Graduation

We survived fighting fire.... we saved most of the lives in search and rescue.... we had too much fun laying on the floor administering first aid....  we learned what NOT to say to a victim.  Last night we graduated!

We are graduates of the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) course 2014!

Lions Becky and Mike Allison and Nancy and Mike Norton

If we want to continue down this road, there are some FEMA on-line courses we need to take, and we will attend monthly meetings in order to keep all this fresh in our minds. And there's a lot to keep fresh!  In a real emergency, we need to be johnny on the spot with our actions.

The next CERT course will be held in October, and if I could, I would save each of you a seat.  I feel it's that important that more of us have this knowledge in case of an emergency.  Please give it some thought and if you want to get with us and talk about it before hand, we'd love to do that!  But once the advertisement comes out for the class (probably September), don't delay because it fills quickly!  In an emergency situation, the response team (police, fire) will need all the help they can get.  We will be that link until they can make it to our neighborhood and help.

Please consider signing up for the course.

We Serve!
Lion Nancy

Seeing Alaska One Town at a Time

Child Find, Skagway.

Health Fair, Skagway

Elementary school, POW (Prince of Wales).

Health Fair, Gustavus.

Health Fair, Yakutat.

Angoon.

Harborview Elementary School.

Our vision screener has been busy the month of April!  Yep, these are all vision screening sites for the month of April.

I'd like to thank Lion Allen for traveling to Skagway and POW, Lion Tommy for going to Gustavus, Lion Sue B. for screening in Yakutat (and Lion Soapy for taking the vision screener to Yakutat so Lion Sue could screen), and Lions Soapy, Neil, and Mike N. for two days at Harborview Elementary School.

So far we've screened 342 children and adults with 76 referrals.  The vision screener is headed to Angoon today where it will visit for a week.  We've not been in Angoon for a few years so it'll be interesting to see what statistics come from there.  A Public Health Nurse has been trained on our vision screener and will do the screening for us.

Wish You Were There

I just got back from Multiple District Convention....  when asked to fill out the survey, I gave it 4 stars out of 5....  How many stars did you give?

This was pretty much a business meeting... a lot of roll calls, committee reports, taking care of business; a lot of boring details.  But was it boring?  I didn't think so.  I stayed awake through the whole thing anyway!  But I'm still considered a "new" Lion as I've not had my one-year anniversary yet and I want to learn as much as I can.  I want to question what is being said and done and why so I understand.  Yet, others might find this all too boring.

Loren Pitchford, an Alaskan author, was our guest speaker Thursday morning.  He has wanted to speak before the Lions for YEARS, to thank us for saving his sight.  He got to check that off his Bucket List Thursday morning and I'm glad I was there to hear his story.  

It was said, "If you're not changing, you're dying" (I want to say PCC Howard Rixie said this.) We need to "grow" our leaders, assess their value as a potential leader.  Every lion needs to be nurtured.  Are you preparing your leaders for the future?  Are we?

Hobo Jim gave a GREAT show!  

We were all invited to attend the Leadership Academy in January, yet we didn't have anyone one from Southeast who attended.  They had space for 36 attendees... they had 12 attendees... 24 unfilled seats....  This was a travesty.  I've heard too often that training the district provides is less than desirable.... yet here was training to knock your socks off and they couldn't fill the chairs.

I attended the Social Media class on Day 1.  This is the third "social media" class I've attended in my 10 months as a Lion and being persistent finally paid off!  Although the previous classes were good... this one clicked.

On Day 2, I took the District Governor's class on "motivation" with the key message being "every club has an island."  What's our theme?  What's the community's need?  Have we evaluated ourselves and our club lately?  We need to share our island, spread the word.  We need to "spread the word" whether by PSAs, the web, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  

Listening to the Zone reports were my favorite part of the convention.  I love hearing what other clubs around the state are doing for their community.  Like pumpkin chucking at a target.  Look at these ideas:

• Ballyhoo Club:  Easter breakfast, raised $3,300
• Leos bake sale, raised $300
• Dedicated a memorial
• Hosted a "Business After Hours" with their partners and associates that worked with them throughout the year
• A sand activity where change was buried for the children to find
• Polynesian dinner
• St. Patrick's Day dinner, raised $500
• Sleeping Lady Club hid 8,000 eggs in partnership with the Elks, VHF, and others
• Collected clothes for the needy
• Ice fishing:  provided poles, food, and prizes
• A cinnamon roll fundraiser
• Kachemak Bay purchased a freezer, filled it with meat, and raffled it off
• The Leos served cocoa and cookies for Santa
• One club sponsored a pre-school
• Have a family night with games
• Give a scholarship to a high school student(s)
• A spaghetti dinner
• Spring equinox dance
• Help wrap Christmas presents

Wow!  I'm amazed at all the different ideas members come up with!  

The Awards Banquet was also one of my favorites.  Please help congratulate the following:

     Secretary of the Year:   Mary Omer, Palmer Lions

     President of the Year:  Jason Lockett, Anchorage Racing Car Lions

     Membership Growth:  Eagle River Lions

     Zone Chair of the Year:  Mike Norton, Mendenhall Flying Lions 

     Club of the Year:  Kodiak Lions

     Lion of the Year:  Finis Shelden, Chugiak Lions

Oh, and here's something I didn't know....  The Aurora Borealis Recycling Center (where we send our used eyeglasses for recycling) is one of the recipients of the Click Pick Give with the PFD.  Something to remember next year.  

Queen Mary of the Polynesian Club was inducted

One thing I would like to see our club do is present more checks at the Parade of Checks....  We gave one check for $4,400 for the American Diabetes Association, but there are so many other non-profits that can benefit from our help.  Like the Leader Dogs or Camp K or the Blood Bank or Ronald McDonald House or the Alaska Center for the Blind.  Another thing to consider next year...

"Love your people and love what you do."  Lion Cheryl Hall

We also had elections.  Our new District Cabinet starting July 1, 2014, will be the following:

     Council Chair:  PDG Dennis Cummings

     District Governor:  1st VDG Cindy Beardsley stated her theme will be "Each One Teach One"

     1st Vice District Governor:  2nd VDG Mike Brown just wants to have fun!

     2nd Vice District Governor:  CS Karen Burns stated that Leo Clubs are our future

Congratulations!  

First Vice President Joe Preston shared:  

• 30 million eyes have been saved worldwide through the Lions' efforts
• Only 20 percent of Lions worldwide are women....  but 42 percent of Lions in Alaska are women!  Woo hoo!  
• We need to have fun!  (This was the theme at convention.)
• We need to "stop thinking about ourselves and focus on others."  So true.  

We also learned to not stereotype; to learn the strengths and weaknesses of all Lions; to encourage growth, build their leadership skills, groom them, and encourage them to step up.  Get Lions involved and connected!

I apologize for the length of this post.... my point being that we all get out of these conventions what we WANT to get out of them. To some, all of this would be of little value. For me, the more I can learn about LCI, our District, our Zones, the more I can serve my community and my state.  

I wish you had been there!  We had a great time!

We Serve!

Lion Nancy

Zone Chair of the Year

Last year it was Lion of the Year for MD49A.... At Convention this weekend, Lion Mike N. received another honor -- Zone Chair of the Year for 2013-2014!

District Governor Lewis Quinn and Lion Mike Norton

As zone chair, Lion Mike oversees the four Lions Clubs in Southeast Alaska:  The Ketchikan Club, the Wrangell Club, the Juneau Club, and our own Mendenhall Flying Lions.

Some of the responsibilities of a zone chair are:

• to monitor the health and status of clubs in the zone (Zone 7)
• attend meetings of each club in his zone at least once a year and provide a summary of these visits to the district cabinet 
• be aware of the activities of all clubs in his zone
• suggest and implement methods to assist clubs within his zone that might be experiencing problems
• facilitate the exchange of ideas about programs, projects, activities and fundraising methods among clubs
• promote district and international programs to clubs
• ensure that every club in the zone follows its constitution and bylaws
• encourage clubs to attend district and international conventions
• attend all scheduled meetings of the district 

The zone chair also chairs the District Governor's Advisory Committee for Zone 7 of which the club president, club secretary and club membership chair are members.  This committee advises the zone chair about matters within the zone and the zone chair then shares with the district cabinet.  This committee meets at least three times a year.  

Lion Mike says "being zone chair is challenging in Southeast because of the distance between clubs, but I've met really nice people who are dedicated Lions and I enjoy working with them."  

Besides this nice plaque, Lion Mike gets to enjoy a trophy for the next year.

Lion Mike has again been chosen as Zone Chair for Zone 7 for the next year, 2014-2015.  As you can see, this "job" is responsible for sharing information to clubs and the district.  So next time you get one of those pesty emails that clogs your inbox, appreciate that he's just trying to do his job.

Congratulations, Lion Mike!  You're doing a great job!

We Serve!
Lion Nancy

7.5 Earthquake in Juneau!

It happened.... the earthquake we knew would come one day.  A 7.5 hit Juneau on Tuesday, April 15, at 11:00 p.m.  The town shook for five minutes.  Our CERT team assembled outside the home at 2014 Melrose Place.  The apartment on the side had collapsed but the main, single-story building was still intact.

It was dark by the time we got there.  We assembled with our Team Leader, waiting for instructions.  Then it comes.  There are bodies inside..... find them....

With flashlights in hand and head lamps on, we headed inside, hands on the shoulder of the CERT member in front of us.  Like a snake, we carefully move from room to room looking for bodies; assessing damage.   Room 1 was clear.... or so we thought....  We continue on to room 2 where we found the stairwell blocked and victim two buried by debris but alive; she was in shock.  We continue on....  Victim three was at the C wall behind the vehicle.  We continue to weave ourselves throughout the building until we make our way back to the door.

Lions Becky Allison, Mike Norton, Mike Allison, and our Team Leader Sean

Once outside, we assembled to review what we found.  Six victims who did not survive; one who needed assistance.  What?  There were eight bodies inside the building....?  We missed finding a victim because we weren't thorough enough.

This was a great exercise in being observant, working as a team.  Okay, and somewhere along the way we lost a young girl who was part of our team.  Remember how we entered the building, one person in front of the other with our hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us?  That's so we don't lose anyone in a dark building. Somewhere along the way we lost the connection and she didn't make it back out of the building.  Okay, so that was a test but what if it had been real life?

I was the "scribe," the person who took notes of the building condition and persons found.  It looks like scribble but it actually gives details on bodies found, whether they were hurt or deceased, and condition of the building.

This week's CERT course was about light search and rescue.  In real life I'm not certain I could do it....  tri-focals, a dark building, debris laying around, things to step over.... all the while hanging on to the person in front of you isn't an easy task.  I think I'll be the person who keeps the donuts and coffee coming to the Teams!

We Serve!
Lion Nancy

It Was a Beautiful Day to Save a Life

Okay, so we didn't really have to save a life... at least not today.  And the hardest part of this three hour class on a sunny Saturday was that it was sunny and we were inside playing hurt and dead victims!

Saturday's CERT lesson was the medical side of a disaster.  Triage.  We learned that in an emergency situation, we have about five seconds to assess a person before moving on to the next.  Five seconds.  Five seconds to determine if a life is worth saving or not.

Our instructor Mike Lopez and Lion Mike Norton

Lion Mike N. demonstrated a classic broken arm and we learned how to secure one in place.

We learned the three "killers" of an accident--breathing obstruction, excessive bleeding, and shock and how to identify and treat each one.

I'm glad that in the case of a natural disaster we will be working in teams of two to four.  One will be taking notes.  I think that one will be me!

These classes are designed to help in the case of a natural disaster or act of terrorism.  Our training isn't over with these classes but we will attend monthly meetings and participate in future training courses if we so desire.  I have to say that going through these classes is making me more confident to react in any kind of incident.  And that's a good thing.

We Serve!
Lion Nancy

FIRE!

We were told it would be a kitchen fire....  It was not....

Lions Becky and Mike Allison waiting for their turn at fire suppression.

This is our second CERT class (Community Emergency Response Training).  We learned how to put fires out!  Lions Mike and Becky Allison had no problem putting a Class A fire out -- wood -- using a fire extinguisher filled with water.  I have to agree that this was pretty easy.

We have certain commands to use going into a fire and coming back out.  You'll notice Lion Becky (below) is not taking her eyes off the fire, while Lion Mike A. is guiding her out with his hand on her shoulder.

As a member of CERT, our number one priority is to stay safe!  I have to agree!  If we can't put a fire out in five seconds, we're to leave the scene.

We also learned to NEVER do this alone, that we always work with a buddy.  The two of us walk into the fire together, both with a fire extinguisher in hand, and the two of us walk back out together.  One member always keeping an eye on the fire (as they walk backwards) and the other person guiding them with their hand on their shoulder. As Lions Mike and Becky are doing above.

Lions Mike Norton, Mike and Becky Allison

From here we moved to a Class B fire.... fuel.  Lion Mike N. had no problem putting his fire out but I have to say that guiding him back away from the fire wasn't as easy as you'd think.  He's walking backwards and you're trying to guide him around debris on the ground, stepping over things all the while trying not to lose contact with your buddy.  This might take practice!   We'll turn all the lights off in the house and throw some grandkid toys around the place and see how we do!

I was nicknamed Mrs. Murphy as in... .if something could go wrong....   Three extinguishers later, squirting the instructor in the face.... not being able to squeeze the handles to spray.... not getting the fire extinguisher to STOP spraying, and after much frustration, the fire was put out.

Lions Nancy and Mike Norton taking their turn.

But tell me, does THIS look like a small kitchen fire???

I think not!  This was the fire I had to put out!  Needless to say, it was a little out of my comfort zone.... but with the help of the instructor, Lion Mike N., three attempts later, and pure determination.... I won the fight!

This training will give us an opportunity and the confidence to help our family and neighbors in the event of an emergency.  If a house is on fire down the road, we can be the first people on-scene.  We can assess the situation, put small fires out, do light search and rescue if need be, provide any basic medical attention, and report what we've found to the responders when they arrive.

Remember, if you're ever in the situation of having to use a fire extinguisher.... PASS.  Pull the pin.  Aim. Squeeze the handle.  Sweep.  You sweep the fire extinguisher at the BASE of the fire, not the top where the flames are.

I hope you learned something from this exercise.  I did.  In an emergency situation, I think we'll do just fine.

We Serve!
Lion Nancy