Food Drive

Today members of the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club helped with a local food drive.  The Coast Guard and National Guard were running the drive for the Southeast Alaska Food Bank.  

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Bicycle Safety Rodeo

The Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions once again joined teams with Shepherd of the Valley Church to host the annual Block Party which includes a bike safety course.  

This has always been a fun event for the children.    

The children can bring their own bikes and will have them checked by members of the cycling community for safety.  

Children go through a series of obstacle courses, testing their coordination, quick thinking, and ability to follow instructions while riding a bike.   

It's always nice when the weather cooperates as well!   

USS O'KANE AND USS JUNEAU

It's not every day a Navy ship comes to Juneau but when they do, it's always a big deal.

This year citizens were asked to "adopt" a sailor and show them a "good time."   Organizations were asked to reach out and involve them in community and civic activities.

The Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club did just that.  We invited them to participate in a commemorative "Laying of the Wreath" ceremony at the USS JUNEAU Memorial Site on the Juneau docks.

A Tragic Namesake:  Navy Remembers USS Juneau For Ultimate Sacrifice, May 18, 2017

My First Convention

MD49 Convention

April 26-29, 2017

It's great being in a Lions Club, you get lots of opportunities to serve your community and learn how to organize and lead projects with wonderful and fun people. If you want to learn even more, go to a Lions conference. I was able to take classes for treasurer, secretary, and fund raising. These were not just academic classes on the duties of these positions and the mechanics of using websites, but there was meaningful discussions on how to be better and how to deal with specific issues that come up. Questions and answers from the audience were an important part of the instruction because people were sharing their real life solutions.

Lion Donna Hurley, Parade of Checks

Lion Mukhya lighting a candle at the Memorial Service

USS JUNEAU poster board presentation

But no one just goes to conferences to learn academics, what is really important is the inspiration, the friendliness, and the fun. Every Lion that I crossed paths with was outgoing in greeting and getting to know me. It gave me a feeling of connection with the wider community. The guest speaker was accomplished and inspirational, the food was good and plentiful, and best of all there was always humor.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lion Mukhya Khalsa

Flag Boxes

One of our Lions has been working diligently, in coordination with the American Legion, to build boxes for old, torn, and unwanted flags.

Lion Tom Dawson is a Veteran.  He is a member of the American Legion.  He is a member of the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions.  Because of his association with the American Legion, he's able to bring Veterans needs to the club whether it's helping with an event or beautifying the American Legion grounds.

 Lion Tom's latest project is simply this:  Giving our American Flag a place to rest.

The boxes are 15" square and 12" high in front and will hold a dozen or so flags.  Three boxes have been built, painted, with labels and decals attached identifying this as an American Legion and Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club project.

These flag depositories/boxes will be placed at several businesses around town:  Foodland IGA, Western Auto, and Sportsmen Warehouse.  Once installed and at their locations, the American Legion will check on the boxes and appropriately dispose of any Flags deposited.

We have Valley Lumber and Building Supply to thank for their generous donation of wood materials, brass hinges, and screws.

This project is a Centennial Legacy Project, Level 1.   A reminder of all the good the local Lions do for their community.

We Serve!
#Lions100

Gold Medal Basketball Tournament

Every year, for the past 71 years, the remote communities of Southeast Alaska congregate in Juneau to attend, cheer for, and rally around their favorite basketball team.  During this week long, basketball tournament, always during school Spring Break, children of all ages are able to attend this annual event.

Last year we asked, "what better place to offer free vision screening to children in remote villages than at Gold Medal?"  Which brings us to this year's Gold Medal Tournament where we scheduled vision screening from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. during most days of the tournament.

This year we screened 80 children and had 16 referrals.  These screenings allowed us to screen children we normally would not reach.  Lion Tom Dawson was key in reaching so many children as he personally invited parents to have their children's eyes screened as he handed out announcements.  A huge thanks to Lion Tom and Lions Soapy Lingle, Hari Dev Khalsa, Donna Hurley, and Mike Norton for taking time out of their week to assist with vision screening.

Another service our Club offers every year during Gold Medal is to serve the Juneau Lions Club dinner one night.  This is such a HUGE event and one that takes every bit of energy the Juneau Lions have, and our Club tries to help any way we can.  This year we provided a baked ham, potato salad, rolls, and dessert for 20.  From what I heard, it must have been good as there wasn't any leftovers!

The Gold Medal Tournament is a favorite event of many from residents of remote villages, to the Juneau Lions Club members, to members of the District Cabinet.  This year we had the privilege of having Past International Director Doc Meyers (from Kodiak) and District Governor Karen Burns(from Anchorage) in the sidelines.

Another successful Gold Medal Tournament come and gone.  Good job, Juneau Lions Club!  

We Serve!  

Alaska Centennial Honorarium

The following was presented to District Governor Karen Burns by the Alaska Legislature:

*Honoring the Lions Club Centennial*

The Thirtieth Alaska State Legislature joins the Lions in celebrating their hundredth year of service. From their humble beginnings as a club to improve the community in Chicago to their administration of over 10,000 grants, the Lions Club’s impact can be seen wherever members focus their efforts.

The Lions Club was started in 1917 when Melvin Jones told members of his local business they ought to focus not only on business issues, but to the betterment of their communities and the world. The group took on the name of the “Association of Lions Clubs”, and before the year’s end had adopted a constitution, bylaws, objectives, and a code of ethics.

As the organization grew, it continued working towards the goal of the betterment of the world. The first international growth of the Lions happened with the chartering of a club in Canada in 1920, and just over a decade later the first international convention outside of the U.S. took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Lions took on the challenge of blindness with Helen Keller’s charging of them to be “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness”. To this end, in 1930 the Lions introduced the iconic white cane with a red band as a means of assisting the blind in independent mobility—an idea that went on the become statute in every state in the U.S. and numerous other countries. The club’s fight against blindness continues to this day alongside the numerous other efforts of the club.

In 1968 the Lions Clubs International Foundation was established to support the humanitarian work of the Lions. Since its inception, the foundation has distributed over $826 million in grants to support humanitarian efforts from floods in South Dakota in 1972, to eliminating river blindness in Colombia in 2013.

Alaska Lions carry on the club’s mission in the state with their contributions to vision screening, eyeglass recycling, and the Joint Sight Committee. They provide glasses to the needy, assistance for the visually impaired, and financial assistance to those who are unable to purchase eyeglasses for themselves. The Aurora Borealis Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center has recycled approximately 40,000 pairs of eyeglasses per year, sending roughly 30,000 to eye care missions.

Emphasizing the club’s dedication to bettering their communities, one of the Alaska Lions’ most remarkable contributions was their pivotal role in housing inhabitants from Ag’waneq and Port Wakefield. After the villages were destroyed in the Good Friday earthquake in 1964, the Lions were instrumental in having housing built for the displaced Alaskans, issuing a grant of $1 million dollars to fund the creation of Port Lions.

The Lions Club has contributed in countless ways to improving their communities and the world, demonstrating the value of individuals coming together to make meaningful change. The members of the Thirtieth Alaska State Legislature are honored to celebrate the Lions Club’s 100^th year of service, and look forward to their future accomplishments.

PCC Neil Atkinson with Lions Donna Hurley, Sasha Soboleff, and District Governor Karen Burns

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