Barbeque and Dessert Auction

Countdown.... two...one...  Yes, it's THAT time of year again for the Mendenhall Flying Lions 18th Annual Barbeque and Auction!  This year there's a twist.... we're not doing a regular auction and silent auction, BUT a dessert auction!

 



And if you don't "do" desserts, come for the fun!  Lions Neil and Mike N. are cranking up the barbeque at 5:30 a.m. and will slow cook the ribs for the next five or six hours.  These are melt in your mouth, simply scrumptious ribs!  And how do they get that way?  Seasoning and slow cooking.  The guys will season the ribs good the night before and let them think about how yummy they will be for the rest of us the next day!  We will start serving food at noon--ribs, baked beans, and salad.  The cost is $15 per plate or rack of ribs for $40 for family eating at home. 

Here's some dessert items you might be interested in bidding on:  A Norwegian dessert, apple pie, pumpkin rolls, cake pops, cinnamon rolls, and butterscotch cookies.  Several bakeries in town will also be donating items as will other bakers. 

Hope to see you all there! 

October in Review

All I can say is WOW!  Course, anyone who's ever gotten an email from me knows that I generally never stop with one word!  There's always a short version and a long version, and I generally take the long version route! 

No grass (or is it moss?) even dares think about growing under our feet!  Here's what I know:

Saturday, October 5:  Vision Screening at the HCCMCA Fair.  Lions Joe, Allen, and Mike N. screened 26 with 10 referrals.

Wednesday, October 9:  Vision Screening for Headstart at Glacier Valley School.  Lions Bob H. and Mike N. screened 13 with 3 referrals.  They then went to Taashuken School (at Faith Lutheran Church) and screened 9 with 1 referral. 

Saturday, October 12:  Vision Screening at the Alaska Health Fair.  Lions Allen, Joe, and Tommy assisted with this Fair and screened 20 with 17 referrals!  Lion Joe was also there helping with White Cane Day. 

Lion Allen screened the children at his wife's day care:  He screened 10 with 7 referrals. 

Saturday, October 19:  Recycle for Sight event at the Nugget Mall.  Lions Ted B., Edward H., and Nicole M. from the Juneau Club helped Lion Bruce as Lions Mike and myself were out of town.  We greatly appreciate their help with this one.  This was the committee's first annual eyeglass collection drive!  We collected 155 pair of glasses at the Mall with as many being dropped off at permanent locations around town. 

Lions Mike, Neil, and Nancy attended the Juneau Lions Club regular meetings.  It's always fun, and informative, to attend other club's meetings. 

Wednesday, October 23:  Vision Screening for Headstart's Salmon Creek location where Lion Mike N. screened 6 and referred 2. 

About this time, Lion Nancy started getting her ducks in a row for their new project, Lions Packs, with their first committee meeting held on Friday, the 25th with Lions Donna, Becky, and Mike N.  We also had a rep from Children's Services attend. 

Tuesday, October 29:  Lions Mike N. and Neil screened 94 pre-school children with 6 referrals at a two day event for Glacier Baptist Academy.

Lion Allen has also been working hard putting together a Food Drive to benefit Hoonah which took place this evening from 4:30-7:00.  Boy Scout Troop 247 was the leading force here, although Lion Mike N. helped out with his time and the Juneau Lions Club went shopping on their own.  All in all, this was a VERY successful food drive! 

THEN, to finish off the day, several Lions showed up at the monthly Joint Sight Committee meeting and helped wrap eyeglasses so those going to Mid-Winter could take a box with them.  Thanks to Lions Steve, Ted, and Edward from the Juneau Club and Lions Mike A., Bruce, and Mike N. from our club.  I believe we wrapped about 500 eyeglasses!

Wednesday, October 30:  Vision Screening continued at Glacier Baptist Academy (see above).  Lion Mike N. then hightailed it over to Douglas, Gastineau School, where he finished up the Headstart vision screening where he screened 12 and had 5 referrals. 

We also delivered a letter to the local Moose Lodge asking for their support in donating Tommy Moose stuffed animals for our Lions Packs backpacks.  This idea came from Lion Donna and was a great one!

And not to forget.... our annual Barbeque and Auction!  Lion Neil has been working extremely hard all month to make this one of the best fundraisers yet! 

Halloween....  I believe we're taking the day off, for obvious reasons! 

This is just some of what we've been working on this month.  Like I said, it's what I know....  Course, there's a lot I don't know.... but we can always hope that changes in the future. 

A BIG thanks to all Lions for all their service this month! 

The Cowardly Lion

If I recall correctly, the Cowardly Lion was, well, cowardly.  A scaredy cat.  Maybe he could have benefited from this seminar I attended at Forum! 

Seminar:  Public Speaking Skills for Everyone (by PID Douglas Alexander)

By the way, what does "PID" stand for in front of Douglas's name?  Past International Director.  Your trivia for the day.  Lions show respect to other Lion leaders by acknowledging their titles. 

Okay, who loves talking in public?  Probably not many of us. Here's some tips that might make it easier:

1. Research your topic.  Research it, study it, learn it, know it. 
2. Test equipment and visual aids ahead of time.
3. Speak from the heart.
4. Look at the audience, all the audience.
5. Know the message you want to portray.
6. Make it fun, make them laugh.
7. Stay on schedule.

PID Douglas said you will typically lose people after 20 minutes.  In 20 minutes, he quit his speech and opened up the floor to questions.  This made it more interesting than listening to one person talk for an hour.  Great tip! 

First Annual Recycle For Sight Drive

We all know about the Lions eyeglass recycle program.  But where did you learn about it?  Did you see a poster at one of the eyeglass drop off sites that identified them as participating in the program?  Did your vision center ever tell you what they did with your old eyeglasses? 

My husband had been a lion for a few years before it dawned on me that the only reason I knew about the Lions eyeglass recycle program was because of his involvement with the Lions.  I wear glasses but I did not know about this worthwhile project.  When I get new glasses, I'm not told about the program.  To be honest, I've never seen the drop off box or a poster identifying them as a participant.

So it seemed to me that the Joint Sight Committee might want to do a little promotion, let the community know we do this.  Don't rely on the vision centers to educate people on this opportunity.

We had our first ever (as far as I know) Recycle For Sight Drive yesterday and collected 155 pair of glasses!  This far surpassed any expectation I had!  To be honest, I thought we might collect a dozen, maybe two.... I was ready to be a wee-bit disappointed but would chalk it up to being our first drive....  But it goes to show that this town is a giving town.... 

Again, a big thanks to Lions Neil, Ted, Nicole, and Bruce! 

Lion Nancy

The Yellow Brick Road Part II

This next seminar title really had nothing to do with anything, but it gave good information.

Seminar:  Don't Forget Your Ruby Slippers (by LCI Leadership)

• Don't sit and wait for something.  Ask to lead!
• Learning is a life-long process; make it a priority.
• Have a greater impact on people.
• Establish goals for yourself. 
• Be specific
• Make sure they're measureable
• Be attainable
• Identify obstacles for reaching your goals (not enough time?)
• Use Webinars as a learning tool.  They're short chunks of time.
• Learn your best way--lecture? Slideshow? Paper?  Which way do you learn best?
• Collaborate and work with others
• Commit yourself to the task at hand.

Too often we just sit back and go with the flow.  This class showed us how to become a leader--the value of learning, using resources available.  Do YOU want to be a leader in your club or workplace?  Are you using all the resources available to you?  If you want to know about the resources available through LCI, contact one of the leaders in the club who can direct you.

Seminar:  Social Media Today (by VDG Mahesh Chitnis)
In case you haven't noticed, our International President Barry Palmer is a strong believer in the power of social media.  So much so that he introduced this class. 

What is Social Media?  The ones we're most connected with are Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube although there are many others. 

Why is it so popular?  Because it disseminates information quickly, in real time. Take the ptarmigan we had in our back yard the other day.  We posted a picture of it on Facebook and instantly we had friends lining up for dinner!  Okay, that's not entirely true, my point being, through the use of Facebook, Twitter, etc., you can get your  message out now, right now, in real time, and know people will see it. 

Other reasons Social Media is so popular is because:

• it allows you to have a social relationship, one-on-one, with others without having to leave your house.  This is especially important to seniors who are home-bound.
• you can reach a target group through Social Media.    

You can reach hundreds of people through Social Media.  International President Palmer posts challenges on his Facebook page.  You can collaborate on an idea and have quicker decisions made.  It's quick.  It's easy.  PLUS, you're developing a friendship with others.   

We also talked about our target audience and how we need to use different methods for different target groups.  Seniors might need a phone call but the younger generation are texting and tweeting all day long.  If we want to bring in more young people, we need to communicate in their language. 

The best tip I got out of this class was when VDG Mahesh suggested we invite our neighbors and friends to our events over Social Media. So next time we have an event--litter pick up, barbeque and auction, vision screening--put a post on Facebook inviting your neighbors to join you.  I will.  Will you? 

I Followed the Yellow Brick Road

I followed the yellow brick road and it took me to the Land of Oz.   

Lion Mike and I attended the USA/Canada Forum last month and I have to say, I already forgot everything I learned!  But lucky for you.... I had notes!  I typed them up today and had so many "ah ha" moments that I just had to share them with you!   

Seminar:  Fundraising (by Duane Malcolm)
There are three phobias that will affect fundraising efforts:

1. Fear of public speaking
2. Fear of change
3. Fear of failure

How to overcome these obstacles:

1. Find someone who is passionate about the cause.
2. Take wise risks (you don't want to go in the hole)

The main point I brought home from this class was this:  All fundraisers will eventually run dry.  Always be thinking of the next one.   

Seminar:  Rock Star Membership (by Dayna Steele)
This seminar was a little different.  Dayna interviewed some Past International Directors and this is what I learned from them:

1. When you do a common thing, in an uncommon way, you demand attention.
2. Successful people do one thing over and over every single day.
3. Treat people nicer than they're treating you.
4. Look at the person when you talk.
5. Have goals. 
• A goal is a dream with a deadline
• Write it down
• Read it every day
• I will do, I will be, I will have
6. Listen and learn
7. Try to help someone every day to reach their goal
8. Lions need to care more about others

So there you have it for today.  That wasn't so bad, was it? 

One Year Today

One year today, the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions was honored to induct Allen Butner as a member.  He has since shown that he is sincere in his volunteer service in the community.  Not only is he the leader for Boy Scout Troop 247 but also a very active member of the club.

 

We appreciate all that Lion Allen is doing for the club and our community!  Thank you! 

48 Years and Still Going

Many of us are fairly new Lions....  But we have some long standing members in our club.  REALLY long standing Lions! We recently celebrated Lions Mal and Neil's 30 years with the MFLC. 

Yesterday we celebrated Lion Bruce's 48 years with Lions!  Yes, 48 years!  How many of us can honestly say we will still be going strong 30 years from now?  Okay--how about 20?  10? 

We're also celebrating Lion Ted Burke's 25 years with the Juneau Lions and Lion Ted Quinn's 23 years with the MFLC.  Think of all the service these men have given back to our community.... 

Thank you, all, for all you do for our community and the world!

September in Review

September was a busy month with lots happening.  So much, in fact, that I could write a post every day of the month!  But I won't cause I know how you all feel about getting the emails!  I will write a brief recap of them though and if you want more information on any of them, just let us know. 

Most important during September was that Joey and Chad Ausel were medevac'd to Providence Hospital in Anchorage.  Evidently little Baby Alex decided she wanted to visit us early and that wasn't to be.  The Ausels will be in Anchorage for another six or seven weeks.  We wish them well and want them to know they're in our thoughts and prayers every single day. 

The vision screener was also busy with two events:  The Early Learning Fair screened  22 children with 2 referrals.  Thanks to Lions Chad, Neil, and Becky for helping out with this screening event.  Our screener also traveled to Hoonah for the Tots Clinic where they screened 19 school kids with 5 referrals. 

A couple of us went to the USA/Canada Forum in Kansas City and had a great time.  The training was great, we met some new Lion friends, and kept some old.  The motivational speakers were exceptional with each providing their own message.  Ed Hearn, author of Conquering Life's Curves--Baseball, Battles & Beyond, went through some horrific health challenges and lived to tell about them.

Dayna Steele was a spunky woman who teaches people how to succeed.  International President Barry Palmer graced us with his presence and shared his vision.  The Saturday night closing speaker was a young man by the name of Patrick Henry Hughes.  Born without eyes.... or the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, this young man is something more than incredible.  If ever I hear "I can't!" you'll hear from me!  Read his book, I am Potential, Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams, and see if it doesn't change your way of looking at life. 

The Joint Sight Committee met last night and elected new officers.  Lion Mike N. remains the chair and Lion Ted Burke (from the Juneau Club) volunteered to be the Secretary/Treasurer.  All members are invited to attend these meetings.  They're generally short meetings, not taking much more than 30-40 minutes at the most.  This is just one more area members can get involved. 

I believe members participated in the end of the season litter pick up.  We should be good until spring now.  Thanks for all who helped out. 

That's all I have for this post!