and is attempting to fulfill this need by designing, building and installing the ramps at the residences of qualifying individuals. Labor is provided by Lions Club members, and materials are obtained through community donations, Club funds and the qualifying individual’s contributions. A recently completed ramp project provided Kegen with easy access to his home. This likely would not have been possible if not for the generous funding from two organizations called Options for Independent Living (OIL) and DIY Home Center. Looking to the future, the Club would like to continue to build and assemble accessibility ramps to fill a need in the local community. In order to continue with these important projects, they are looking for donations from private parties or local businesses to help defray the ramp material costs. If you are in need of this type of service, or can help in any way with funding, feel free to contact Lion Art Becker at akbec@sbcglobal.net or Lion John Myers at johnmyers3206@yahoo.com.

GRAND CHUTE LIONS

CLUB – The Club has been constructing wheelchair ramps for people in the Fox Valley area around Appleton since 1993. The manager of the project meets with the homeowner and designs a ramp that will meet their needs and also be ADA compliant. Owners pay for the ramp materials and the Lions provide the labor. All ramps are constructed using screws to allow for adjustments and ease of disassembly. When the ramp is no longer needed, the owner calls the Lions and they remove it from the property. Portions of old ramps are reused in order to save the next owner from buying all new materials. As of August 1, the Grand Chute Lions have constructed a total of 483 wheelchair ramps.

MARINETTE LIONS CLUB –

Members Wally Hitt, Dave Evancheck, John Foster and Mike Martin sorted thousands of donated, used eyeglasses for the Lions Recycle for Sight Program. PESHTIGO LIONS CLUB – Members participated in their third and final Adopt-aHighway Project for 2022. The Peshtigo Lions pick up trash along two miles of County B, one mile of County BB, and Schacht Road from the city limits to Old Peshtigo Road. They also picked up trash from the on and off ramps north of Peshtigo. Pictured are Lions Paul McClain, Tom Gryzwa, Jim Tress, Steve Peterich, Dan Peterson, & Terry Gardon. Participating but not pictured were Lions Mark Neumann & Rhonda McClain.

BONDUEL LIONS CLUB – The 64th Annual Corn Roast was held on August 5th. The club roasted and served over 500 dozen ears of corn. There were ball games to watch, a corn hole tournament, food, drinks and music by the New Generation band. Attendees were greeted by our own Bonduel Lion and Corny. IOLA LEOS CLUB – The Club raised $335 in a 9-Pin-Bowling Fundraiser on May 20 at Silver Lake Lanes. 23 students in 7th through 12th grades took part in the event. The money will be used to support the 2023 Kids Easter Party. Awards were presented to the top eight bowlers, with the top participant earning $75 in gift cards, and the eighth-place finisher receiving $15 in gift cards. Henry Vater took first place (pictured), Parker Prahl garnered second, and Charlie Vater came in third.

NIAGARA LIONS CLUB – The “Stuff the Bus” event was recently held for school supplies. They also accepted cash donations and increased those donations with a $1,000 check to the Niagara School District. Pictured are (l to r): Niagara School teachers Amanda Perry-Dollar, Kerrie Steinbrecher, Annie Santori, and Sherri Champagne and Lions Terry Youren and Dan Decker. FROM THE 27-B2 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

JOHN REIL

lionjohnr27b2@gmail.com 920-759-1388

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

To the “AMAZING” Lions Club Members of District B2. I truly am proud to be your Governor and want nothing more than to help make you proud to be a Lion. All that we have going for us in this extremely gifted group of Lion Leaders and Lion Members makes us Kings of Service. Service is what we do, and service is what we are great at doing. With colder weather and Winter fast approaching, it may make it harder for some of us to do service, so our service projects may slow down. This is where we must “think outside the box” as International President Brian Sheehan has asked us to do. Don’t let these next few months slow us down or prevent us from doing what we know how to do better than any other organization or service group out there. Take advantage of the situation at hand and lend a hand to someone that needs your help. Help a neighbor shovel snow, take them to the store or go to the store for them, just stop in and say “Hello” or to see how they are doing or if they need anything, give them a little bit of your time over coffee/tea or a game. The holidays are almost here so deliver holiday meals to the elderly or to those families that could use a little help. These are trying times for everyone with gas and food prices escalating. So, with all of this said, please remember to Serve by Example, Serve with Strength, Serve with Integrity and most of all, Serve with Compassion.

Membership is growing, we have 9 new members in our District so far and I have several new member inductions scheduled soon. I applaud you for the recruiting efforts your clubs are doing, and I have no doubt that we will reach or even surpass our goal for new members. I have lots of new member kits so my challenge to all of you is to help me use them up.

Club visits have been going very well and it is one of my favorite parts of being the District Governor. I truly enjoy visiting your clubs and meeting your members so please invite me to your club, I want to meet all of you.

There is a new section in the Wisconsin Lion called “Random Acts of Kindness” and it can be found on the back of the page. If you or anyone you know has a random act of kindness and would like to share it, write it up and email it to me. You never know, it could end up in the next edition of the Wisconsin Lion.

Please remember to register for our District Conference on November 4th & 5th at the Tundra Lodge in Green Bay. It’s a family event so bring your kids and/or grandkids. We have activities planned for them and they will get free waterpark passes for a fun filled afternoon. You must provide an adult chaperone for your children. A free pizza lunch will also be provided for all the kids and chaperones. I have emailed the necessary registration forms to all Club Presidents and Secretaries, if you still need one, email me and I will send you a copy. Lion Tammy Welles (district27b2news@gmail.com) will be sending out an email blast with more information about the Conference, so be on the lookout for it. If you have an activity coming up and you want to share it with other Clubs, send it to Lion Tammy at the before mentioned email address and she can blast it out for you. There’s Power in Our Service

27-C1 NEWS e-district.org/sites/27c1

WISCONSIN RAPIDS LIONESS

& LIONS CLUBS – The Clubs presented a check to Chris Hamm, President – HHAUSA, Inc. of $500 to support a veteran for an Honor Flight chapter in Wisconsin. HHAUSA also dedicates the first 22% of their funds to combat PTSD by providing outdoor experiences to a new life and healing through archery and the outdoors to those who serve as Veterans, Active-Duty Service Members, First Responders, and Law Enforcement Officers. We are proud to support this mission to heal!

WISCONSIN RAPIDS LIONESS

& LIONS CLUBS – The 22nd Golf Outing was on Sunday, September 4th. Lioness/Lions sponsored Hole 11 and held a raffle on that hole of an USA wooden flag and wind chimes. Rubber duck game with seven iron to see who could hit the farthest duck in foursome received an extra ticket for raffle. All golfers had fun hitting the rubber duckies. Proceeds will go to Leader Dog. Perfect Weather! ROCHE A CRI LIONS CLUB – Kalven, Bonny, Mary and Jim in pictures. Kandis and husband Rick are members as of August meeting.

MARSHFIELD LIONS CLUB – The club cooked and served brats at Simplicity Credit Union on August 16th.

Lions Dennis Suckow and Dave

Riesling.

Lions Sue Cherney, Nicole Hovendick, Bruce Lautenschlager and Lily Michalski MARSHFIELD LIONS CLUB – The club served food at their booth at the Central Wisconsin State Fair.

Lions Steve McCabe, Ken Zittleman and Dennis Suckow

IPDG Linda Carter Received the Knight of Sight Award. Pictured are: PDG Mike Carter, IPDG Linda Carter, DG Phil Hollis. THE NEKOOSA LIONS CLUB – The Club celebrated spouses' night with the awarding of three Melvin Jones Fellowship awards to Gary King, Jason Dhein and Terry Whitmore. They also dedicated a bench purchased in memory of the five Past District Governors from the Nekoosa Lions Club: PDG Lion Tom McLean, PDG Lion Herb Carlson, PDG Lion Marveen Carlson, PDG Lion Norm Pearson and PDG Lion Leanne Pearson.

EASTON WHITE CREEK LIONS

CLUB – This is Kandis and her Leader Dog, Tim-Tam. Kandis and Tim are being trained in the Michigan center for Leader Dog. Kandis and Tim will return to their Adams County home on September 24th. Kandis is thankful for all the Lions and has chosen to join Easton White Creek along with her husband.

We Serve 2022 Convention: One For The Memory Books

As we bid farewell to 27-C1 District Convention 2022, the memories will be cherished by all that were there. Friday night’s auction was one for the books, as BJ Blahnik from B2 took over the auction for awhile. This was quite the feat as he is legally blind. Throughout the weekend between the auction, the raffle baskets, and the raffle of the homemade furniture made by the students of our very own Lion from the Bevent Lions, we made over $4,000 for the Lions Camp. Saturday brought nominations, seminars, awards, and a lot of hanging out with friends new and old. Our seminars included Lion Andrea Yenter, Director of the Wisconsin Lions Camp. As always, she really wowed the crowd with her passion for her job, the kids and the Camp.

The Eye Bank seminar did not disappoint, with their detailed presentation about what goes on in the Eye Bank. Our Past International Director, Mark Lyon and his wife, Lion Lyn Lyon were spectacular guests all weekend. They really mingled with the Lions, and Mark Lyon had an awesome message about seeing the invisible members of your club, and those in the community. Our keynote speaker had a lot to say on diversity.

The end of the evening brought the results of the nominations. Congratulations to Rita Mueller who will be WLF Director, Lion Sue Habrat, who will be the newest Lions Eye Bank Director, Lion Sherri Ross who is 2nd Vice Governor-Elect, 2nd Vice District Jamie Wilde, now 1st Vice District Governor-Elect, and 1st Vice District Governor, Patty Hollis, now District Governor-Elect.

This convention might be in the memory books, but there is always next year’s convention. It will be at the Weston Lanes on October 27-28, 2023. We will see you there. FROM THE 27-C1 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

PHILLIP HOLLIS

lionphilhollis@gmail.com 715-460-4831

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

As the holiday season comes upon us, we should stop a minute and count our blessings. With each fundraiser and service project we do, we are helping people, not just in our own communities, but all over the world. We come together to serve each other, to help each other.

As the year goes on, I have attended fundraisers, service projects, and club meetings. At each event, I am touched and proud to be a Lion as I see all the people you serve. At our convention this year, I got to meet a lot of Lions, I otherwise would not have. Everyone I met was so excited to be there. To learn what other Lions were doing in their communities. They were meeting old friends while making new ones. As I looked around, I could not help remembering why I became a Lion.

I want to challenge everyone this holiday season, to remember why you became a Lion. As your family comes together, talk with them about what you do as a Lion. Let them in on the secret we all know. That service from the heart is something that makes you feel proud and accomplished. That feeling when you are done with a service project and know that the people who benefit from it are so thankful. Or when your club writes a check for the many programs, we as Lions support.

You are all a blessing to your Lions Club and community. Every accomplishment you and your club achieve should be celebrated. So please, celebrate this holiday season. Reenergize yourself and remember that you are important in every way to the Lions!

As we go through the next few months, I want to visit each of your clubs. I want to hear your ideas, your thoughts, and your feelings on how to make Lionism work for you. Please schedule a date for me to visit your club at the above contact information.

Wisconsin Lions Foundation, Inc. and Deer Hides for WI Lions Camp are ramping up for our annual deer hide collection, which last year brought over $80,000 in funds for our program! To make this even more fun, we’re excited to share that our deer hide buyer has given us gloves to sell in our trading post. These are high-quality work gloves in a variety of sizes - some made with the deer hides our buyer got from us. Profits from the sales go directly to Camp - it’s another way to support this great fundraiser. Go to our camp website (wisconsinlionscamp.com) and click on Trading Post. The gloves are located in the accessories menu. Happy shopping!

PLOVER-WHITING

LIONS CLUB – Pictured (l to r) serving a back to school dinner: Lion Andrea Thorstad, Lion Marlene Raykowski, Lion Georgia Lutz and Lion Judy Lutz.

27-C2 NEWS e-district.org/sites/27c2

MERCER LIONS CLUB – The 8th Annual Joe Manzanares Fundraiser Golf Scramble was held on Friday, August 12th at Tahoe Lynx Golf Course in Mercer with 18 teams vying for honors. The 18-hole tourney was the idea of Cory Pedri, a grandson of Manzanares. A delicious buffet was served by the Lions with Louise Minisan chairing the kitchen crew. The tournament chairmen were Lions President, Mike Burgess and Lion Amy Burgess.The event raised just under $5000 and the money all goes back to the Mercer community in Senior scholarships, Mercer Food Pantry, Toys for All, Mercer Ambulance and Rescue, Mercer Fire Department, Flowers for Veterans, and much more. Pictured are (l to r): Stephanie Manzanares, Heather Sbraggia, Hailey Konoske, Alexis Swanson, and Joyce Manzanares, the widow of the tournament’s namesake, Joe Manzanares Sr.

MERCER LIONS CLUB – The Mercer Lions Club held their annual awards banquet on September 8th. President Mike Burgess thanked the members for their many volunteer hours and dedication to the club’s projects during the last year. He then presented length of service awards to Glenn Doxsee for 20 years and Bill Gust for 45 years. President Burgess then presented the Knight of Sight award to Louise Minisan. The Knight of Sight Fellowship is the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin’s highest form of recognition presented to an individual or organization that exemplifies their mission of giving the gift of sight. President Burgess also surprised Lion Amy Burgess with the Lion of the Year for “Outstanding Service and Devotion as a Chairperson for Multiple Events Showing True Lionism”.

WINCHESTER LIONS CLUB –

Sandy Bruhn, Winchester Lions treasurer, presents Issac Cowart, Director of Operations at WinMan Trails, with a $400 donation. WinMan Trails is a non-profit trail system spanning 1,300 acres of private and public land. Their mission is to inspire adventure and strengthen community by sharing an exceptional outdoor trail-related experience.

Above: Lion Amy Burgess and President Mike

Burgess

Below: Lion Louise Minisan and President Mike

Burgess

BOULDER JUNCTION LIONS CLUB – The Club presented $500 to the North Lakeland School 8th grade class. The students and their parents were the servers for the Boulder Junction Lions Club Colorama Dinner in Nash Hall at Camp Manito-wish YMCA on September 17th. In addition to this donation, the 8th grade students also earned $841 in tip money from the guests who enjoyed their service. The funds that the class receives helps pay for their class trip next spring.

North Lakeland 8th grade students and their parents are being presented a check from Lions Club President Wendi Neupert and Lions District 27-C2 Governor Bob Bertch. North Lakeland School Superintendent, Brent Jelinski, receiving the donation from Boulder Junction Lions Club Treasurer, Laura Bertch.

BOULDER JUNCTION & MANITOWISH WATERS LIONS CLUBS – The clubs held their 22nd Annual Golf Tournament at the Trout Lake Golf Club on Thursday, August 25. Each club brought in a share of the proceeds. The Boulder Junction Lions Club chose to give their $2075 in proceeds to the Boulder Junction Community Playground Project and the Manitowish Waters Lions Club chose to give their $5250 in proceeds to Camp Jorn YMCA Child Care.

Pictured are (l to r): 27-C2 District Governor Bob Bertch, Treasurer and Community Playground Committee member Laura Bertch, Community Playground Committee member Dennis Duke, Lion and Golf Tournament CoChair Tom Finta and Lion Kathy Finta. Pictured are (l to r): Lion Jerry Yencich; Lion Doug Ziese; Lion Paul Culler, Lion Mike McKeon, Camp Jorn YMCA Executive Director Dennis Lipp, Lion Phil St Clair, Lion John Hilbert, and Lion Chuck Rayala.

THREE LAKES LIONS CLUB

– A special event celebrated 70 years of service on September 12th. The club board of directors thanked special guest speaker, Immediate Past District Governor B.J. Blahnik and presented him with an $800 donation for Leader Dogs for the Blind. Pictured are: Collette Sorgel, Tammy Anderson, Dave Hintz, Don Meeder, B.J. Blahnik, President Keven DeHaan, Larry Roth, LCIF Representative Hollie Larken, Ryan Miller and Ron Friedle.

CABLE & AREA LIONS CLUB – The Club, which includes the towns of Cable, Drummond, Grandview and Namakagon, had a busy September. First they sponsored an informational seminar about Identity Theft and Consumer Protection. Next, they set up tents for the Chequamegon Mountain Bike Race that starts in Cable. They then drove out to a food station on the race trail to hand out food and drinks to the racers. Lastly, on the day of Cable Fall Fest they sponsored a Shredding Truck so people could bring in all their confidential documents to have safely shredded. This was a tie-in to the earlier Identity Theft Consumer Protection presentation. Jeff Kersten, Agency Liaison for the Bureau of Consumer Protection within the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, gave a presentation on Identity Theft and Consumer Protection to the Cable and Area Lions Club and guests in September. FROM THE 27-C2 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

BOB BERTCH

bobbertch22@gmail.com 715-892-2366

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

As I write this article, it is now officially fall in the Northwoods and time to enjoy the colors of the season. Fall is one of my favorite seasons because of the still warm days and cool nights for sleeping. While we are enjoying the fall, we cannot forget our goal of getting new members and training our officers. There is still time to set up Meet and Greets to get new members in our communities and tell the locals and the world who we are and how important we are to their community. In our District, we already have a couple of the Meet and Greets set up in the near future. Our hope is that these events will bring us back into a positive growth for the District.

I know that this article will be in the November/December paper so a lot of the colors will be gone and some of the white stuff will be on the ground and time to move into the Christmas season. As we get together this Holiday season, let’s remember to spend time with our families and our clubs and celebrate the season. I tell my clubs we are a family of Lions who serve mankind locally and around the world. Give thanks to all we have and take some time out to remember who we are and what we do. In the words of our International President Brian Sheehan Together We Can. Let’s make plans for the New Year to grow our membership and train our officers and members. My sincere best to all of you in our District and all Lions and enjoy the Holidays.

PLUM LAKE LIONS CLUB –The Club recently worked on highway clean up on their portion of Adopt-A-Highway. Lion helpers pictured are (l to r): Lion Kathy Novorolsky, Dixie Barber, Lion Co-President Kathy McCaughn, and Sara Thompson. They were thrilled to have drivers beep their horn and shout out thank you’s while they were cleaning up the roadside.

PHELPS LAND O’LAKES LIONS CLUB – The Phelps Land O’Lakes Lions Club served burgers and brats at the Phelps Scarecrow Fest on September 17. Pictured front row are: Pete Schindelholz, John Voss, Steve Chandler, Wally Beversdorf and Rollie Alger. Back row are: Brian Blank, Bill Reckling, and Scott McPherson.

27-D1 NEWS

lions27d1.org

CROSS PLAINS & MOUNT HOREB LIONS

CLUBS – Mount Horeb Lion Becky Faliveno and Cross Plains Lions Doc Esser and Charlotte Esser work an Adult Visionscreening at the Beloit Health Fair event.

MOUNT HOREB LIONS CLUB –

Lion Becky Faliveno with the new bench the club earned for collecting their first 500 pounds of plastic. The bench was placed in Lions Park. Lion Becky chairs the Next Trex plastic collection committee.

AVOCA, BLUE RIVER & MUSCODA LIONS

CLUBS – The weekend of September 17th and 18th, The Village of Avoca and Pulaski Township celebrated their Sesquicentennial event. The Avoca, Blue River, and Muscoda Lions held a pancake breakfast the morning of the 18th at the Avoca VIllage Hall, including fluffy delicious pancakes, local sausage from the Richland Locker, yogurt from Schreiber Foods, and butter from Alcam Creamery and Grassland Dairy. The club served just about 150 people. A great weekend serving one of the three communities we serve. The pictures are from the pancake breakfast. Also in October, the Avoca, Blue River and Muscoda Lions will be holding a Trunk-orTreat in the Kratochwill Building parking lot in Muscoda during the village’s trick-ortreating hours of 5-7PM on October 31st.

AVOCA-BLUE RIVER-MUSCODA LIONS

CLUB – The Club completed a project to remember a member of the of the community who passed away recently. Tracey Krueger, a longtime teacher, coach and athletic director at Riverdale Schools was honored. Lion Mark Cupp, who headed the committee for the “Coach K” project, stated Coach K was known for his compassion, kindness and infectious smile and his willingness to help others. The Lions Club recently hosted a dedication of a refurbished basketball court in Muscoda. Pictured are Tracy’s family: son, Brendon, wife Cicila, and daughter Alyssa. District Diabetes Chair Lion Jill Kietzke is asking all District Lions to take a pre-diabetes test as part of one of the Lions Clubs five global causes. She suggests taking the test and then possibly sign up for her diabetes prevention course. The test can be found at diabetesrn@trollwaydiabetes.org. Contact Lion Jill at mamakietzke22@gmail.com

EDGERTON LIONS CLUB – Lions Diane Johnson and Mike Dallman manned the chili booth at the Deerfield Lions Chili cookoff on September 24. A good time was had by all.

MONTICELLO LIONS CLUB – The Club was busy selling cheese curds and mushrooms at the Fall Nationals Tractor Pull on Saturday, Sept 24th in Monroe, WI. Shown are Lions Melissa Hershberger, Bob Harvey, Jeri Wendler and Roger Gempeler. It was a big job and everybody loved them. FROM THE 27-D1 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

ALAN JOHNSON

aj542012@gmail.com 608-513-4984

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

We Serve – but are you ready to lead?

Lions of 27-D1, we have come to the month of October! I hope you are well and safe, and you are sharing the service you are performing in your communities. The District 27-D1 GAT team has been busy preparing for the District cabinet meeting, as well as for Regional meetings. I look forward to seeing you at club visits and sharing the service.

The District Cabinet Meeting will be held on October 16th at the Sun Prairie Lions Club starting at 11:30 a.m. The Region 1&2 meeting will be held October 24th at Rex’s Innkeeper in Waunakee; the Region 3&4 meeting will be October 27th at the Albany Clubhouse in Albany; and, the Region 5&6 meeting will be held at the Crossroads in Arthur. Please help the District Governors schedule a club visit.

It will soon be time to attend the District convention. The committee has started to meet to prepare for your 27-D1 convention – if you have a program you would like to see as part of the convention, or would like to help with this event, or have any convention questions, please contact Committee Chairman Lion Mike Vraniak. The next committee meeting is October 11th.

Service reporting is ongoing, but please include your Leo Clubs in this reporting. The Growing Happy Lions program has started with a survey that I hope you have taken time to complete.

The search for some new leaders in the District is getting started for next year. If you have some interest in a Leadership position, contact a member of the executive team. There is District Leadership training coming up and informational meetings are being planned.

And as the holiday season approaches, please remember that especially for Wisconsin Lions, it is better to give than receive: Please consider donating some money to LCIF.

“Together We Can”

SUN PRAIRIE LIONS –

Past District Governors Randy Harrison and Bill Clausius from the Sun Prairie Lions Club mixed up a batch of chicken chili to compete in the Deerfield Lions ChiliFest on Saturday, Sept. 24. It was the first time the Sun Prairie Lions competed in the event. Cambridge and Edgerton Lions Clubs also competed in the event.

BURGERS IN THE PARK

WESTBY LIONS’ CLUB – A dedication ceremony was held at Davidson Park after the purchase of two benches placed in the park in honor of Lion Gary Daines and Lion Ed Klos. Lion Ed, a carpenter by trade, was instrumental in construction and repair of many buildings in Westby, especially in the park like upgrading the bathrooms. Lion Gary was instrumental in organizing the Thanksgiving Dinners, Burgers in the Park and The Food Pantry and was District Governor for 27-D2 in 2015-16. Lion Gary was also a pastor who spoke at many of the churches in the area and was an inspiration for us to help others. Lion Wayne Sherry from Viroqua Lions Club was the emcee for the dedication. Father Michael Klos, son of Lion Ed, gave the invocation and final blessing of the benches. Pictured is the family of PDG Gary.

md27d2.org

Visit wisconsinlions.org/events for a printable version of this form.

WONEWOC AREA LIONS

CLUB – Ed Hagemann received the Lions Club International Chevron Award for being a 40 year Lion member on July 27. A delicious meal was provided by the 1895 Rebel BBQ in downtown Wonewoc. District Governor Tom Knudtson presented Ed with the Award. Ed’s Club members, family, and surrounding town Club members attended the milestone celebration.

SPARTA LIONS

CLUB – Two events were held: Stuff the Bus and serving food at Concert in the Park.

WONEWOC AREA LIONS CLUB – The Club is busy working on a new project of helping raise funds for new playground equipment for Baker’s Field in downtown Wonewoc. They have teamed up with the Wonewoc American Legion Hall Post 206 to hold several fundraisers and kicked it off with a Community Dinner in April. In June, they held Wonewoc Family Fun Day that closed off the main street to traffic to accommodate vendors, Village organizations, food stands, children activities, and Wonewoc Firemen’s famous chicken. A percentage of proceeds were donated to the Fund from all that participated. We also started selling tickets for a Meat Raffle with the drawing to be held at the upcoming Community Auction. In July a Community Auction was held with donated items from the Community and 100% of proceeds went to the Fund. Along with several larger donations from businesses, area citizens, and organizations we have collected just over half of the funds (approx. $40,000 out of $75,000) needed. We will continue to raise funds and inquire about grants to make the new playground a reality. Check out the funds raised thermometer located at Baker’s Field in Wonewoc. FROM THE 27-D2 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

TOM KNUDTSON

tknudt12@gmail.com 608-792-5700

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

Every Lions Club has certain people that usually lead their Club from what they have learned in the past and are currently learning, as Lions you will find out that you never truly stop learning, no matter what level you are at. I bring this up so I can talk about future learning opportunities because not everyone is a natural born leader and needs either some mentoring or the chance to attend one of our Lions Leadership training sessions.

E.L.L.I. or Emerging Lions Leadership Institute

This learning opportunity is a State Lions Leadership event held at our Lions Camp in Rosholt, not only would you be learning from our State Lions Faculty, but also have the opportunity to see Lions Camp in Rosholt. This training session is a 3 day learning event for Club members that have not been a President yet. Anyone from being a new Lion to the seasoned Lion who is looking to be the President may attend. This training focuses on topics like “Conducting Effective Meetings”, “Change Management”, “Mentoring”, “Supporting Lions Teams”, Diversity”, “Creative Thinking”, and “Ensuring Club Success”. This is free for all attendees, but unfortunately by the time this article is printed this opportunity will have already taken place, so please think about attending next years learning experience.

R.L.L.I. or Regional Lions Leadership Institute

This learning experience is open to all Lions at any level to help their Club and to be able to better serve their community. This is also a good learning opportunity for Lions looking to move up to be a future District Governor. To be eligible these Lions need: • To be in good standing and want to better support the Multiple

District or their District initiatives • Have not attended RLLI within the last 5 years

A.L.L.I. or Advanced Lions Leadership Institute

This is considered an International Training event held anywhere in North America and open to any member that has been Club President and have not yet attained the position of 1st Vice District Governor. However, this is not an event you can just sign up for, you would be expected to send in your qualifications and then wait to hear if you have been accepted into this learning event. This Leadership training is a little different you would meet over 100 Lions from North America all looking to better themselves and learning more about the leadership skills that will help he/she achieve their future goals.

I attended ALLI back in 2018 and it was a great learning experience, you will be set-up with a team before going to this event and you will be working on a new project that you will all lecture on once you arrive. ALLI is one of those learning events that will get you prepared for whichever next step you are prepared to make.

Lions members Deb Curley, Kim Lagro, Lisa Larsen, volunteer

Shelly Kochevar

Paw Patrol character, Marshall with his handler and a fan. Nico Hernandez taking aim at Douglas County Sheriff’s candidate, Matt Izzard

Lions Sandy Heifner and Barb Oswskey, keeping the auction organized

PATTISON PARK LIONS CLUB – The Club had a busy first week of August. On the 2nd, they joined local volunteer fire departments, an area car racing family, Paw Patrol character, Marshall, and hundreds of community members at the Four Corners Store, whose owner, Rachel Hansen, offered up the store, lawn, and parking lot area to host National Neighborhood Night out. While store employees treated the crowd to free popcorn and cotton candy, Lions volunteers cooked up brats and hot dogs and served them up with chips, beverages, and a cookie to over 300 folks. The donation-only meal raised a good amount of cash, and will be put toward the usual community causes that the club supports. While folks enjoyed the tasty food, they tried their hand at dunking a couple of the Douglas County Sheriff’s candidates. The night was an over-the-top success, and no doubt, will become an annual event.

Then on that Saturday, August 6th, the club hosted the 38th Annual Golf Tournament. Hosting 115 golfers from around the state, including Lions from Dresser and Hayward as well as folks from around Minnesota, the event has not diminished in either its popularity or participation. While the day was a little damp, all golfers and volunteers had a great time. Over the course of the day, folks golf nine holes, take chances on great hole prizes (including a hole in one chance for cash), and are treated to a great made-to-order steak dinner at the end of their round. In the meantime, everyone has chances to get on prize-winning boards, purchase 50/50 drawing tickets, check out the Chinese auction, and wait with baited breath to hear who the annual lawn mower and cash prize raffle winners are.

district27e1.org

LAKE HOLCOMBE LEOS CLUB –

The LEO’s held a school supply drive and collected server supplies along with several financial donations which will be used to purchase supplies needed throughout the school year. Many of the supplies were taken to the food pantry and the rest were given to the school to help students that needed additional supplies to start the year off right. Pictured is one of the LEO members with their supplies. The LEO club also helped during the recent car show held by the Lake Holcombe Lions. Pictured are two of the LEOs selling soda at the event.

CLEAR LAKE LIONS CLUB –

$1471 was donated to Clear Lake Elementary School Backpack Program. These funds were raised from the raffle ticket sales at the Lions Annual Charity Golf Scramble on August 6. Pictured are (l to r): Jami Donath (Elementary School Guidance Counselor), Lion Cheryl Paulson, Theresa Anderson (Elementary School Principal) LADYSMITH LIONS CLUB – The Lions agree, Life is Great on highway 8 as they recently built an 8 foot Adirondack chair as a tourist attraction in Memorial Park in Ladysmith with a sign that says “Life is Great on Highway 8”, Ladysmith WI.

RICE LAKE LIONS CLUB – The Rice Lake Lions Club sold Norske Nook pies and “pie-shakes” at the Barron Count Fair. Pictured are: Peter and Marty Gallagher, Steve Dahlgren, Jack Haines, Nancy Zabel, Bunee Schultz, Dave and Kris Schilling. Profits went for community projects.

DRESSER, SIREN, & AMERY

LIONS CLUBS – One of our district goals is clubs helping clubs. Here three clubs team together to grill burgers for a community celebration. Pictured are: Scott Weyand and Steve Young (Siren Lions), Larry Kresl and Dave Nelson (Amery Lions), Boyd Dosch (Dresser Lions).

CADOTT LIONS CLUB –

One of the newly installed swings enables a parent and young child to swing facing each other, while the second swing allows someone in a wheelchair to roll onto the platform without leaving their wheelchair. Pictured are Lion members John Dugal, Bob Starck, and Terry Licht mixing cement (top) and DG Brian Dulmes and his grandson trying out the new Expression Swing (bottom).

TURTLE LAKE LIONS CLUB –

A great time was had by all at the annual District Governors Night at the Celebrations at the Gables Event Center in Turtle Lake. Eight new members were inducted and current members were celebrated. A community award was presented to Ricky Anderson “the Can Man” for helping out at the fair over the past few years. Pictured are the new members and their sponsors as DG Brian Dulmes welcomes the members. Pictured is PDG Bill Anderson receiving a Knight of Sight from PDG Larry Bradley. PDG Bill also received a plaque of appreciation from DG Brian Dulmes. PCC Robert Bayerl and Lion Dianne are thanked by DG Brian for installing the cabinet members at the last cabinet meeting.

JIM FALLS LIONS CLUB –

Pictured attending the Sturgeon Fest are Jim Falls President Frank Foiles and his wife Lion Sue, ID Lee Vrieze and his wife Lion Mary and Lion Barb and DG Brian Dulmes.

SHELL LAKE LIONS CLUB –

Friday of Labor Day weekend Shell Lake held their annual fish fry of white fish. Members were kept busy preparing the potatoes and frying the fish. The event is held in conjunction with their community celebration held all weekend long. FROM THE 27-E1 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

BRIAN DULMES

bldulmes@gmail.com 715-829-1454

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

With hurricane Fiona recently impacting Puerto Rico and other areas along the eastern coast of North America and hurricane Ian battering Cuba and the south eastern part of the United States, it is good to know that we are helping those areas recover. LCIF’s disaster relief grants help so many people in this time of despair. Even though Barb and I are thousands of miles away from the devastation, we are glad to know that our donations to LCIF are being put to good use and that our Lions organization is there to help. Now is a good time to consider a personal donation or a club donation to help in this time of need. Your donation directed to the Disaster Relief Fund is used solely for that purpose and no donation is too small.

The unrest in Ukraine and Iran remind us of the importance of thinking about changing attitudes to that of peace. The Peace Poster Contest and Peace Essay Contest are two means of getting young people to really think about world peace. The stories behind the peace poster ideas show that these youth are thinking deeply about peace, likewise those who write the essays are deeply connected to the idea of world peace. If your club sponsors these two initiatives, keep up the great work. If your club has not participated in these, take a look at them and consider getting involved in the next cycle.

Our district’s Youth Service Award is a great way to recognize the volunteer efforts and community dedication of the youth in our district. For more information and how to apply visit the district website (district27e1.org) and click on the District Information drop down menu. This is open to any youth organization in your community and all clubs are encouraged to reach out to these youth organizations and have them apply. You can even have a club level contest to select the club’s entry for the district award. Let’s recognize and promote the good things that our youth are doing.

As Barb and I continue to meet you and your clubs, it is great to see the various ways that clubs go about helping their communities. That is what is nice about being a Lion Club, you mold it to what your community needs. There are so many ways to provide help. There are some clubs that do not do a lot of hands on work, but donate to worthy causes in their community. There are those clubs that provide all or almost all the physical activities of help themselves with the money they have raised. And then there are clubs that do a combination. No one way is the correct way and the way a club operates may evolve over time as new members, new community needs, and new ideas come forward. Whatever way your club operates, keep up the good work and keep an open mind and eye out for new opportunities to serve and to give back to our local and worldwide community.

Lion Thomas Shervey and his partner Patty recently participated in Hustle S’more. Not only did Thomas run in the 5K but he also received enough donations from friends and family that he raised enough money to cover the cost to send a camper to camp for the week.

WLF HEARING AID APPLICATIONS

Information and applications for assistance with obtaining hearing aids for financially needy individuals in our District through our WLF Hearing Aid Project can be easily downloaded from the WLF website, wlf.info, under the Hearing Project tab. The application is also available from our District website, md27e2.org, in the District Organization tab.

GLEN HILLS LIONS CLUB –

Flipping Pancakes and "serving" them up!

SPRING VALLEY LIONS CLUB –

The Sportsman’s Golf Scramble at the Spring Valley Golf Course was attended by 18 teams of four golfers on August 6th. The course started out wet with a nice warm rain, but this did not stop the the10am shotgun start. During the event Spring Valley Lions Burgers were available throughout the day. At the end of the day the golfers gathered in the club house dining room for a buffet dinner prepared by Hurtgen's Catering Service, and raffles were drawn for prizes. The funds raised will be used to benefit a variety of local organizations and projects supported by the Spring Valley Lions Club.

Visit wisconsinlions.org/events for a printable version of the E2 Convention Registration form. md27e2.org

MONDOVI LIONS CLUB – The Lions Club Park recently received an infusion of additional shrubs and trees when Club members added nearly one hundred new plantings as part of the Park’s continued enhancement and development. The City-owned and maintained 3.2 acre park includes a section of the meandering Peeso Creek just before it joins up with the nearby Buffalo River. Lion Ed Mahlum, with nearly 60 years as a Mondovi Lion, said the idea was for the Club to curate a park for children who lived on the south side of town. The easily accessible park includes a multi-station children’s playset and plans to include a small pavilion and year-round benches in the future. Pictured are Randy Crank, Mike Bruning, Mary Quarberg, and Barb Wright.

70 Years of Independence

The Independence Lions Club was chartered in 1951. They have come a long way with a 50 plus membership roster. Independence Lions participates in approximately 30 service projects annually and in the past 2 years have won the highly recognized Club Excellence Award. This year their club received Top Dog Club from Leader Dogs for the blind ( only 1% of Lions Clubs achieve this level). They are very proud to serve their community, country and world.

Independence Lions most certainly put on a wonderful 70th celebration with a Chicken dinner served up curbside/drive-up style. A canoe race and All School reunion. A bean bag tournament, food tent, and Music. With all that going on the Independence Lions had a very unusual event in a very unusual place. A Art show up for silent Auction held in a Opera House, yes that’s right an Opera House. The Opera House is still within the community and looking wonderful. The Independence Lions helped restore this building and it was absolutely beautiful with satin red curtains throughout, complete with a balcony and stage. Congratulations Independence Lions on serving as Lions for 70 years.

Eau Claire Seymore

Plum City Elk Mound

Ellsworth

Officially Officers

PDG RONDA BIERBRAUER, MD27-E2 DISTRICT EDITOR

I decided it was time to take the time to recognize some of our officers. Without the officers who step forward to lead our Lions Clubs we would not have the clubs. So I ask you to stop and thank your officers for all they do. Let them know you appreciate all they do to make your club function and maintain. Tell them they are doing a good job. Send the District Editor photos of your officers and make sure they are officially Installed into their positions. Make it special. Plain and simple tell them “Thank you.” FROM THE 27-E2 DISTRICT GOVERNOR

MARCIA HAGEN

hagen.rjmk@gmail.com 715-896-0421

DISTRICT

GOVERNOR

Hello Friends!! Many of our clubs are now in full swing with Lions projects and meetings. Having attended the USA/CALGARY forum I have a new appreciation for the work our Lions do! Commitment to helping others is what brings us together and through our clubs and our Foundation, we can accomplish anything. As Lion International President Brian Sheehan says “TOGETHER WE CAN-TOGETHER WE WILL”

I’ve been out visiting clubs and getting to know you and you are doing some excellent work!

Be sure to work on your club excellence award qualifications. Review the qualifications in the application lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for- members/resource-center/club-excellence-awards

In OUR district we will be rolling up our sleeves to do some reflecting and planning for the short-term and long-term and your input will be important. Opportunities to impact the service we provide and the quality of our clubs will be planned with the general membership and at the Zone levels. We will plan for serving in our clubs –OUR way!

Can you believe our district convention is just around the corner? This year we will have motivational speakers, time to spend with friends old and new, fun, good food, the opportunity for you to show off your project in the “Toot Your Horn” displays and also to check out displays of other clubs’ exemplary work. There will be opportunities for officer training and also the chance to work on your officer skills or just check out what an officer position would be like. We will do service projects. You can bring in your used eyeglasses, get training on vision-screening, tissue transport and so much more

AND RAFFLES! AND PIN TRADING!

COLLECTOR’S CORNER

Value is in the heart of the Collector!

BY LION REID MEYER, ELLSWORTH LIONS CLUB

We’ve all heard the saying ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ The phrase has a literal meaning: the perception of beauty is subjective - people can have differing opinions on what is beautiful. So what one person perceives as flawless and captivating might be ordinary or unappealing to another. From my perspective, ‘value is in the heart of the collector.’ Collectors collect things of interest, things that are special, things that can be invaluable. In the May/June 2022 installment of Collector’s Corner, I mentioned one aspect of collecting included acquiring, where you might find or buy, or even trade for that special something of interest. I prefer finding or trading vs buying and acquiring items from good friends are extra special! A few years ago, I found a battered little box while cleaning at my parent’s home – opened the box and found this beautiful Appreciation Award given to my Dad, Lion Del Meyer with the Cadott Lions Club. How this glass plate survived for 50 years, I’ll never know…but I’m fairly certain my Dad thought this was pretty special and had to have taken good care of it in his own way! To me, it’s priceless!

Please SAVE THE DATE March 17-18th at the Lismore Hotel in Eau Claire, WI.

ELK MOUND AND PIGEON FALLS LIONS CLUBS – Two of our smallest district clubs, went out and stuffed the bus. OK maybe it was a vehicle, but in any case it was stuffed. Many children will receive the needed school items to help them learn and thrive in the area of education. I truly believe Lions has a special place in their service for children and these two Lions Clubs showed this with smiles and school items. DG Marcia Hagen assists Pigeon Falls (left) and President Scott from the Elk Mound club (right) helps stuff (can you see him)?