The Juneau Club Inducts New Officers

Yesterday was a big day for the Juneau Club.  Induction of new officers... recognition of members.... as well as being the last meeting for the summer. 

Lion President Steve did a fantastic job recognizing members who have shown dedication, determination, and compassion over the last couple years.  He admitted he hasn't been very good about recognizing his members, but did a bang up job yesterday.  Everyone had to leave the meeting pumped up and ready to do more!

Life membership to the 49A Foundation was presented to several Lions:  Geny, Edward, Louise, and a few others that weren't in attendance.  Lion Janet received a Progressive Membership award at the Silver level. 

It was Lion Alyce Houston's birthday... last meeting... AND retirement party.... She received a nice trophy with a goldpanner on it.  Everyone had a good laugh that she would be taking a man with her to Prescott, Arizona, where she will make her new home.  She was also presented with a certificate at the Gold Level in 49A Foundation. She also  received an award for her years of dedicated service. 

And the recognition continued. 

Lion Rebecca received the book, Gumboot Determination, selected not for the content of the book, I don't think, but that she has that insatiable determination to learn and do and be the special Lion she is.

Lion Nicole is a new member and probably the youngest.  She received an award for most inspirational.  She came on board running, helping, and doing wherever and whenever needed. 

Lion Louise received Lion of the Year for obvious reasons.  She has been President Steve's right hand gal and a true Lion as 2nd Vice President.

Lion Edward received the President's Award and Lion Ted received a prestigious plaque for his dedication and commitment to Lions everywhere. 

Last but not least, Lion Mike, Zone Chair, received a Gold Medal medallion for his dedication and work as Zone Chair.

The Club then presented Lion Steve with a Melvin Jones fellowship for his outstanding leadership.  And Zone Chair Mike also presented Lion Steve B. and Lion Ted B. with a nice pen with the Lion's logo on it for all the help and mentoring he has received from them throughout the year. 

Lion Alyce talked about a special senior man she met through Gold Medal and how she has become his friend and visits him frequently at Wildflower Court (or was it Fireweed Place?), taking him to Gold Medal games and other places.  She challenged the Club to not let this man fall through the cracks.  He told her one day that it was "the best day ever!" and she asked the Club to not make this the only "best day ever" this man experiences.  Lion Nicole said she has already visited with this man and will continue to take him chicken nuggets! 

It was a fun and eventful meeting and I probably left some awards and recognition out.  For that I apologize.  However, Lion Alyce's story about the gentleman and his comment, "Best Day Ever" sticks with me for many reasons.... how many seniors in our town are forgotten?  Who don't have any family? Spend holidays alone?  They put in their time and now what?  How much effort does it REALLY take to "make someone's day"?  I may not be a Lion yet, but I, too, would like to challenge other Clubs to find a senior they can befriend and take them into their hearts and family.

Nancy

It's Not Over Until It's Over

Past experience shows that when it gets close to the end of the Lion's Fiscal Year, Clubs tend to gear down....  They're not as busy with projects, activities, or fundraisers.  Recruitment of new members may stop.  Terms are coming to an end and officers might feel their job is done. 

But it's not over until it's over!  There's still work to do, people to help, causes to contribute.  Lions should never put off until tomorrow... what they can do today.  Because tomorrow will bring a whole new set of causes, requests, and people needing our help. 

The Lions Fiscal Year goes from July 1 through June 30 of each year.  New officers come on board July 1.  June is a good time to start cleaning out files and purging information that should be kept with the permanent Club folders in the storage unit. 

Secretary's should remember that they are the keeper of Club information, minutes, and the like and they need to be kept and filed with previous years. 

This is also a good time to start training the new officers, pass the torch, give them all the help you can so they can start off July 1 armed with the knowledge they need to do their job effectively, efficiently, and with ease. 

New Officers:  Don't be afraid to reach out to other officers or senior members for training and help.  If you have a question, ask someone. There's several seasoned members in the Club that will be more than happy to help you get on your feet. 

Good luck!  And remember.... don't be afraid to ask for help! 

Incoming Officers

2012-2013 has been a good year.  The Club's officers worked hard and got projects done.  We made more in fundraising this year than any other year in history. But it's time for new officers to come on board and show us what they have to offer. 

Being an officer of the Club is a lot of work. There's no doubt about it. There's emails to respond to; members need to be kept informed of projects, activities, and club happenings; reports need to be created and submitted; information needs to be input; checks need to be written.  There's legal aspects that need to be kept up on; accountability to many.  And the list goes on. 

Thank you to all who take time out of their busy schedules to take on the task of being an officer in the Club.  And welcome, and thank you, to the incoming officers who have said "yes!" we will be an officer and give more of our time for the good of the Club! 

Officers for 2013-2014

President:  Lion Mike Allison
1st Vice President:  Lion Tommy Dawson
Secretary:  Lion Becky Allison
Treasurer:  Lion Joe Molburg
Tail Twister/Lion Tamer:  Lion Allen Butner
2 Year Director:  Lion Mike Norton
1 Year Director:  Lion Bob Hurley
Membership Director:  Lion Neil Atkinson
Immediate Past President:  Lion Joey Ausel

Woo hoo!  Thanks, again, incoming officers!  We look forward to your leadership, new ideas, and continued success!  Good luck, and keep up the good work in 2013-2014!

Going On-Line

Everything is changing... we use our cell phones to take pictures, calculate, set an alarm, and just about anything else we want to do....  We rely on our phone, our i-pad, and our computer to retrieve most any information we need to find.  We don't write letters anymore, we text or send emails.  We don't call our friends on the phone anymore, we text or send emails.  We don't need a pencil or an eraser or a dictionary. 

On-line is where the young and hip go to find information and stay in touch with family and friends.  And it's true, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!  More and more the older generations are spending time on the internet, sending texts, and participating on Facebook.   

So it's no wonder that the Mendenhall Flying Lions is also going on-line.  It's our hope that more and more members will stop in and visit our Facebook page from time to time as well as read the articles that are posted on The Flying Lions Blog.  It's about keeping members in touch with each other, what they're doing, what's going on.  It's about sharing information that we've learned from meeting with senior members of Multiple District, training courses, and conventions.  It's about sharing.  It's about learning.  It's about getting to know other members. 

There might be some members who feel overwhelmed by all this information.  But on the other hand, if any of this information helps even one Lion, then it will be worth it. 

This writer is always looking for subjects to write about.  Any Lion member is welcome to submit an article and I'll post it for you.  The Flying Lion is more personal than other social media.  If you caught the biggest salmon ever, take a picture and send it in!  If you just got back from a trip and visited a Lions Club, tell us about it.  If you participated in an on-line training course, write up a recap and share it with the rest of us.

This Blog is not just about what I might know, learn, or hear.  I look forward to it becoming a Club Blog with everyone participating.  So, please, send me your ideas, thoughts, pictures, and articles! 

Nancy
A Soon To Be Lion

Netcast: Inviting, Inducting, and Involving New Members

I attended a Netcast the other day.  Typically these on-line courses are really good.... worth my time.... but all I'm going to say is I hope there weren't any other Lions listening that day! 

District Governor Lisa Alexander from the U.S., was the Panelist but unfortunately she wasn't given an opportunity to speak much. 

Here's a brief recap of what I learned.

Introducing a new member:

• Get new members involved right away. 
• Introduce new members to other members.  Don't let them sit alone.
• Get them on a committee asap.

Inducting and orientating a new member:

• Show a video at the induction, showing club activities
• Show the new member a list of all your club committees and ask them which ones they would like to serve on.
• Blindfold the new member and sponsor and let them experience a few minutes of darkness together.
• Include in your induction ceremony a little on LCI, a little on Multiple District, and a little on your club.
• Some clubs have candles lit (the color of Lions organization) to make the induction more memorable. 

Involving new members:

• Get them involved in activities as soon as possible.

We also learned how a Social Diversity Director in our club could identify needs in our community. 

Many participants shared the importance of taking new members to the meeting and approaching new members as they walk through the door (talk and share).

Brochures worth downloading from LCI:
  Just Ask Me Guide
  New Member Recruiting Guide

Lion Mike N.

Boy Scout Troop 247 Gets National Recognition!

Troop 247 is in the News!  This is the May 2013 issue of Boys Life Magazine where Boy Scout Troop 247 got recognized for their robot.

 

How it all began:
Our team was made up of 5 boys from Boy Scout Troop 247. Our first goal in participating in the First Lego League (FLL) was to earn our Robotics merit badge.

 

The theme for FLL this year was Senior Solutions. The game board had different Lego themed scenarios that could help seniors stay active like gardening, bowling, sewing, woodworking. The team chose the missions they wanted to have their robot complete in 2 min 30 seconds. One was to move some Legos to complete a quilt, one was to retrieve a chair and repair it and return it under the table. At the end the robot had to drive up stairs and balance on the top of the bridge and then throw a ball at bowling pins.

 

The second portion of the competition involved a project where the team chose a problem that seniors are faced with and then developed an innovative solution to then present to the tournament judges. The team interviewed an older gentleman and narrowed down what problem they wanted to solve for their project. They came up with an innovative Senior Memorizer. This device was designed to help seniors remember things, help them plan their day, but also allowed them to be independent. The team put on a skit to demonstrate their idea.

 

During the last two weeks the team experienced issues with the robot completing missions as they had programmed it to do. Thankfully, they were able to solve the issues in time for the competition.

 

The team displayed great teamwork. Each scout came up with ideas that enhanced the robot, one scout thought tracks would be best for going up the stairs; one scout figured a way to push some of the stuff by running the robot backwards for half of the missions. One scout figured out a way to retrieve the chair and throw a ball with the same attachment.

Lion Allen Butner

Scout Leader

Get Ready for World Diabetes Day Webinar

Get Ready:  For World Diabetes Day
Set:  Mark your calendar for November 14
Go:  Participate!

Lions:  Are you aware that there's a World Diabetes Day?  Every year on November 14, the diabetes community around the world act together to provide diabetes awareness.  The slogan for 2013 is DIABETES: PROTECT OUR FUTURE. This campaign brings millions of people in over 160 countries together to raise awareness and advocate for improved diabetes care and prevention.

Why November 14?  This date was chosen because it marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who along with Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin in 1921. 

How Did It All Begin?  World Diabetes Day was introduced by the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1991 in response to concern over the spread of diabetes around the world.

World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations World Health Day following passage of resolution 61/225 on December 20, 2006.  This landmark resolution recognized diabetes as "a chronic, debilitating and costly disease associated with major complications that pose severe risk for families, countries and the entire world."

Fact:  Diabetes is one of the major health challenges of the 21st century. 

Fact:  There are currently 371 million people living with diabetes.

Fact:  There are 4.8 million deaths a year. 

Fact:  Diabetes and its complications can be preventable.

Diabetes is a global epidemic, spiraling out of control.  One in every two people don't even know they have it.... Are you one of those at risk?

Let's be a part of this great campaign to help raise awareness and protect our future!  November is Diabetes Awareness Month.  November 14 is World Diabetes Day. 

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If anyone doubts the importance of attending Webinars and Netcasts offered by Lions Clubs International, this is a good example of what information they offer.  Lions--Get Ready for World Diabetes Day 2013 was today's Webinar.  More on the efforts and what we can do as individuals and as a group will be posted in the weeks and months to come. 

Lion Mike Norton