WRapping Party

I spared you all....

I was going to write a Rapping song.... you know.... wrapping.... rapping....  

Zone Chair Edward Hotch at our service!

But the tune was only in MY head so I thought it best to just TELL you about our fantastic wrapping party today!

Lions Mike Norton, Janice and Eward Hotch, Ted Burke, Soapy Lingle and Donna Hurley

Eyeglass wrapping party that is!  This is what 1,466 pair eyeglasses and cases look like!  

Lions William Andrews, Ted Burke, Soapy Lingle, Donna Hurley, Sasha Soboleff, Mike Norton, Janice and Edward Hotch

Members from the two Juneau Lions Clubs, which comprise the Joint Sight Committee, gathered fairly early this morning for a special breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs, prepared and served by our Zone Chair Lion Edward Hotch.  What a great way to Serve!  

Lions William Andrews and Mike Norton

We had been accumulating eyeglasses since about April and it was time to send them on their way!

Later this week they will be put on a barge to be shipped to their destination:  the Aurora Borealis Eyeglass Recycle Center in North Pole, Alaska.  

Once there, they will be sorted, cleaned, repaired, and categorized for re-distribution around the world.  Some might even be returned to our community to someone in need.  

Lion Soapy Lingle and William Andrews

Lion Donna Hurley

The Joint Sight Committee has eyeglass collection boxes at all eyecare centers in Juneau.  We also collect from other locations around town, like the Moose Lodge, Gastineau School, and Surplus Property.  

Lion Janice Hotch

Lion Sasha Soboleff

We also have an annual Recycle for Sight collection drive in October where members of the community are invited to bring their unwanted eyeglasses for deposit.  We take single lens, bifocals, trifocals, reading glasses, sunglasses, etc.  We also collect lenses that are out of the frames as well as eyeglass cases.

Lion Ted Burke

If your place of business would like an eyeglass recycle box or have eyeglasses to donate, contact any member of either the Juneau Lions Club or the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club.

And finally..... 1,466 pair of eyeglasses/cases.... 15 boxes packed and ready to ship.... 9 Lions....  

Lions Edward and Janice Hotch, William Andrews, Sasha Soboleff, Ted Burke, Donna Hurley, Soapy Lingle, Mike Norton

A huge thank you to Lions William Andrews, Donna Hurley, Soapy Lingle, Ted Burke, Edward and Janice Hotch, Sasha Soboleff, Mike and Nancy Norton for their service today.  #Lions100

We Serve!

Lion Nancy Norton

A Message from the District Governor

Fellow Lions

It’s a great feeling to be a LION.  And I would like to share some things with all of you.

My Philosophy for my year is “Opening Doors”.  Play the following youtube video.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIHtuKc3Gjg    The message is clear.  Make a decision to do something new to change where and what  you are.   As a person, as a Lion, or as a Lions club.  Be brave and try something new.  You never know what you may find. “Opening a door is more than a physical act. It's about putting yourself out there, getting to know people, making them feel comfortable, and making them feel welcome.” Josh decided to make a change that ultimately had a dramatic impact on his life and on the lives of his fellow students. I hope his story is as inspiring to you as it is to me”

To be a 100% club, a large percentage of my year’s focus is for each of you to try new things.  You will find the Zone chairs checklist include both required “new things” for you and your club to attempt.  NONE of the things I will ask of you are difficult, or will take a lot of time.  It will however, take some dedication to “go for it”, update your success’s with the attempt with your zone chairmen.  It will be an adventure for you and your club to find out just what new things are out there.  Your zone chair can help you

Because many attempts  at doing new things “fail”, I have started a Governor’s “failure” Fund.  This is an admin fund that will be returned to the clubs that have made significant strides to achieve or attempt new things.  The fund goes like this:  There is approx 20 “new things” for you and your clubs to work on.  When you have accomplished these items, report it to your Zone Chairman for his checklist, and donate $1 per accomplished new item to the Zone Chair to pass on to the district Treasurer.  For most clubs, this would be $20 or so once you have.  I will match all donations and put into the “failure fund”.  Presently, the fund is at $217.   There is NO LIMIT to how many new things you may wish to try and get credit for.  I will match at least the first $1000 in “new work” that you do which could mean well over $2,000 back to the clubs next spring!

The more “new things” your club accomplishes and donates the $1, the larger the fund will become.  If all clubs just do the minimum and donate, the fund once matched will be about $1600, and will be “awarded” by some kind of process that I have not yet determined.  Its easy to do, gets you $100% return on your investment in one year (that is an excellent return, btw), and will be lots of fun.  Go enjoy and find out what is out there.  When you do these new things, look for opportunities to ask others to join us in serving our communities.  You will find them all over, and be willing to do so.

One major part of the “required” new things is a training called Mentoring.  It is on the Lions International Website.  Go find it and get your mentoring team to take it. 

Your Zone chair is your best friend over the next year.  If he/she does not call you, CALL HIM OR HER and discuss things you want to know about.  Build those relationships and move forward.  As with everything, make it fun, light hearted while doing good things in your communities.  In November, one of the main players of the attached https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YGsi8EeC3M will be her for our Midwinter.  She is going to be FUN and enjoy our Alaskan hospitality.  Don’t forget to sign up for your trip to Kodiak for Mid Winter!

Yours in Lionism

DG Mikie 

Vision Screening Efforts in October

October has taken us here and there providing free vision screening to the children of Southeast Alaska.

Here's what  we've done:

• Gustavus Elementary:  screened 57 with 19 referrals
• Recycle for Sight Drive (our annual drive to collect eyeglasses):  screened 7
• Gastineau Elementary (pre-school, Kindergarten, 1st):  screened 120 with 14 referrals
• Early Learning Fair (for babies and toddlers):  screened 17 with 0 referrals
• Hoonah Elementary:  cancelled by public health nurse
• Harborview Elementary (preschool, kindergarten, 1st):  screened 114 with 23 referrals
• Harborview Montesorri:  screened 46 with 6 referrals
• Wrangell Elementary:   screened 114 with 12 referrals

That's a total of 475 children screened with 74 referrals.  

Thanks to Lions Tom Dawson, Mike Norton, Donna and Bob Hurley, and Soapy Lingle for taking time out of your busy schedules to do this screening.  

We Serve!
#LIONS100

Lion King for the Day

There once was a young man named Bruce....

Okay, so there's very few words that rhyme with "Bruce," so let me just say this....

50 years ago, Juneau became a better place.

For that was when Lion Dr. Bruce Wing joined the Glacier Valley Lions Club.

Last night we celebrated Lion Bruce 

and his 50 years of service to Juneau and the communities that make up our neighbors.  

Although he started out at Glacier Valley Lions Club, he transferred to the Mendenhall Flying Lions when that club closed their charter.   

It was an intimate dinner filled with laughter and good times.  

Lion Mike Norton proclaimed Lion Bruce as "Lion King for the Day."  

He was presented with International President Dr. Jitsuhiro Yamada's pin that was donated by International Director Lewis Quinn

and a copy of the Mendenhall Flying Lions Club 30 Year Book for a walk down memory lane.

When asked what he has enjoyed most he said working on the Joint Sight Conservation Committee for so many years. (This program recycles used eyeglasses for re-distribution around the world as well as offers financial assistance for eye exams and glasses for those in need.)

Lastly, Lion Bruce was presented with a Distinguished Lion award by the Club.

When asked what his secret was for staying a Lion for so many years, 

Lion Bruce simply said, "You get started.  You stay with it.  Forever."

And here he stayed.

And we're glad he did.

Congratulations, Lion Bruce!

We Serve!

20th Annual Barbecue

Has it been 20 years already.... Has the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club REALLY been putting this barbecue on for so many years?

Some details have changed, like it's no longer an auction and barbecue.... and this year we're serving up cole slaw rather than potato salad....  and although we're still in the same location, we now have McGivney's Sports Bar to thank for helping us host this fundraising event.  They give us run of their kitchen and wait staff during most of the day.  And we wouldn't have ribs without the support of Randy's Rib Shack who is donating his time to smoke our ribs.  It really is a joint effort.... all for a good cause.

Here's what you need to know:

DATE:  Saturday, November 7
TIME:  12:00 noon until ribs are sold out.  Last ribs will be sold at 5:00 p.m. if not sooner.
PLACE:  McGivney's Sports Bar, Mendenhall Mall
MENU:  Dinner is slow smoked pork ribs, coleslaw, and baked beans for $15 a plate or a rack of ribs for $40.  We will also have baked beans and slaw "to go."

All proceeds from this fundraiser event will benefit the Alaska Diabetes Association.  They use these proceeds to help fund Camp K, a camp for Type 1 diabetic children located in Kenai, Alaska.   It gives children with diabetes a chance to be normal for once.  ADA also provides literature and brochures to the diabetic nurse in Southeast so she can serve us better.

Thank you for your support of our fundraiser.

We Serve!  

How They Roll in Gustavus

There's vision screening.... and then there's vision screening....

Lion Tom Dawson recently visited Gustavus to provide free vision screening to the children there.  

  

But this was no ordinary vision screening event!

The school was given an illegally shot moose and the children were in the process of butchering it.

They would be brought into the room to get their eyes screened with bloody hands!  

And then returned back to the task at hand after the screening!

This is how they roll in Gustavus!  

Thanks, Lion Tommy for the great pictures!

We Serve!

Lion Nancy

The Family Promise

We all know the saying.... it takes a village....  But it's true.  Whether it's the homeless in our home town, runaways, crime, or drugs, we're all in it together.  Some how there's a connection.

We watch out for our neighbors' homes when they're on vacation.  We collect newspapers and mail in their absence.  We share our bounty whether it's fish, home grown carrots, or canned rhubarb salsa. We watch out for each other.  We have neighborhood potlucks and worry when they're ill.

It takes a village.

But here's a concept you might not be familiar with.  Family Promise.  It's a national program that is coming to Juneau in the near future.  What is it?

Mendenhall Flying Lions Club donated $5,000 to help Family Promise get off the ground.  Left is Pastor Tari Stage-Harvey, Lions Mike and Nancy Norton and Donna Hurley.  Other MFLC Lions present (but not in the picture) were Lions Soapy Lingle and Bob Hurley

It's a promise to help the homeless, single parents in our community through their darkest hours.... living without a home.

You and I.... we come home from work every day to a nice home... to heat... electricity.  We have a way to cook our meals.  Heck we have a meal to cook!  We have a fridge and pantry usually full of food items.  We have a table to sit at to help our children with their homework.  We have a way to wash our hands, take a bath.  We have a bed to sleep in at night, a place to tuck our children and a place for them to snuggle with their stuffed animal.

Most people don't ask to be homeless.  It just happens.   They don't know where their next meal will come from or where their child will sleep at night.  They may not even have a means to brush their teeth in the morning or wash their hands at night.

Family Promise will give our homeless, single parents and children a temporary place to call home while they work with a caseworker to find a job, day care, and other services.  Family Promise will clothe them, give them a bed to sleep in at night, and three solid meals each day.  It will give them a place to brush their teeth, to do their homework, to be normal.  It will help them with their new beginning.

Family Promise is just getting off the ground.... getting the area churches together that will host our homeless.

Family Promise needs your help.  They need donations and will need volunteers.  If you care about the homeless of Juneau, help them help our community.  It really does take a village.

For more information, you can contact Family Promise of Juneau at info@familypromisejuneau.com. or PO Box 32775, Juneau 99803

Thank you.
Lion Nancy