4th Cabinet / MD 49 Convention in Fairbanks

I've been to several great Multiple District Conventions over the years, and this year's was no different. 

It didn't hurt that the Ice Breaker took place at the Antique Car Museum!  It was incredible to see all those period cars -- and all from Alaska! 

As in any cabinet meeting or convention, we had a lot of business to deal with.  The subject of redistricting was heavy on a lot of people's minds and I suspect all were relieved when the Delegates voted to not put it on the ballot. 

As posted a couple days ago, Southeast Alaska won many awards.  Lion Ted Burke, from the Juneau Club, won the highest honor and received the Presidential Medal from LCI.  A much deserved recognition for his involvement in Lions all these years. 

The best part of the trip was hanging out with Lions from my Zone.  Lions who I don't get to see often enough or outside of regular meetings.  We had Lions who attended for their first time.  I wonder if it made an impact on them....  I think they came away feeling rejuvenated and excited for this new phase in the Lion's organization.  One of leadership. 

Brief Convention Recap: 

1. Nominations were held for Lewis Quinn (District Governor), Cindy Beardsley (1st Vice District Governor), Mike Brown (2nd Vice District Governor), and for Council Chairman Lou Jones.  All were elected to the respective positions.
2. The Lion Necrology Service:  There were 19 Lions who were honored, two from Ketchikan--Lion John Chappele and Lion Don Haseltine.  These are Lions that passed away this last year.  
3. 49A Awards: 

• Membership Growth:  Mountain View Lions
• President of the Year:  Sherie Viera (Palmer)
• Club of the Year:  Copper River Basin Lions
• Secretary of the Year:  Lion Becky Allison
• Lion of the Year:  Lion Michael Norton

Plus many other awards.

There will be a full cabinet report coming shortly.

Yours in Lionism
Mike N.

Lions of the Year!

The Mendenhall Flying Lions take two HUGE awards at this year's Multiple District Convention in Fairbanks!  We are so proud of all Lions who take time out of their busy schedules and lives to volunteer in their community.  But besides the community service activities, projects, and fundraising, there's officer positions.  And these are time consuming. They take up a huge amount of one's time preparing reports, keeping records, research, keeping Club members informed as well as the District Governor and community.  Being a volunter is a lot of work! 


Lion Becky

But Friday night at the Awards Ceremony for MD49A, Lion Becky Allison won Secretary of the Year for the District!  This is huge considering this is Lion Becky's first year as an Officer.  We hope it isn't her last!  When the District Governor was making the announcement, she described "the recipient" as keeping in touch with her, sending her information, reports, and the like and this is important to anyone at the head of an organization.  They need to know that their organization is healthy, working hard, doing what needs to be done, taking care of business.  And Lion Becky did that.  She did all that was asked of her and so much more.  Congratulations, Lion Becky!  A well-deserved award! 

Lions Mike A., Becky A., Mike N.

 

Lion Mike Norton was, shall we say overwhelmed by his award?  As Zone Chair for Southeast Alaska, he's had his hands full visiting Clubs, keeping members informed of what's happening at the District and International level, and providing support to the clubs as well as the District Governor.  Looking after his Clubs has been a priority for him this past year.  But to be presented with Lion of the Year was not expected!  He tells me he was shaking from the news and if you know this man at all, you know this is out of the ordinary.  But he has worked terribly hard this past year and we're very proud of this award.  Only one other Mendenhall Flying Lion has ever received Lion of the Year at the District level--Lion Mal Linthwaite. 

Lions Becky and Mike have a year to enjoy their trophy and this feeling of floating on air.  Being a Lion isn't about the awards or the recognition.  It's about service to your community, about helping others.... But being recognized for your hard work is also important.  Getting that pat on the back once in awhile is always a good thing.  It makes us want to "do" more. 

Petersburg Vision Screening

Lion Allen traveled to Petersburg this weekend.  A first for the Juneau Club and a first for Lion Allen! Normally the Ketchikan Club services Petersburg but they were unavailable for this event.  This was Lion Allen's first solo trip with the vision screener! 

The original request was to provide vision screening at the Early Childhood Family Fair on Saturday, but then the school district asked if we could screen elementary kids as well.  Well, as Lion Allen said, he likes to travel so spending an extra day down there wasn't a problem! 

His screening totals:
   Elementary School:  screened 145/referred 21
   Health Fair:  screened 32/referred 4

Great job, Lion Allen!  We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to help Ketchikan, Petersburg, and us out! 

Lion Mike N.

Vision Screening Update

The Club has been busy with vision screening the last month or so.  We are fortunate to have the assistance of the Glacier Valley School Nurse, who single handedly screens every one of her children!  This year she screened 345 students with 37 referrals!  It's because of people like Stephanie that allow us to reach so many young kids.

In addition to Glacier Valley School, we've participated in many health fairs throughout SE Alaska.  These are the figures we've done so far this year:

Juneau Health Fair, March 9
Lions Becky, Tommy, Allen, and Mike N.
Screened 26, referred 11
Trained 2 new Lions on the machine.

Hoonah Health Fair, April 6
Hoonah Volunteers provided this screening (A big thanks to Carol and Judy)
Screened 37, referred 14

Gustavus Health Fair, April 13
Lion Tommy and his daughter
Screened 40, referred 12

Yakutat Health Fair, April 20
Lions Neil and Sue
Screened 47, referred 13

Next week the vision screener goes with Lion Allen to Petersburg where he'll spend a couple days screening school kids and participating in the Health Fair. 

Thanks to all who volunteer their time to do this. 

Lion Mike N.

Spring Litter Clean Up

A great big THANK YOU to Boy Scout Troop 247 (and siblings) who picked up litter along the Mendenhall Spur Road yesterday in conjunction with the Mendenhall Flying Lions and Earth Day!  It was a sunny day, and a tad chilly, but the Troop showed up in good spirits and ready to get the job done! 

They hit every high spot and low spot picking up garbage which has accumulated over the long winter.  It's nice to know that we can be proud of this stretch of road that takes a million tourists to the glacier every summer. 

 

The Mendenhall Flying Lions sponsored Boy Scout Troop 247 last year and they've been a big help to the Club and its activities throughout the year.  



 

 

We look forward to serving with them for years to come! 

 

A Fond Farewell

The Mendenhall Flying Lions is losing one of their Charter Members in a few days....  Lion Mal Linthwaite was the driving force behind the creation of the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club 30 years ago on May 23, 1983. 

Lion Mal and his wife, Jean, are moving out of Juneau to sunny Tucson.  Tucson's gain will be Juneau's loss. 

The main reason we get involved in the Lions Club is to give back to the community in the form of service activities.  Along the way, we might attend a Convention  or some kind of Lion training and we realize there's more to being a Member than just participating in service activities.  Besides being an officer at all levels in the Mendenhall Flying Lions Club, which included Club President three times, Lion Mal has been a true leader in Lions Club International:

Zone Chair: 4 times
Regional Chair:  1987-1988 and 1989-1990
District Committee Chair:  5 times
Deputy District Governor:  1984-1985
District Cabinet Secretary:  1993-1994 and 1997-1998
Club Secretary of the Year
Zone Chair of the Year:  1983-1984 and 1990-1991
District Chairman of the Year:  1985-1986
District 49A Lion of the Year:  1986-1987
District 49A Foundation President:  1986-1987

Lion Mal's involvement in the Mendenhall Flying Lions has truly been a gift to the Alaskan Lions.  We wish him and Jean safe travels and a happy new beginning.  We wish him our best!

Lion Mike
P.S.  Lion Mal says he WILL be joining a Club in Tucson to continue his journey. 

Merry Christmas to the Furrier Among Us!

Merry Christmas to the dogs of Hurricane Sandy!

~~with love, the Mendenhall Flying Lions Club, the Petco of Juneau, and our very own Lion Virginia Ray!

The Petco of Juneau donated a whole bunch of brand new holiday dog toys to the MFLC for the Diabetes Auction in November.  There were so many of them that we decided to put together a few baskets for the auction and then come up with a plan to find a good home for the rest of them.  Our very own Lion Virginia Ray (now living in Washington) just happens to be an avid animal rescue volunteer and said "I'll find a home for them!"  And boy, did she!

The Guardians of Rescue out of Smithtown, NY has been working around the clock to rescue, save and care for hundreds of pets stranded, injured or homeless due to Hurricane Sandy.  We're talking about amazing volunteers doing amazing things...heroic things...to rescue these animals.  They put out a call for pet food, cat litter, dog toys, etc. and the Mendenhall Flying Lions Club answered...just in time for Christmas!  2 giant boxes, full of all things that squeak, made the journey from little 'ol Juneau, Alaska to their New York home.

Find out more about this great group of volunteers:  http://guardiansofrescue.org.  They also have a Facebook page where you can see daily posts of their activities.  Tissues recommended.

It's a great day to be a Lion!  We serve!

Over 100 new stuffed dog toys filled 2 large boxes!

Lion President Joey mailing very, very large boxes.  The Postmaster noticed that the boxes squeaked when pushed! :)

And here's a wonderful e-mail from a New York resident who heard about our project:

Dear Flying Lions,

I just saw on my Facebook page that Guardians of Rescue posted that you guys sent 2 boxes of toys to us here on Long Island! I am not a member, just a reader and I can’ t  thank you enough for remembering our animals after super Storm sandy!!!! Guardians of Rescue has been amazing to help save and find foster home for so many animals who have been displaced or owners displaced.  I can’t imagine being separated from my babes!  I am humbled by your generosity and from such a distance for a very underserved group. Thank you for remembering our pets!!!! Merry Christmas!!!!

Love and Peace,

Ann Bliss

Yaphank, NY