This Year's Goals....

Happy New Year!  Have you made your New Year's Resolutions  yet?  Yes, I'm one of "those" people who like to make resolutions at the beginning of a new year..... or maybe they're goals.... or dreams.... or just things I'd like to do differently in the coming year.  But I make them and I do work hard at making them happen.

Here's my "resolutions" for the Mendenhall Flying Lions:

Help more people.  

We are a busy club but I believe there's always room to do more.  They don't have to be big events or projects like our annual Barbecue or Light Flights fundraisers, but more "community service" projects.... Projects that take little planning and time to complete.  Helping our community, not asking for their donations.  It could be helping an elderly person with yard work, chopping firewood, or shoveling snow; or providing a food basket to a family in need; or visiting the sick and frail; or painting the playground at Twin Lakes; or picking up trash in high or visible areas (other than our stretch of the road); having a pancake feed to help a family in need.  The list could go on and on.... and I know that many of us do this type of activity on our own, so why not bring it to the club as a project?

Doing yard work for a fellow Lion who had some health challenges. 

Help more children.

Our main focus is children, yet what do we do for them besides vision screening?  More and more I read on social media of families in need of warm coats and hats.  We hear how schools don't have enough food to feed them.  This is not acceptable.  How can we help our children with their basic needs?  Is anyone willing to step forward and work with the schools and teachers in filling this gap? Helping our children isn't one time a year... it's helping them all year long.  

Collecting toys for Christmas

Help our community.

Community is another focus of our club.  Who's our most vulnerable population in Juneau and Southeast and how can we help them?  Where do we go to find out what our community's needs are?  Or that of Angoon, Hoonah, Pelican?  When we have our Meet and Greet later this spring, it is my hope that we get members from the community to attend that can help us identify the needs of the community..... those families that are hit the hardest and what their needs might be.  But also, what are the needs of our home town?  Do we need more benches to sit on around town?  Is there a part of Juneau that could use some sprucing up?  Are there trees that need trimming or gardens that need weeding?   Is there a community center that could use afternoon snacks for the children?  Every day we go about our business with blinders on, unaware of the surroundings around us, the needs of those we don't see.  How do we help our community be a BETTER community?  Lions, if you know of any places in town that could use a  face lift or some extra attention, please bring it forward.  Times are getting tough in Juneau.  The State is laying off and suspending programs.  Our local governments can't maintain programs like they did in the past.  How can we help lighten the burden for our family, friends, and neighbors?  

Planting trees at Skate Park.

Have more fun!  

This is a direct order from District Governor Mike Brown!  Our club is so busy with the business of being a busy club, that sometimes we forget this aspect of being human beings.  This year let's laugh more and have more fun whether it's in our otherwise boring meetings, more socials or get togethers, or on a project!  Laughter IS the best medicine after all.

The tallest and shortest members of our Club enjoying some laughs.

Increase membership.  

So far we're doing good.  We brought in three new members in December and have one more app to review this week with several more applications being handed out.  And these are to the younger generation!  We are finally moving away from the senior set to the younger generation.  It's exciting to see what changes might come from this!  I bet we'll have more fun!  As far as increasing our membership, it is up to each and every one of us to bring new members forward.  As for being the Membership Chair, I have high hopes for our Meet and Greet this Spring.  

Inducting two of our newer members.

Mentor our members. 

We realize that many members join because they want to do just the activities.  And that's okay; we don't force anyone to do anything they don't want.  But if that's all we did, fun stuff, we wouldn't have a club.  It takes work, a LOT of work to keep our club running not to mention keeping the projects coming.   And that takes training and mentoring our members so they can do the best job with the least frustration and stress.  We've not been real good at this in the past, but are working on making it better.  We need to involve our newest members right away, getting them on a committee or helping another Lion.  We need to mentor them.  At the same time, we need to continue mentoring our older Lions in a way that it is fun and creative and not considered boring training.  There's so much to do.... so little time in the day....  Someone once said, "it takes a village," and in this case, it takes a Club to pull it off.  Our Club cannot sustain with the hard work of only a handful of members.  We need to mentor all our newest members so they have the tools they need to be the best Lions not only for our Club, but our community as well. Our members, no matter how long they've been in the club, need to feel comfortable asking questions, questioning why something is being done, and offering alternatives.  Mentoring will help answer many of their questions.

Induction of one of our members.

So.... there you have it....  It's a pretty big list and will need the help of every member to pull it off.  Can we do it?  I think we can!  

Happy New Year!  I hope 2016 is a great year!  

We Serve!

Lion Nancy Norton