February, 2016 - Lions Clubs of Iowa

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INSIDE:State awards nominations due by Feb. 28 ......2Pizza Ranch Week will aid Beep Baseball ......2Midwinter Conference earns many praises ....3Iowa KidSight a major feat of Lions service ...4One man’s journey from darkness to light .....5Moments from Mid-Winter in photos ........6 & 7Long Range Planning Committee report ......23April 26 is new date for “Dinner with Joe” ....249EC golf event big benefit to Foundation .....24PLUS LOTS OF DISTRICT NEWS ............... 8-21

By Lion Phil Larabee, Gala ChairmanThe Iowa Lions Foundation Gala – Saturday evening, Feb. 20 – is fast approaching so if you have not already done so, make sure to purchase your tickets today. Tickets are $60 each and can be purchased by sending your ticket request to VDG Paul Hain, PO Box 401, Lone Tree, IA 52755. The Gala is being held this year where it was first held – at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA.

This will be the fourth annual Gala, a time of fun and celebration also intended to benefit your Iowa Lions Foundation and the many Iowans it serves.

Silent Auction starts at 5:30 p.m.The evening’s events will start at 5:30 p.m. with the opening of silent auction tables. Anyone who wishes to donate something for the silent auction please call myself at 319-480-2699 or drop me an email at [email protected] so I can ensure your donation is listed in the evening’s program. Donations will also be accepted at the door.

Exquisite meal plannedSilent auction tables will start to close at about 6:30 p.m. and a short program will start at 6:45 p.m. The exquisite evening meal will be served shortly thereafter. The meal entrée is a Grill Sirloin steak, salad and dessert cooked by the chefs at Kirkwood Community College’s culinary school. When ordering your tickets, please inform Lion Paul Hain of any special dietary needs. A cash bar will also be available during the evening.

The special entertainment is scheduled for 8 p.m., featuring up and coming Country Musician Jimmy Weber. Jimmy is a retired 24-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who has played on numerous USO tours for our troops across the world plus he

has opened for many famous country musicians or played lead guitar for these people. His latest CD will be one of the items on the silent auction table. You will enjoy Jimmy’s acoustic guitar performance. If you want to hear Jimmy’s music go to www.jimmywebercountry.com.

Star attractions listed for live auctionAt 9 p.m. we will start the live auction. Some of the items up on the live auction include two round trip tickets anywhere

Southwest Airlines flies; a seven day, six night stay at any RCI resort in the world (you will need to provide your own transportation to the destination of your choice); also, a bottle of Vodka which came from Latvia; two tickets to see Carrie Underwood, American Idol winner of Season Four, at the Great Jones County Fair, Monticello, Iowa in July 2016; also, from the Mississippi River Distillery a bottle of Annie’s Pie and Stone Fence (apple cider flavor whiskey), a football signed by Chuck Long, and evening’s meal with one of the University of Iowa’s greatest quarterbacks, Chuck Long, amongst many more items.

At 10 p.m. we will draw someone’s name for the equivalent of two round trip airline tickets to Las Vegas valued at $500.

I am working on a couple more surprises so do not delay and purchase

your tickets to the Iowa Lions Foundation Gala today.

If you wish to reserve rooms at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, please remember to use the “Iowa Lions Foundation” to reserve your rooms at a discounted price. The discounted room price ends soon. Call 319-848-8700 or 877-751-5111. The hotel address is 7725 Kirkwood Blvd SW, Cedar Rapids.

It’s Iowa Lions Foundation GALA TIME! Feb. 20 at Cedar Rapids

COUNTRY MUSICIAN JIMMY WEBER, 2016 GALA FEATURED ENTERTAINER

February 2016...THE IOWA LION...Page 2

THE IOWA LION

Published by Lions of Iowa(U.S. Postal Service ISSN Number 0162-3834)

Official publication of the Lions Clubs of Iowa, 2300 SouthDuff,Ames, Iowa 50010. Published monthly except bi-monthlyJuly-AugustandDecember-January issues.Subscription fee$5.66peryear tomembers;$6.66peryear tonon-members.PeriodicalspostagepaidatIowaFalls,Iowa50126.

Desiree Dixon, Editor 1205 W. 2nd Avenue #10B Indianola, Iowa 50125 Phone: (515) 442-9199 E-mail: [email protected]

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, DURING THE EDITOR TRANSITION PERIOD COPY SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE DIRECTED TO: Roger Allen, Editor Emeritus Box 473 Montezuma, Iowa 50171 Phone: 641-623-5181 E-mail: [email protected] Copy should be to the editor by the tenth of the month to be considered for publication in the issue of one month later. MATERIAL INTENDED FOR DISTRICT NEWS PAGES needs to be in the hands of District Governors or District News Editors prior to that time, according to their deadlines. AdvertisingthatisrelevanttoIowaLionsClubsisaccepted.ContacttheEditorforratesinformation. All changes of address and other correspondence concerning SUBSCRIPTIONS should be directed to: Lions of Iowa State Office, 2300 South Duff, Ames, Iowa 50010.Telephone:515-232-2215;Fax:515-232-5590;E-mail:[email protected].

POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to THE IOWA LION,

2300 South Duff, Ames, Iowa 50010(Tel. 515-232-2215)

VOLUME 51 - NO. 6FEBRUARY 2016

In Memoriam: PDG Herb Conlon PDG Herbert S. “Herb” Conlon, 86, of Fort DodgepassedawayonMonday,Jan.11.HewasamemberoftheFortDodgeLionsClubsince1970andservedasDistrictGovernorofDistrict9x7in1997-1998.

It’sthattimeofyearalready! It’s time to start nominating some outstandingLions for recognition. The deadline to nominateLions for the Ralph Whitten ServiceAward, G.E.“Bud”KliseLeadershipAwardand theSparkPlugAwardisFebruary28.It’seasytodo.Gotowww.iowalions.org,clickonForms.ThereyouwillfindthenominationformsfortheWhittenandKliseAwards.

Ralph Whitten Service Award: TorecognizeaLionwhohasdemonstratedserviceat any level, club, district and multiple district.NominationstobesubmittedtotheIowaLionsStateOffice.

G.E. “Bud” Klise Leadership Award: TorecognizeanIowaLionwhohasdemonstratedoutstanding leadership at any level – club, district,multipledistrictorInternational.NominationstobesenttoPIDNormDean.

Deadline Feb. 28 to nominate for state awards

By Tim Wilson, State Administrator We’re raising money for the National BeepBaseballWorldSeries andoneway to do that isusingthePizzaRanchfundraisingprogram. Toparticipateyourclubneeds tocontactyourlocalPizzaRanchrestaurantandask themifyourclub can have a fundraising night the week ofApril10,2016.Thefundraisingnightdoesn’tcostanything and all your members need to do is 1)promotetheeventtoyourfriendsandrelativesand

Be part of Pizza Ranch fundraising week for Beep Baseball thecommunity,and2)linemembersuptoworkthefundraiserbybussingtablesandtakingcareoftheguests.ApercentageoftheproceedsthatnightwillgotoyourclubfortheBeepBaseballWorldSeries. WewouldliketohaveeveryLionsClubinthestatethathasaPizzaRanchtoraisemoneyonthesamenightornightsinApril.Whenyouschedulethe fundraising night or have any questionsplease contact the State Office, 515-232-2215 or [email protected].

Spark Plug Award: To recognizeanewLionwhohasdemonstratedthe spark to be a driving force for Iowa Lions.NominationstobesenttoPIDDaveStoufer.

Violet Collins is newAdministrative Assistant at Lions State Office

StateAdministratorTimWilsonannouncedattheMid-WinterConferencethatVioletCollinsofOgdenhasbeenhiredasAdministrativeAssistantat the state Lions office inAmes. She succeedsPamOliverwhoresignedDec.31duetothehealthcircumstancesofafamilymember.


The reviewsare in about the2016 IowaLionsMid-WinterLeadershipConferenceheld Jan. 8-9 at theDesMoinesAirportHolidayInnandthereportedcommentshavebeenresoundinglypositive. Having the good fortune of the main speaker andguestbeingLionsInternationalFirstVicePresidentBobCorlew(andhiswife,Dianne)wasthecapstonebuttheconferencewasanoteworthytriumphonmanyfronts. TheFridaynightentertainmentbytheRJBTriowasanobviousbighitwiththeir50sand60smusicandaudienceparticipation.And then multi-talented comedian SonyaWhite lived up to her billing as one of this country’sfunniestfemaleacts. The audience at theSaturdaybreakfast learned a lotaboutcornea transplantsandlistenedwithgreat interestto the emotional personal story of grateful transplantrecipientBrianMcCallister.Hisstoryistoldindetailinafeaturearticleelsewhereinthisissue. A memorable, poignant presentation was thereenactment of Helen Keller delivering her famous

speech at the 1925Lions Internationalconvention at whichshe challenged Lionstobecome“knightsoftheblind.”Dr.CindyReed, director of theIowaLionsEyeBank,masterfullymadethispresentation.Shewasintroduced by LauraShoemaker, playingthe role of Keller’sfamousteacher,AnneSullivan. When asked forcomments about theconference, Planning

Committee Chair PDG Kathy Rhinehart first said, “I want tothanktheplanningcommitteeforalltheirhardworktohelpmakeitasuccess.”Sheadded,“1stVPChancellorBobCorlewandhiswifeDiannewereveryinterestingtoget to know. Some of the ‘first-timers’ I talked to were soakinginalltheinformationtheywerereceiving,askinglots of questions, and hopefully thinking of becomingLionsbeyondtheirlocalclub.”

ChairmanRhinehartsaid,“WehadwonderfulseminarsondifferentcategoriesandBrianMcCallisterwasagreatspeaker for our breakfast meal. When Helen Kellertalkedtousatnoon,itremindedusofhowwegottothepointwearewithallourvisionimpairedworkinourlocalcommunities with KidSight and around the world withcataractsurgeries,glasses,SightFirstIandII,curingriverblindness,andalltheotherwaysLionshelp.ThankyouDr.CindyReedforyourexcellentportrayalofHelen.”

On the lighter side Rhinehart commented, “CC BillPollard‘lost’hisgavelsomanytimesthattheILFshouldhave come away with a very tidy profit to go along with theproceedsfromthepartnersinservicebasketauction!Itisalwaysfuntoseeourfriendsfromalloverthestateandmakenewfriendswhohavethesamewishtoserveothers.ThankyoutoallthepeoplewhoattendedthisyearandIhopeyouplanoncomingnextyear…bringanewLionorsomeonewhohasneverbeenbeforesotheycanlearnandbeinspiredtogobacktotheircommunitieswithnewenergytoachievethethingstheyneedtodo.”

Registrar PDGSheriHolliday reports 205 is the netnumberofconferenceparticipants.Shepassedalongthefollowingpositivecommentsnotedinevaluationforms:“I attended several training sessions and they were allexcellent!”“RonaldMcDonald speakerwasawesome!”“BestMid-Winteryet,”saidone.Andthisquoteseemedto sum up the weekend: “As always, a fun weekend,especiallyseeingmanyoldfriendsthroughLionism.And,theoverallweekendwasveryworthwhile.Enjoyed.”

1st VP Bob Corlew plus more great speakers, popular seminars and grand entertainment all part of a praised 2016 Mid-Winter Conference

SEE MORE NEWS AND PICTURES FROM THE CONFERENCE - Pages 6 & 7

Dr. Cindy Reed as she portrays Helen Keller

A beautiful, bountiful bevy of silent auction baskets abounded for bidders to buy at the conference. The annual project by the Council of Governors’ partners-in-service raised a reported $2,107 for the Iowa LIons Foundation.

Iowa Lions Foundation


Submitted by Reba Reed and Chris Anderson,District 9SW Iowa Lions Foundation Trustees

The Iowa Lions KidSight program started in 2000. Lori Short became manager of the Iowa KidSight program in 2002. Tennessee was the first state to start screening children’s vision through Lions Clubs International grant programs. Our program was modeled after the Tennessee program. Sean Donohue, the medical director of the Tennessee program, received his ophthalmology training at the University of Iowa.

In the first year of the program approximately 330 children were screened by Iowa Lions. This past year 45,964 children were screened for vision problems. At the Iowa State Fair in August of last year, approximately 950 children and their parents stopped by the booth in the Varied Industry Building and were screened.

We saw an all-time monthly record achieved in September 2015 with 9,689 children being screened. That monthly record was broken again in October with 11,096 children to receive the service. Remarkable milestones!

We now have 23 Iowa Lions as certified trainers in the State of Iowa and approximately 489 active Iowa Lion certified screeners. Each of these individual Iowa Lions are to be highly praised for giving of their time to volunteer to make this program a huge success. As Iowa Lions Foundation Trustees, we really appreciate the efforts each Iowa Lion gives to our KidSight program. And to the clubs that provide financial support to the Iowa Lions Foundation, you are priceless.

During the period of time when there was a problem obtaining film for our old cameras, there were only 6 states out of 15 that survived the changeover to the new digital cameras. At the present time there are approximately 20 USA Lion programs that have some sort of a screening for children’s eyes comparable to Iowa’s screening. Several of the other programs have been in contact with Iowa to see how we train and operate our project.

Children ages six months through kindergarten, and their families, benefit

from the program. It is awesome to understand but there have been children whose health has been improved from the screening of their eyes. Vision screenings not only prevent permanent vision loss for some children, screenings have also helped detect tumors in a few cases. What a blessing to have such a program to be able to improve the quality of life for these youngsters.

Now in effect is the new Iowa law that requires children to be screened within twelve months prior to six months after entering kindergarten. It is important to know that 80 percent of learning is done through sight. Screenings for the kindergarten kids are also recorded by Public Health.

Also note that state law also mentions the screening of third graders; KidSight will not screen these as other methods such as eye charts are a better way to screen. Any KidSight screenings done for third graders will be returned. The possibilities of catching eye problems or health issues while they are small, may greatly improve health for these children.

In addition to the support extended by the Iowa Lions Foundation, the program is funded annually by $100,000 from the State of Iowa and $12,000 from the Iowa Optometric Association. Our Director, Lori Short, has the responsibility of securing the remaining $38,000 to meet the annual operating budget. This year the Iowa Lions Foundation is committed to budget $183,250 for our share of this great project.

As Iowa Lions we can be truly proud of this program for it is by the efforts of many individual Lions who are truly dedicated that makes the program run so well. When we

see the child’s face, or the parent of that child who has been helped, we can truly understand the love each Lion puts into his or her effort to make the program work.

Records for the individual children screened are kept on a database in the KidSight office in Iowa City indefinitely. This database can be set up to list by name, screening site, or date of the screening. There is also a paper copy for the search.

A major Iowa Lions success story: Iowa KidSight

Iowa Lions make a significant difference for children in our local communities by extending KidSight vision screenings, such as for this Iowa child.


By Lion Allen Ricks, District 9MC Trustee, Iowa Lions Foundation

The forty-year journey began, when, as a thirteen-year-old boy, he cleaned the Lions Club’s building in Fulton, Missouri. The latest step on that journey took place on January 9, when Brian McCallister stood on the dais at the Iowa Lions Mid-Winter Conference and described, in a heart-warming way, his forever link to the Iowa Lions Eye Bank. Brian, a trial lawyer from Kansas City, Missouri, reminded Iowa Lions that “miracles do happen,” and that one had taken place in his life as a corneal transplant recipient, made possible through the Eye Bank.

Brian, the son and grandson of Disciples of Christ pastors in Missouri, was enjoying a successful and very busy career, when, in 2011, he began to experience some vision problems. Thinking that he needed to have a little stronger prescription, he ventured into an optometric center in a St. Louis mall, while there on business. The optometrist who examined him completed the exam, sat down in front of him and said, “Mr. McCallister, I need to share something with you that I believe is very important… I think you have a disease of the cornea called Fuchs Dystrophy.”

Fighting disbelief, Brian put off the next round of examination for six months, but eventually was seen by an ophthalmologist in Kansas City who confirmed the diagnosis. The “endothelial cells” on the back side of the cornea were progressively dying, with the result being there was a build-up of fluid behind the cornea. Brian describes the symptoms as being like trying to see the world through a glass of water. And, those symptoms became progressively worse.

Over the next two years, Brian’s journey was a journey toward darkness. He also recounts it as a journey of fear! The progressive symptoms included blurred vision, ghosting, halos, and starbursts, which, eventually, made it impossible to drive, impossible to read, impossible to play golf or hunt, impossible to enjoy his son’s baseball games, and even impossible to distinguish faces.

On this journey, Brian learned much about Fuchs Dystrophy. He learned that it was a genetic disease – his mother also had the condition, but not discovered until her 80s, after Brian was diagnosed. He learned that the genetic message for the production of “Collagen, type VIII,alpha 2” wasn’t effective for him, and the result was that the “Descemet’s Membrane” – an ultra-thin layer of cells behind the cornea that pump fluid away from the cornea – was being permanently damaged. Without surgery, Brian’s journey would have ended in blindness.

But then, on his journey, Brian found Dr. Mark Greiner, co-medical director at the Iowa Lions Eye Bank. And Brian learned that Dr. Greiner was pioneering a new corneal transplant called DMEK (short, for ‘Descemet’s M e m b r a n e E n d o t h e l i a l Keratoplasty)! In this surgery, the old membrane, which is less than 1/10th the width of a human hair, is removed, and the endothelial tissue layer from a donated cornea is inserted behind the patient’s cornea. With microscopic precision, the new layer is unrolled, positioned, and is “puffed” into place with a tiny gas bubble.

Brian’s journey brought him to Iowa, where, in January 2014, DMEK surgery was performed – on both eyes – by Dr. Greiner at the University of Iowa Hospitals. Within days Brian’s sight began to be restored, and, today he has nearly perfect, corrected sight in both eyes. Yes, miracles do happen!

Brian’s heartfelt expression of gratitude concluded with the note that his journey had intersected with the life-journeys of two others. Brian said, “I continue to be touched and very emotional about the fact that a part of another beautiful human being is now a part of me. That two someone’s would give this wonderful gift amidst tremendous tragedy for them and their families has me awestruck and humble…”

We, as Iowa Lions, can be grateful that Brian’s journey brought him to Iowa for the 2016 Mid-Winter Conference, to remind us of the life-changing work that is being done, in our name, through the Iowa Lions Eye Bank! And, we wish him well on the next steps of his life’s journey, as we renew our pledge to serve others through our support of a wonderful place in Coralville where miracles do happen!

A journey toward darkness – and Light!

Brian McCallister educated the Mid-Winter Conference audience

as he shared details of his journey toward cornea transplants


The RBJ Trio

Entertainment by the RBJ Trio, above, and Comedian Sonya White, at right, got the 2016 Mid-Winter Conference off to a great start. RBJ Trio members are Jack O’leary of Nevada, at left, and Beth and Rick McReynolds of Des Moines. They played 50s and 60s favorites, with audience participation in their version of name that tune. In addition, songs written by Rick were well received.

MID-WINTER CONFERENCEMOMENTS IN TIME --

JANUARY 8-9, 2016

Getting some “feedback” from “friends” were PDG Ron Hankom, at left, and Lion Yogi Braet, president of the Lions Pin Traders Club of Iowa. The moment was after Yogi had presented Ron a progressive Warren Coleman award from the pin traders club.

Meetings of Lions state committees and boards is an always-important part of the conference. Pictured above are the current members of the Editorial Board - from left: Judy Schlesselman of Belle Plaine, Laura Williams of Des Moines, and Chairperson PCC Diana Benzing of Neola. They oversee The Iowa Lion.

Sporting his new jacket, a gift from the Lions of Iowa, is Lions First VP Bob Corlew with his wife, Dianne - the conference’s special guests. They are from Milton, Tennessee. VP Corlew complimented Iowa Lionism for its programs and he especially praised Iowa KidSight for its being a model for the nation.

Happy buyer, happy seller! Iowa Lions Hearing Aid Bank Coordinator Chris Waring holds the metal sculpture lion figure she had just purchased from vendor Cory Spencer of Spencer’s Custom Artwork of Monroe, Iowa.

Photos by Roger Allen


PCC Jerry Inman, at right, received the Inter-national President’s Medal - International’s sec-ond-highest award. Inman, of Mechanicsville, is a member of the Stanwood Lions Club.

LEADERSHIP RECOGNITION. 1st VP Bob Corlew, at left, had the pleasure of presenting the Lions International Leadership Award to, from left beside VP Corlew: Lion Larry Olk of Sheffield, PDG Stephen “Steph” Becker of Waterloo, Lion Leon Muhlbauer of Glidden and PDG Jack Schlesselman of Belle Plaine.

PDG Dennis Lee was a repeat vendor, here displaying some of the woodcraft he creates, some of which also incorporates his other hobby, photography.

Enjoying her experience as a new vendor at the conference was Anna Wolvers, here showing one of her “Essent Oily Obsessed” products to Lion Pat Essing, at left, and an unidentified friend.

“I was hoping I would win that!” exclaimed conference first-timer Chris Hackett, a Dubuque Evening Lion. She won an overnight stay at next June’s state convention in Cedar Rapids. Congratulating Chris is Council Chair Bill Pollard.

Dr. Cindy Reed had the opportunity to be the first person to sign up for the new Lions Legacy Giving program and she enthusiastically took it. Watching are, from left, Bret Boeger, Ted Boeger and Clayton Copple, who are Des Moines Outreach Lions Club members and involved with the Legacy Giving program that officially launched January 11.

Club ActivitiesAlburnett: Blood drive 22 units collected, eyeglasses collected and delivered to Iowa Lions Eye Clinic, completed trail from town to sports complex for safety.Andover: Roadside cleanup, hosted Santa visit in the community and Christmas food baskets.Andrew: Donated a pair of eyeglasses to student, two members read to students and a cornea transport.Bettendorf: provided eight eye tests and glasses, two hearing tests and hearing aids, helped assemble 250,000 meals for Syrian refugees.Blue Grass: Recycling and composting materials, transported seniors to appointments, helped assemble 250,000 meals for Syrian refugees, held blood drive.Cedar Rapids Noon: Iowa KidSight screening, collected eyeglasses.Center Point: Christmas party for the community, Iowa KidSight screening at the Christmas party.Clinton: Iowa KidSight screening, UIHC and Mercy Iowa City visit with Santa to hand out toys, Salvation Army Red Kettle bell ringers.Coggon: Donated to Iowa Lions Foundation, frozen food fundraiser money donated to senior meal program.Davenport Host: Adopted seven families for Thanksgiv-ing, Veterans Day flags, adopted four families for Christ-mas. Eldridge: Donated to North Scott food pantry, Veterans Day flags, prepared and distributed food baskets at the North Scott food pantry for Christmas, donated half the funds for a new therapy dog for Ed White School.Fruitland: Donated a reader to visually impaired senior, read to students at Salvation Army afterschool program, members caroled and brought meal to a shut in senior, adopted a family for Christmas.Goose Lake: Roadside cleanup, flags at the cemeteries for Veterans Day, helped with Cub Scout group with Christmas box delivery.Low Moor: Iowa KidSight screenings, annual feather


DISTRICT 9ECDonna Wood

District GovernorP.O. Box 9

401 East 1st StreetMechanicsville, Iowa 52306

Ph. [email protected]

Greetings from the governorJust got home from Lions Midwinter Conference. It was a very enjoyable weekend. First International Vice President Chancellor Bob Corlew and his partner in service, Lion Dianne, were the guests for the weekend. Now that Midwinter is over, it is time to start planning my convention. In this issue you will find a registration form and some information about the weekend.There are some awards that we need to discuss this month. The district has Lion and Leader of the Year awards that the DG team needs nominations for so we can get the plaques ordered. So if you know of any deserving Lions in your club, send the information to me. There are also state awards available, the Bud Klise Leadership Award is due to PID Norm Dean by February 28, 2016. The Ralph Whitten Service Award is due to PID Gary Fry by February 28, 2016. The Spark Plug award is due to PID Dave Stoufer by February 28, 2016. All easy dates to remember they are all the same. Information can be gotten off the Iowa Lions website (iowalions.org), then go to the forms tab and the information is there. Let's have a good number of Lions from our district in the running for these awards.

Monies for the Northwest Community Center adjacent to Harrison Elementary School were presented at the City Council meeting on Dec.15, 2015. The contributions came from clubs in 9EC and 9MC ($5,000), and the Cedar Rapids Noon Lions Club ($17,000). The money will pay for equipment in the kitchen and gymnasium areas. The project is under construction currently and is expected to be completed next summer. The Lions logo will proudly adorn the scoreboard and a plaque in the kitchen.


party, delivered fruit baskets to shut-ins for Christmas, visited Iowa Children's Hospital and Clinton Hospital to deliver toys for Christmas.Lowden: Iowa KidSight screening, collected food and donations at local Christmas Walk. Marion Noon: Collected eyeglasses for recycling.Mechanicsville: Hat and mitten donation at local bank, food pantry workers.Miles: Purchased and helped deliver 40 toys for children in hospitals, helped with community Thanksgiving meal.Monticello: Donated to LCIF in honor of deceased member, helped with Backpack Buddies.Muscatine: Annual soup supper, Iowa KidSight screenings.Park View: Helped with North Scott food pantry, helped with after school program.Preston: Held blood drive with Preston Women's Club, made donation of material for blankets for children in hospitals, 3rd Annual Ugly Sweater Dance, helped deliver toys and blankets to UIHC and Mercy Iowa City.Stanwood: Cornea transport, HOBY with Lowden and Mechanicsville clubs, two bells from the North Cedar Clergy bell project, Soup with Santa with local 4-H group.Tipton: Avenue of Flags for Veterans Day, helped with Shared Blessings community meal, Community soup supper, horse and trolley at several locations.Walcott: Gave 30 turkeys away for Turkey Trot dance, donated to Iowa Lions Foundation.West Liberty: Gave donation to Dreamcatchers scholarship, served concessions at Carver Hawkeye Arena for wrestling and basketball games.Wyoming: Donation to Midland Post Prom, community Christmas decorations, served caramel corn at annual Christmas City Celebration.

District Convention District convention is coming up. Our International guests will be ID Edward Farrington and his wife Elaine from New Hampshire. We will be having a meal catered on Friday evening by Mill Creek Café, cost $15. The noon meal on Saturday will be done by Rube's BBQ, cost $12. The international guest will be presenting a question and answer concerning Lions Clubs International. His partner in service will be giving a presentation on team building. We will have a seminars on model trains by Bill "The Train Man" and Helen Keller by PCC Ardie Klemish. We will be having a father speak to what the Iowa Lions means to him. His daughter was screened by Iowa KidSight and a problem found. We will be having elections for DG, 1st Vice Governor, 2nd Vice Governor and Iowa Lions Foundation Trustee at the business session that Saturday.

District 9EC ConventionApril 8-9, 2016

North Cedar Junior/Senior High School400 Ball StreetClarence, IA

Times: 6 p.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m. SaturdayFriday Evening Dinner ___ @ $15= ______Saturday Noon Lunch ___ @ $12= ______

Name: _____________________________________

Spouse/Guest: _______________________________

Club: ______________________________________

Address: ___________________________________

City: ______________________________________

Phone: _____________________________________

Email: _____________________________________

Rooms at the Sleep Inn and Suites available for $90 plus taxes. Address: 310 Virgil Ave., Mount Vernon, IA 52314 319-895-0055. Must be done by March 8 for that rate.

Check payable to: Stanwood Lions ClubMail to: Karen Tenley

PO Box 155Stanwood, IA 52337

Must be received no later than April 1.

Scott B. Blackford Alburnett Leland OsmundsonMike R. Henle Alburnett Gene NeighborBelinda K. Henle Alburnett Gene NeighborElaine K. Brown Cedar Rapids Noon Gary GlockoffJohn Peters Davenport Host Hal WagherMichael Ramos Davenport Host Nicholas WithersMark Rosauer LeClaire Carl BoehlGerald L. Lenz Mechanicsville Mary JuhlDenise R. Dykstra Tipton Dennis DykstraKory K. Wehmeyer Tipton Dennis DykstraAnthony Warren West Branch Kent StuartNancy Warren West Branch Kent Stuart

In MemoriamCharles Hite Alburnett

Jack R. Grothusen BettendorfRonald Krambeck Low Moor

Robert Berry MonticelloLyle A. Boebel Otter Creek

WELCOME NEW MEMBERSNew Members Club Sponsor


DISTRICT 9SEDon Foor

District Governor380 S. Nebraska St.

Letts, Iowa 52754-9668Ph. 319-726-3131

Email: [email protected]

As we begin 2016 we are leading up to our one hundredth birthday. On July first of 2017 we will welcome in a century of Lions. We have come so far. We have won a few and we’ve lost a few but through it all we have made such difference in the world. Imagine if you will: The year is nineteen seventeen. We are in our final year of WW 1. The world has lost many millions of people. Mankind is suffering from disease, hunger, and poverty. War has killed and maimed and destroyed the lives or livelihood of so many people all over this world. The young and old alike are without the basic needs for survival. People are living like animals, doing whatever is needed to survive. The horrors of the shelling and bombing, and poison gas have made the war fronts a place of un-cleanliness, vermin, and disease of every kind that will spread like wildfire. Now imagine in Chicago at this particular time a businessman by the name of Melvin Jones has persuaded some other businessmen to band together to raise money, clothing, and food for the poor, the sick, old, and destitute. War had claimed the lives of so many fathers and sons, who were needed at home to provide a home, and keep their families safe. To keep their families fed and clothed, children and mothers worked in sweat shops just to make a little money, so the family would have the bare essentials. Melvin started this club with the idea of service to the needy. That you needed to do something for someone else, was the motto of this club. They would parade down Michigan Avenue wearing only barrels to bring attention to the plight of the needy. This was to signify that they have given not only the shirt off their back, but their pants as well. This is one of the ways they used to raise funds.

From this handful of men an idea was born,aclubdedicatedtotheserviceof theirfellowman. Fromthatidea,wehavegrowntotheorganizationthatisourLionsoftoday. We are Lions International. We are one point fourmillionstrong.Weareover46,000clubsin211countriesof theworld. Weare theonlynationalorganizationin

China. We are trusted by the world to fight diseaseslikeRiverBlindness,MeaslesandGlaucoma. Wefightstarvationand furnishsafedrinkingwater forpeople incountries thatcannotprovide itbecauseofpoverty,andpoorsanitation.WebelieveBlindnesscanbeprevented. Wearepeopleofalldifferentraces,creedsandreligionsandthoughwespeakinmanydifferentlanguageswithmanydifferentcustoms,weprovidecomfort,care,medicineandfoodtopeoplewhoareunabletoprovideforthemselves.IfadisastersuchastheearthquakethathitNepallastyearorthetornadosthatstruckAlabamaandArkansasthisyearhappensweare firston thegroundprovidinggrantsandvolunteerstoeasethevictims’sufferings. In the last week of June 2017, wewillgatherinChicagoforourcentennialconvention. Onthat lastSaturdayofJunewewillmarchdownMichiganAvenue,Lionsfromallovertheworld,wearingtraditionalcostumesorclubordistrictgarmentsandparaphernaliathatproclaimweareLions,hearusroar. Ournumberswillbeinthetensofthousands.WewillshowtheworldthatLionsarecommittedtothecauseofhelpingourfellowman,andfromthisconventionLionswillrededicateourorganizationtothemissionofhelpingtheblind,thesick,andthedisenfranchisedoftheworld.Not just one or two countries but all countries of theworld.Whataglorioussightitwillbe.“WILLYOUBETHERE? RightnowLionsofIllinoisarelookingforvolunteers.Thepay isnothing,your transportationwillbeonyourown,andsowillbemealsandlodging,butyourrewardwill be witnessing the greatest gathering of Lions everassembled,andyouwillbepartofit.

I have just returned from the Iowa Lions Mid-WinterConferencewhereImetFirstInternationalVicePresidentChancellor Bob Corlew from Tennessee, and his lovelywife,Dianne.BobhasbeenamemberoftheMurfreesboroLions Club since 1978, and is a retired chancellor ofTennesseeandaprofessoroflaw.Hehasheldeveryjobinhisclubandmanydistrict,state,andnationalpositions.HewillbesworninonJuly1asInternationalPresidentbyourcurrentInternationalPresident,JitsuhiroYamada.IspentalotoftimevisitingwithhimandhiswifeDianne.TheyarejustlikeanyoneofyouLionsandsomuchfun.Wetoldlocalhomestoriesandlaughedalot.Thisiswhatmakesmyjobasdistrictgovernorsuchapleasure. Nowit’stimetogetbacktowork!

New Members:Corydon FranklinHampton Sponsor:DonaldGoreckiMediapolis ReneeJoanou Sponsor:HerschelSmuckScottJoanou Sponsor:HerschelSmuck


Service with no strings attached

Agency:Assembledanddelivered90fruitplatestoseniors.Albia:Contributedpaperandhouseholdgoodstodisadvantaged.Contributedtoysforneedychildren.Birmingham: Donated money to Campus Club scholarshipfund.Columbus Junction:DonatedtoIowaLionsFoundation,andawardedanartkittoalocalpeaceposterwinner,Alsodonated12mylar emergency blankets toColumbusFireDepartment,anddonatedfundsforfruitbaskets.Corydon: Created an endowment fund for scholarships,displayedflagsaroundthetownsquare.DonatedmoneyforafreetopublicChristmasfilmshowing,anddeliveredmealstotheneedy.Crawfordsville:Heldablooddrive,andprovidedChristmasgiftsfortheneedy.Fairfield: Sponsored carriage rides around the square, andhostedasoupsupper.Fort Madison: Hosted law enforcement and emergencypersonneltoshowappreciation,anddonated$1,250topoliceprogramsandCrimeStoppers.Fremont: Served monthly breakfast and held blood drive.Builtahandicappedrampanddonatedmoneyforthebackpackprogram.Grandview-Letts:Donated funds tovariousprograms in thecommunityand$50toIowaLionsFoundationforViceDistrictGovernorvisit.Iowa City:Donated$2,000toIowaLionsFoundation.Helpedtwopeoplegetglasses,andtransportedeyetissue.HeldSantaBreakfast, and donated toward hearing aids for two needypeople,alsodonated$2,000toLCIF.Knoxville:Donatedforcommunityfoodbasketsandrecycledglasses,alsoservedpancakestoveterans.Donatedhearingaidsforaneedyperson.Lone Tree:Donationtofoodpantry,donatedtoSecretSantaprogram and transported eye tissue, also made donation forfoodbasketsanddidabloodtransport.Gave$80forcampusclubscholarshipfund.Morning Sun:Collectedandrecycledeyeglasses,heldbingogamesandservedbreakfastwithproceedsgoingto thegradeschool.Melcher-Dallas:ScreenedchildreninChariton,andproducedcommunitynewsletter.New London:Sponsoredblooddriveandpackedanddeliveredfoodbasketsforneedyfamilies,alsosoldgreenery.Theydidbloodtransport,andworkedadmissiongateforbasketballgames.North Liberty:Donatedtoafoodpantry,conductedchildren’seyescreeningsandcookedpancakebreakfastswithSanta,alsoheldaPeacePosterContest.Oskaloosa:BuiltandpulledfloatintheChristmasparade.Ottumwa Evening: Donated funds for Haiti Relief andadoptedaneedyfamily forChristmas.HeldbroomsalesandworkedsecurityforHawkeyefootballgames.

Ottumwa Noon:ProvidedforaBackpackProgram.Donated$1,000toLCIFand$2,000toIowaLionsFoundation,alsogave$500toCrisisCenterforwomen,andheldvisionscreening.Pella: Donated to the Food Shelf Pantry and did children’svisionscreening.Donated$500toBoyScouts.Sigourney:CollectedandrecyclednewspapersasafundraiserandpaidfortheBoyScoutsmagazines.Sponsoredafterschoolprogramsatthelibrary,andrecycledeyeglasses.Victor: Sold Community Calendars and held a raffle asfundraisers;alsoassistedBoyScoutsindeliveringfoodbasketsintheMarengoarea.Washington:Didasupperonelectionnight,andheldchildren’svisionscreening.SponsoredaBreakfastwithSantafundraiserfortheMainStreetProgram,andheldazonemeeting.West Burlington:Heldchildren’svisionscreenings.

Pictured here is the nursing staff of Iowa Wesleyan and Lion Trustee Al Olson as he shows a video about KidSight, as we try to convince them that this program will be a good fit for the college campus club.

This is the winner of the State Peace Poster Contest. It was won by 13-year-old Liberty Sink from the Aldo Leopold School in Burlington. Her prize is $150 and advancement to the international competition.

In Memoriam: PDG “Gene” Haile PDGDelmar“Gene”Haile,86,ofBurlingtondiedJan.21.HeservedasDistrictGovernorofDistrict9x4in1999-2000.


DISTRICT 9SWDean Brant

District Governor1205 West Adams St.Creston, Iowa 50801

Ph. 641-202-2191E-mail: [email protected]

2016/2017 PEACE POSTERThe 2016/2017 Peace Poster kit is available to order as of January 15, 2016. The theme for 2016/2017 is “A Celebration of Peace.” The time to talk with the schools about the contest is April and May before this school year ends. If the school has the kit then, they are able to make it part of the curriculum planning for the next school year.

Adair: Two members attended 9SW district convention and cabinet meeting Oct. 30-31. One member elected DG Elect while the other member presented a seminar and provided dinner music during the lunch on Saturday. Donation to Food Bank of Iowa. Collected eyeglasses at a company in Des Moines. Two members visited three District 9SW Lions clubs in October. One member attended the District 9SW District Governors meeting. One member attended annual GPLLI board meeting via telephone conference call. Several members attended Exira Spartan Leo Club new member induction. Provided music at Stuart and Atlantic nursing homes. Did a roadside and park clean up. Two members attended 2016 USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum Joint Planning Committee/Host committee meeting in Omaha. A member donated clothes/toys/books to children in the hospital. Provided dinner music and caroling at several nursing homes, decorated community for holidays, collected food for food pantry at Christmas soup supper. Two members visited Mt. Mary College in Yankton, SD for site/bid for 2016 Great Plains Lions Leadership Institute.Adel: Cleaned up three miles of Highway 6. Donated $500 for roof over the new grill at Kinnick-Feller Park and will construct at a later date; to both the Bradford DePond's Eagle Scout project and the Noah Eagle Scout project; to the Stan Norenberg's memorial toward the ADM Scholarship. Purchased eyeglasses for an ADM middle school student and had the winner of the Peace Poster contest at 9SW District convention.Afton: Had a pizza party for Peace Poster contestants and their families. Donated inflatable to Mommies of Angels. Had a Halloween haunted trail for donations to the food pantry.Atlantic: Approved one request for glasses. Did KidSight eye testing at Jack and Jill, Wickman Center and Little Lambs. Made the following donations: $500 Back Pack program, $250 Armory, $250 Atlantic archery club, and $250 to Atlantic fire department. Served 119 people at the supper at the Parish Center. Two members attended the District Convention. Sold Christmas trees in November.Audubon: Five Lions attended the District convention in Stuart. Chris Anderson was voted 1st VDG elect. Donated to LCIF. Delivered 155 pair of used glasses to the State office. Mailed eight hearing aids to the Iowa Hearing Aid Bank. Made annual donation to Boys State in Iowa. Donated a total of $1,300 this year to Iowa Lions Foundation. Donated to Leader Dog. Screened 29 kids at IKM school area. Four officers attended the zone meeting in Guthrie Center. District Treasurer, ILF Trustee, Chris Anderson also spoke at the zone meeting. 2nd VDG and club secretary attended Mid-Winter conference seminars and training sessions. 2nd VDG inducted two members in neighboring club. Collected funds at Christmas party for Firemen’s spouses to purchase clothing for people who have lost clothing in a fire. Donated $300 for food to be donated to New Opportunities.Bayard: Held an omelet breakfast to raise money to benefit scholarships for 2016 CR-B graduates. Carlisle: District Governor came for an official Club visit and gave out two years of service awards to members Bob Burning, 30 yrs and

Jon Peterson, 45 yrs. Worked at senior center and helped with eye screening in the pre-school and kindergarten. 223 children tested. Held a community Thanksgiving dinner for the people of Carlisle serving about 120 people.Council Bluffs: Handed out candy that generated $2,500. Screened 300 kids for a total of 600 for the year.Creston: Several members helped collect and distribute food to those in need during the Christmas season.Earlham: Delivered meals to shut-ins. Helped teachers with reading classes and other classroom activities. Two members attended the District Convention. One young person helped with the fundraising can shed.Exira: Continue to run concession stands for football and volleyball. Held annual Leo induction and installation of 15 Leos with their families and installed the four officers. 61 Leo and parents present with five state and district members present. 11 members attended the District convention. Donated $250 to each LCIF, International fund, and leader dog. Gave these checks at the District parade of checks. Also, donated $1,643 to the kennel renovation. Rented building for fundraiser for Parks Committee then donated the rent back to the committee with five people helping with it. Attended the zone meeting in Guthrie Center and helped with the Leo presentation with President Deann Irlmeier. 12 members were present for breakfast meeting. Finalized pie making with Leos and set the date for Lions Christmas party. Jack and Leo (2 puppies from Fort Dodge) are coming to spend the day with the Leos. Helped with a benefit for a former student. 12 Lions, 12 Leos and eight teachers were glad to “serve.” Celebrated the 2014/2015 year with dinner provided by several Lions. The highlight of the evening was reaching 100 members in the Spartan Leo and Exira Lions Club. Two members attended the Mid-Winter conference.

CLUB ACTIVITIES

Fontanelle: Helped with fund raiser for new fire truck for fire department. Helped with annual family fun night in city park. Served 170 at annual pancake day.Greenfield: Working on upcoming basketball and wrestling tournaments in Feb. Donated $260 to Nodaway Valley Archery Club; Operation Socks for Seniors is going well; committee working on placing rock at the Southside Park; the club is working on several other projects. Donated $250 to Greenfield Chamber Main Street.Guthrie Center: Held blood drive with 27 registered donors. Delivered Meals on Wheels.Harlan: Cleaned ditches for two miles along Hwy. 59 south of Harlan. Handed out free bottles of water to those attending literacy night at the elementary school. Sponsored and distributed food from the Omaha Mobile Food Pantry to local needy families. Lion mascot and three members handed out 200 cloth bags with the Lion emblem on them at the Harlan Harvest Fest. Handed out the Lions fall sports programs at two home football games. Screened kids at a day care and two head start groups.Indianola Noon: Presented a Melvin Jones, Warren Coleman and Lion of the Year awards at Spouse Night. District Governor and partner in service attended the Spouse Night. Over 450 children selected gifts for their families at Holiday Extravaganza. Donated $100 to Indianola YMCA to help with children’s New Year’s Eve Party. Donated $250 to the Indianola WeLift unemployment program.


Member Nick Carson Pastor Donna Ewert Paul Smith Mary K. O’Brien Todd Hughes Ben L. Lyons Joni Baier Larry Beaman Edwin Christensen Kathi Christensen Clifton C. Dunn Kendalyn Huff Owen W. Johnson Chris P. Kuhn Sonja A. LaBarge Barbara J. Courtier Kerry A. Courtier Quint D. Franke Shelli J. Nelson Tom Riggs Kristen D. Rutherford Antonio D. Santistebans Siglinde B. Schuster Mary Jane Sprague

Club Clearfield Harlan Harlan Indianola Leon Greenfield Greenfield Greenfield Greenfield Greenfield Greenfield Greenfield Greenfield Greenfield Greenfield Neola Neola Neola Exira Norwalk Exira Exira Norwalk Panora

WELCOME NEW LIONS

IN REMEMBRANCETerry Thayer---Indianola Noon

Indianola Evening: Purchased eyeglasses for two individuals. Screened 106 Carlisle pre-school children and 117 kindergarteners. Conducted KidSight eye screening for eight Carlisle pre-school children.Martensdale: Donated $100 to LCIF. Collected eye glasses. Collected hearing-aids and took to the District convention for the hearing aid bank. Donated $100 to Iowa Lions Youth Camp. Donated to LCIF and Leader Dogs. Served food to the beggars on Beggars’ Night. Participated in the Peace Poster contest. Members worked on Lions hall cleanup. Collected food for the local food bank.Mount Ayr: Set up and operated the carnival swing for children who attended the annual Halloween Beggars Bash. Sponsored Peace Poster contest for 7th and 8th grade Mount Ayr community art students. Had 15 entries and awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.Neola: Presented dictionaries to TC third graders. Two members pro-vided Iowa KidSight screening to 38 three and four year olds. Pro-vided transportation to the Weigel Williamson Center for Low Vision Center for local resident. Collected and gave toys to children in Neola. Purchased playground equipment for park; purchased chair for Santa; donated $30 for candy for Old Fashion Christmas; had a progressive dinner for Christmas; helped food pantry.New Virginia: Held annual Charter night with guest speaker, DG Brant and spouse. Donated 40 bags of treats to local food bank for Christmas; donated 50 bags of treats to COC for older disadvantaged people; had Santa visit with candy, hot dogs, cocoa, and popcorn; free face painting and pictures with Santa.Norwalk: Donated 40 fruit baskets to local food pantry; collected 572 non-perishable food items for food pantry; screened 404 kids during November and December. Oakland: Collected 80 used eyeglasses from the “Mail Box” at the Oakland Pharmacy. Recycled cans and glass bottles and funds raised from this project went to United Methodist Youth Fund.Orient: Adopted a book for Orient library. Two members helped keep the museum open during summer and fall hours.

Osceola: Hosted and made appointments for the community blood drive. Donated $500 to the local senior citizen center. Donated $500 to LCIF, LCI and $300 to Leader Dogs.Panora: Five Panora Lions attended the 9SW District convention. Made a donation to Leader Dogs. Three Lions volunteered at the Haunted Village event at the Guthrie County Historical Village in Panora. Handed out candy and took pictures with the kids in the Old Panora City Jail along with the Lion mascot. Panora Club joined with the Yale and Linden clubs for the Peace Poster contest. Three Lions attended the Mid-Winter Conference. 19 children were screened at the breakfast with Santa.Perry: Held Christmas Party with spouses at Hotel Pattee in Perry.Red Oak: Put together treat bags for Good Samaritan Society-Red Oak employees. Donated food for Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets for needy families in Red Oak. Two Lions, seven youths from Silver Cloud 4H club and 10 seniors from Good Samaritan decorated pumpkins for the residents at Good Samaritan for Halloween. Handed out football programs at two football games. 50 gift bags were given to the elderly at Christmas time.St. Charles: Held fundraiser for repairs on city welcome sign. Held pizza night for potential members. Membership training from District officers. Held soup supper on election night with proceeds going to local projects. Held work night to repair Christmas lights. Sponsored holiday fun and held soup supper and community open house with Santa. Had Christmas dinner to thank spouses for all their help during the year. Presented Warren Coleman award to Keith Murphy and Mel-vin Jones Fellowship award to Mike Mathiason.Stuart: Sponsored District 9SW convention, provided food, manpow-er and served as hosts. Soup and food served with drawings, train rides and Santa; gift bags for all kids from Santa; screened Nodaway Valley elementary students and Mrs. Walker's Little Lambs Immanuel Church in Greenfield; Britnee Noland (Adair Angels); West Central Valley El-ementary School in Stuart.Tingley: Sponsored Halloween celebration with prizes for the parade winners, solicited funds for the parties following the parade and treats for the middle school band. Held a fundraising soup supper that served 230 people. Donated $100 to the Tingley 4-H Club and gave extra food to the After School Reading program. Decorated the town and had a pumpkin decorating contest for all ages with 35 entries. Held Christmas party and sacked up Santa treats; two members dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus gave out the treats to all children, young and old; 18 people received meat pkgs. Villisca: Held a hot beef sandwich dinner with a profit of $400. Held a glow in the dark Frisbee Golf tournament. Did eye screening on October 27. Had annual craft show. $200 donations to LCIF, diabetes, Leader Dogs; $500 to LCI and $1,000 to the Villisca school wellness center for equipment.Winterset: Lions Club members helped with line up and supervised corners for the Covered Bridge Festival parade. Eight members assisted with pick-up of Christmas boxes for the needy in the community. 14 members assisted with packing donations and gift certificates for the community food and gift boxes.

February 20: Iowa Lions Foundation Gala, Cedar RapidsJune 1-2: MD9 State ConventionJune 24-28: International Convention, Fukuoka, JapanJuly 22-24: Great Plains Lions Leadership InstituteJuly 24-30: World Series of Beep Baseball

CALENDAR

SponsorFrank CarsonChristina PetersenJohn MyersRick WilsonLucas GillilandDavid HuffTim BaierTodd OlsonJeffrey LaBargeJeffrey LaBargeWilliam RaaschDavid HuffTodd OlsonJeffrey LaBargeJeffrey LaBargeNicole SchnecklothNicole SchnecklothJerry Farley Lisa DreierAlan WaughConnie JessenBeth PeppersJohn DagenaisJames Sievers

DISTRICT 9MCGarry Vokes

District Governor9894 Sunset Terrace

Clive, Iowa 50325-6434515-779-1249

E-mail: [email protected]


Happy Valentines DayWe have started the new year and already it is Valentines day. What have you thought about giving your sweetheart? How about a membership to the Lions club? We are an economical value. If your sweetheart lives with you, you can give her the gift of membership at half price. Both you and she can apply for family membership. This is a terrific deal. You can become involved together. She or he probably knows more about Lions than you think they do. Ask them – they may surprise you.

Moving on ... Things are happening in the district and in the state, associated with the Centennial celebration in 2017. We have a speech contest portraying Melvin Jones and Helen Keller. This speech contest will be judged by the districts and we will have seven winners from our seven districts. Encourage your schools that have a speech department to participate in the contest. There will be awards for the best portrayers of Melvin Jones and Helen Keller. Participants are requested to dress up in the clothes of the era. A winner from the seven districts will be chosen after their portrayals at the state convention in June. More information will be forthcoming in the Iowa Lion.

Succession planning is a topic that should be on all our minds. Since officers are usually elected for one year terms, it is time to think about who is going to be your next slate of officers. Once you elect the officers be sure to put them into your MyLCI database so we can contact them with news and information about Lions that would be of importance to you as Lions. The district needs email addresses so that we can send out dues notifications and other mail that would cost $.49 for snail mail. More information is lost by not having valid email and contact information. Then we get the phrase we didn’t know about it.

Remember everyone has to pay Uncle Sam so why not save yourself some money.

District Convention April 2Our District 9MC Convention will be held April 2. The cabinet will meet on Friday, April 1 to conduct district business. On Saturday we will open doors at 7:30 a.m. We will have a continental breakfast from 7:30 to 8:30. We will begin at 8:30 a.m. Then we will have lunch around noon. Our lunch entertainment will be Lion Ed Johnson of Clive.

Come early with an empty basket to collect all the knowledge we will impart to you. The cost will be $30.00 for the whole day. If you just want to be there for lunch it will cost $30.00 and hear our guest, International Director Richard Liebner. We will be holding President, Secretary and Treasurer training. I am not making any hotel reservations other than for PID Judy and ID Richard. Attached you will find registration for District convention

Club happeningsNevada – Picked up eye glasses and took to Ames, Paper recycling, meals on wheels, Help students on ESL.Collins – Earned $250 at Pancake breakfast. Support of individual in community, helped with after prom activities.DM Host – KS screeningsKellogg – Pancake breakfast serving 149 people, profit to leader dogs, cycle helmets for 4th graders at Newton.Marshalltown Lioness – Christmas party, Bell ringing for Salvation Army.Montezuma - Presented three Warren Coleman honors at Christmas dinner; 23rd annual Toy and Craft Show on Jan. 30.Newton – Delivers Meals on Wheels. Transport eye tissue. Another pancake breakfast benefitting Kellogg Museum and LCIF.South Des Moines – Awarded two Warren Coleman honors; help with one hearing aid request and three pairs of glasses.Grimes – Served 160 hot dogs at Halloween fest. Hosted wreath sales for BSA.


South Des Moines Lions Club presented the Warren Coleman Honorary Award to these two couples. They are, left to right, Clarence Mattson and Linda Mattson and Helen and Norman Givler.

Lions District 9MC ConventionFriday 4/1/16

Faith Lutheran Church10395 University, Clive, Iowa

Saturday 4/2/16 Faith Lutheran Church

10395 University, Clive, Iowa

-- REGISTRATION FORM --

Name_____________________________________________ LionYes_____No_____Name_____________________________________________ LionYes_____No_____Address_______________________________________________________________________________________________Phone_____________________________________________Email_____________________________________________Club______________________________________________

Cost $30.00Make Checks payable to Lions 9MCMail to Joann Fry, 109 Carter Street,

Mitchellville, Iowa 50169

ContinentalBreakfast

PastaLunchwithSalad,Bread,Drink,Dessert

Registrations Due by March 26, 2016

Checkinwillbe7:30to8:30a.m.withcontinentalbreakfast

Hope to see you at District Convention.

Montezuma Lions Club President Paul Keferl, at right, presented the Warren Coleman Honorary Award on behalf of the club to, from left, Mike Mahaffey, Kathy Cox and Pat Miller, at the club’s annual Christmas dinner, Dec. 14. The three members were honored for their volunteerism as a member of the club and within the community. One of the awards was made possible by the club’s donation of $1,000 to the Iowa Lions Foundation, and two awards were made possible by credits given through the Foundation for miles driven by various Montezuma club members delivering donated cornea tissue to the Iowa Lions Eye Bank. Mahaffey has been a Lions club member for 30 years; Cox and Miller have been Lions for nine years.

13th year for Montezuma’s KidSight screenings With permission forms in hand, three students in the Montezuma Community School afternoon preschool class are escorted by Montezuma Lions Kathy Cox and Mike Princer, down the school office hallway on their way to having their eyes screened through Iowa KidSight, Nov. 30. In addition to Cox and Princer, conducting this year’s screening were Roger Allen and Linda Neels. This is the 13th year Montezuma Lions have done screenings.

DISTRICT 9NWMark Essing

District GovernorP.O. Box 33

Manson, Iowa 50563-0033Ph. 515-570-5040

E-mail: [email protected]


News and encouragementfrom your District Governor

I feel it is necessary to state to the 9NW District Lion members, that I have reached a period of frustrating disappointment in the fact that our District does not have a Lion who is willing to step forward to continue what the current District Governor and the Past District Governors’ desire is to keep this District moving forward into the Centennial, with Leadership that will continue until our Second Vice District Governor, Paul Thompson, takes office. Lions Clubs International has informed me that member-ship records of the international office reflect that District 9 NW has been a “Transitional District” for two years or longer. I have set a “lofty” goal, as I am told, that I want to see this District in a “Plus 33” membership status before June 30, 2016. That means we need to replace the membership that has been lost in the Pride and we need to be more than 33 new members to the good. These plans on membership goals will continue into the next two governors’ years, in hopes that our district will have a net gain of “100” new members by 2017. Many of the 9 NW clubs are doing an exceptional job in obtaining/inviting new members. Some clubs have even surpassed the requirement of at least 3 new members, so they will qualify for a “Centennial Award” for meeting this goal. The whole point of increasing our membership is by increasing our membership, we will increase the numbers in our communities that will receive our help or support, to make our communities better. So please “ASK 1.”

Centennial Celebration:Now it’s time to take our motto “We Serve” to the next level by planning a Centennial Community Legacy Project. Legacy Projects are gifts to your community that commemorate our Centennial and create a lasting legacy of your club’s service contributions. Your Legacy Project will stand as a reminder of the

impact of your club on your community and as a symbol of Lions’ commitment to a better future. I can’t wait to see the incredible impact clubs like yours continue to make as we celebrate the Centennial. Please take this opportunity to earn special Centennial recognition by completing and reporting your projects on the MYLCI Service Activity Report.

Manson Lions Club supplied sugar cookies, frosting and toppings for children to decorate a cookie, as part of the Manson Hometown Christmas event, held at the Manson Area Community Center. Manson Lions Club President Tim Shea filled the role of Santa Claus. Pictured are, from left, Arnold Smith, secretary; Janet Johnson, Tim Shea, President and Santa; Alexis Essing, granddaughter of Pat & Mark; Pat Essing, 9NW Centennial Coordinator; and Mark Essing, 9NW District Governor.

Future, past and present District 9NW leaders pose with this year’s District 9NW winning peace poster contest entry on display at the Mid-Winter Conference Jan. 9. They are, from left, VDG Paul Thompson, PDG Stefan Sandberg and DG Mark Essing. The talented young artist creating the winning poster is Reagan Freeman from Sheldon, Iowa.


9NW District ConventionMarch 11-12, 2016Fort Dodge, Iowa

REGISTRATION FORM

Name: _________________________________________________Current Office: ________________________________________ First Timer : Yes ____ No____Club Name: ___________________________________________City & Zip: _____________________________________________Phone #: ______________________________________________Email: _________________________________________________

Friday P.M. ______ @ $12.50 = $ ______

Saturday Noon _____ @ $12.50 = $ ______ Total Enclosed = $ _______

Please make check payable to :District 9NW Lions

Mail to: Manson Lions Club P.O. Box 911 Manson, IA 50563

Overnight Guests:AmericInn Motel

100 Kenyon Rd. West, Fort Dodge, IA. 505011-515-576-2100

(State you are with the Lions to get preferred rate $84.90 plus tax)

District 9NW Convention Hosted by the Fort Dodge Noon Lions Club

March 11 - 12, 2016

Fort Dodge Noon Lions Den 731 Exposition Drive Fort Dodge, IA. 50501 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 1436 - 21st Ave. North Fort Dodge, IA. 50501

VISITING DIGNITARY:International Director

Lewis Quinn of Anchorage, Alaska and his

Partner in Service, Gayle Friday, March 11Friday night will be held at “ The Lions Den “, (formerly Isacc Walton Lodge), 731 Exposition Drive, Fort Dodge, with a theme of “Celebrating The Red, White and Blue”, wear your Patriotic attire.5:30 p.m. Registration6:15 p.m. Picnic/Tailgate Meal7:00 p.m. Entertainment8:30 p.m. Hospitality Room @ AmericInn Lobby and the “Wine & Beer Pub“ Room, 100 Kenyon Rd. West, Fort Dodge, Ia. 50501 Saturday, March 12Saturday events will be held at The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1436 - 21st Ave. North, Fort Dodge8:30 a.m. Registration8:30 a.m. View Silent Auction Items8:30 a.m. Coffee & Conversation9:00 a.m. Seminar Sessions10:00 a.m. Speaker - Lion Mark Klever11:00 a.m. Speaker - PCC Ardie Klemish11:30 a.m. Luncheon (Buffet)12:15 p.m. Memorial Service12:30 p.m. Business Meeting/Election1:00 p.m. Introductions1:15 p.m. International Director Speech1:45 p.m. Awards2:15 p.m. Winners of Silent Auction2:30 p.m. Cabinet Meeting/Adjournment

Have a Safe Journey Home Akron Lion Carol Larson, at left, sponsor of new member Christina Lewison, in center, being sworn in by Club President Dee Watson.


DISTRICT 9NEDr. Gene NoonanDistrict Governor2259 Wedgewood

Dubuque, Iowa 52002Ph. 563-556-8464

[email protected]

We are now at the half way point of the year and it seems like a month has gone by. Please look back at your goals or plans for the year and see if they have been met. The second half of the year I would like to focus on membership retention, recruitment, and satisfaction. If your club did not start with the club excellence forms, “Your Club Your Way,” “Blueprint For A Stronger Club” and “Membership Satisfaction Guide,” now is a great time to go through the questions and learn some things about your club. After that has been completed do the Community Needs Assessment form and send out to your community leaders, schools, police or fire departments. Their responses will help you find new projects that is needed for your community. When you send the forms out to your leaders of your community you are also introducing them to Lions and what we do, and that may open up an opportunity to ask them to be a member. Lastly Just Ask someone, 100% of the people you don’t ask will not be a Lion, so let’s ask.

District 9NE News

Service Activities 9 NE

3 Clubs this month – 30 for the Year8,864 Lions hours of service

59,899 People ServedExcellent Job!

Award Send To:Ralph Whitten Service Award PID Gary FryBud Klise Leadership Award PID Norm DeanSpark Plug Award PID Dave Stoufer

Forms for these awards are on the state website and you can print them out.

NOMINATIONS NEEDED (Deadline Feb. 28, 2016 No exceptions)

Bud Freeman Award Harold Freeman (Dist. Award)

Centennial Service Update68 Million People Benefited: 24M Youth, 11M Vision,

14M Hunger, 19M Environment

Club NewsCedar Falls: Awarded four Russell Congdon scholarships on January 4, the scholarships are up to $1,000 each.Dubuque Evening: Participated in a joint project with the Dubuque Noon Club to fulfill the World Wide Week of Service Challenge to fight hunger and raised $390 and 200 pounds of food.Dubuque Noon: Joined with the Dubuque Evening Club to fulfill the World Wide Week of Service to fight hunger, members set up a booth at the IBM Plaza and collected donations and canned goods for one week.Dyersville: Donated $100 to Toys for the Needy, sponsored a youth to Hugh O’Brien Leadership Conference for Engaging our Youth Campaign, and bought glasses for 4th and 6th graders. Hawkeye: Held the annual Christmas supper and raised funds for soup dinner.Independence: Served 156 people at the annual breakfast and raised $1,201. Rang the bell for the Salvation Army, and contributed gifts to Adopt- A – Family.Janesville: Hosted the annual Christmas party for the North Star Services clients; 80 clients and 20 members shared a dinner and entertainment. Did a joint project with the Waverly club to build an access ramp for a Janesville resident. Building materials and manpower were provided by Janesville and the Waverly club donated the plans and ramp.Waverly: Engaged in a joint effort with the Janesville club to provide a access ramp for a resident in Janesville. Provided the building plans and ramp.

The Janesville/Waverly joint project.Left to right front row: Dennis Dilley, Gene Robinson, Larry Scribner, Irv Sorge, and Richard Aubrey. Back row: Corey Smith, Brian Schmidt, Bruce Henrikson and Bob Barr.


DATES TO REMEMBER

Attention: Calling All Clubs of District 9NEDistrict-Wide Environment Day

What: All 48 clubs and three Leo Clubs participate in the Environment Service Challenge.When: Saturday, April 30, 2016 Where: Your TownHow:1. Form a committee 2. Ask in the community (schools, trails, parks, roads, City Hall) plant flowers, trees, clean up or recycle. If the work is physically too hard to do recruit a youth group or school class to do the physical work, while you hold a shovel and give orders. 3. Advertise your project, make a brochure or flyer to hand out and post on boards, post it on Facebook and Twitter, call the local newspaper, radio, and TV if possible. When all the clubs do this the same day through out the district we may get some big public relations for doing this.Go to the LCI website and in the search box type: environ-ment centennial challenge and you will find ideas to com-plete the project, and how to start the project and manage it through completion. When the project is planned please e-mail me [email protected] what your club will be doing, I will try to get this to the major television sta-tion in our district, for Lions PR.

The Challenge is on now let’s get it done!

HELP WANTED!Need energetic LIONS to help out the district cabinet. If you are willing to help and want to learn how the cabinet operates please contact:

DG Gene Noonan at [email protected]

or call 563-556-84641st VDG Jack Schlesselman at

[email protected] or call 319-434-2890

2nd VDG Ed Ottesen at [email protected] or call 319-234-1863.

All members and Past District Governors are encouraged to apply.

LIONS DISTRICT 9NE CONVENTION Holiday Inn - Dubuque, Iowa

April 22-23, 2016Registration Form

Name: _______________________________

Name: _______________________________

Address: ______________________________ ______________________________ Phone # ______________________________

Email: _______________________________

Club: ________________________________

*Please note special dietary needsFriday Dinner at $25 per personDinner choice: Sliced Pork Loin _____ Chicken Kiev _____ #___ x $25 = _____Saturday Lunch at $15 per personHome Style Meatloaf #___ x $15 = _____Fri.- Sat. Meals at $40 per person #___ x $40 = _____ Total enclosed ________

Registration Due By April 1Make Checks payable to: District 9NE LionsSend Payment to: Lynn Kloft 2970 St. Anne Dr. Dubuque, Iowa 52001Room Reservations at: tiny.cc/Lions9NE Rates: $79 per night

International Director Jack Epperson

Director Jack is from Dayton, Nevada. He was elected at the 2014 International Convention in Toronto, Canada. Jack is a retired CEO of a technical and research company. A member of

the Dayton Valley Lions Club, he is married to Lion Mary. They have one son, two daughters and eight grandchildren.

Iowa Lions Foundation Gala Feb. 20 Cedar RapidsDistrict Convention April 22-23 DubuqueIowa State Convention June 2-4 Cedar Rapids

HAPPY NEW YEAR – AND WELCOME TO OLD MAN WINTER

My my – it is just a bit frosty outside – but Lions are a hearty bunch – so the Mid-Winter Lions Leadership Conference was held in style – and everyone seemed to gain in knowledge as well as LOTS of fun!!! I was so pleased to have the opportunity to spend time with our 1st Vice President of Lions, Bob Corlew and his wife Diane. Such nice folks – and so willing to share their experiences and travels. The Friday night entertainment was exceptional – with everyone singing along to the band provided. This Governor even managed to trip the light fantastic for one dance. Saturday was filled with seminars (very good information to take back to your clubs) and an inspirational message from Bob Corlew. It is always fun to get together with old friends and make new ones as well. Thank you to our 9NC District Governor Team for all your help – and a special thank you to the “few” clubs that provided baskets for the silent auction. I failed to notify all the clubs in 9NC in time, but it is customary to have at least 15 baskets from each District. This year 9NC only had four. Hope to see LOTS more at next year’s Mid-Winter.One of the things this Governor learned was how to get our Past District Governor Association back up and running. Most of the other Districts I conferred with use the immediate Past District Governor as that year’s President and the 2nd year Past District Governor as Secretary/Treasurer. PDG Kristin Buehner will finish out this year as President and PDG Gary Schriver as Secretary/Treasurer. We are being asked to use this sector to act as mentors to those who wish to move up into leadership positions and also to mentor those in office who might have questions or need help. You may be “Past” – but you are all still needed and necessary to the success of our District. I will be sending out a flyer to announce a meeting place and time so we can get

September 2015...THE IOWA LION...Page 16

DISTRICT 9NCAndrea Lee

District Governor715 NE 3rd St.

Eagle Grove, Iowa 50533515-448-9810



this program back up on its feet and ask you to please RSVP as soon as you get this information. I cannot go without saying a HUGE thank you to Don and Jo Kothenbeutel for at least providing our group with a Christmas party every year. You two always go the extra mile and are appreciated more than you know.Our 9NC District Convention is just around the corner….C’mon Spring!!! I am asking each club to bring one item for our silent auction and will be inviting all current club secretary/treasurers to act as Tail Twisters to sell tickets for a 50/50 drawing. Tickets will be $5 for seven tickets, $10 for 15, and $20 for 25. The numbers will be posted two times during the Saturday events. Also am asking all clubs to have representation and please bring your banners. There will be prizes for those clubs with the most Lions in attendance – so let’s get our competitive spirit going.We are currently in the second phase of trying to establish a Lions Club in Kanawha. My sincerest thanks to PID Judy Hankom, PDG Mike Nissly and PDG Dennis Lee for helping with our first informational meeting. Also a HUGE atta girl to Club President Becky Wachowiak (pronounced Wa-co-v-ak) for being a dedicated and tenacious Lion in getting a Leo Club started in Eagle Grove. They are at 26 members and will be sending out invitations to their Charter signing event. This will be a Sunday afternoon event, on April 3, so please mark your calendars. There will be an R.S.V.P. attached to the invitations, so please be sure to share this date with your clubs, and call or email your club name and how many people will be attending.

Stanhope Lions President Bill Muessigmann (left) presents a check for the Stanhope Fitness Center to Stanhope Mayor, Harold Hove (center) and members of the city council and Fit-ness Center committee. The check represents the proceeds from the Lions’ fall soup supper. Pictured L-R: Stanhope Lion President Bill Muessigmann, Cindy Cink, Stacy Olthoff, Nila Zanker, Jackie Baker, Mayor Harold Hove, Jessica Murray, Lion Roger Hayes, and Gary Baker.


OFFICIAL VISITS SCHEDULED Feb. 8 Clarion Feb. 18 Ackley/Geneva

There is still time for:Titonka , Gilmore City, Webster City and all theClear Lake Clubs to call

and schedule your official visits.Please do this ASAP.

March 11-12 9NW District Convention – Fort Dodge March 18-19 9NC District Convention – Hampton April 1-2 9MC District Convention – Clive April 3 Charter Afternoon – Eagle Grove Leos – Eagle Grove April 8-9 9EC District Convention – Cedar Rapids April 15-16 9SE Convention – Letts April 22-23 9NE District Convention – Dubuque

SAVE THESE DATES

DISTRICT 9NC CONVENTIONHosted by the Hampton Lions Club

March 18, 19, 2016Faith Baptist Church, 1701 Central Ave E

Hampton, IA 50441VISITING DIGNITARY

Linda Tincher and her Partner in ServiceOvernight Guests

AmericInn & Lodge & Suites702 Central Avenue W

Hampton, IA 504411-641-456-5551

(state you are with the Lions to get preferred rates)Friday night will be Country & Western Night –

So, put on your jeans, get your Country Lion on – and get ready for Western FUN.

AGENDAFriday, March 185:30 Registration6:15 Western Chow7:00 Entertainment8:00 Cabinet Mtg.8:30 Hospitality Room AmericInn LobbySaturday, March 198:30 Registration8:30 View Silent Auction Items8:30 Coffee & Conversation9:15 Seminar Session I9:45 Break10:00 Seminar Session II10:30 Break10:45 Seminar Session III11:15 Luncheon (Buffet)11:30 Entertainment12:15 Memorial Service12:30 Business Meeting/Election1:00 Introductions1:15 International Director Speech1:45 Awards2:15 Winners of Silent Auction2:30 Adjournment

Rockwell Lion Curt Lawson is awarded the Warren Coleman award by 1st Vice DG Lisa Prohaska at Rockwell’s December 12 meeting.

9NC District Governor Andrea Lee visited the Humboldt Lions and presented certificates to Lion George Bruder, 20 years of service and Lion Cal Muller, 40 years of service.


Lion Darvin Kendell, advisor, presents the charter to the newly formed Notre Dame High School Leo Club. From left: Beth Delaney, school advisor, with officers: Hannah Delaney, Carly Huffman, and Catherine Lillie.

Burlington Noon Lions Club hosted the Burlington and Notre Dame Leo clubs. In back at left is Melissa Chiprez, Burlington High School advisor with students, from left: Ashley Butler, Courtney Brinkley, Riley Messinger, Mackenzie Schurk and Abbey Timberlake. In center is Sadhna Jani, Lion advisor and president of the noon club. On the right is Beth Delaney, Notre Dame school advisor, with students Catherine Lillie, Carly Huffman and Hannah Delaney.

-- Photos courtesy of DeEtta Rasmussen, 9SE District Leo Chair

Notre Dame High School

Leo Club chartered

WehavejustfinishedourMid-WinterLeadershipConference.Idon’tknowwhateveryonethought,but I think it was the best one so far. Amazingspeakers, great seminars and just a good timebeinghadbyall.Sowhatcanweattribute it to?OnegoodplacetostartisourCommittee.Theyputtogetheragoodplanandthenexecuted it.Theyputinthoughtandcaretoinsureagoodoutcome.SecondwasYoutheattendees.Youtookthetimetoattend,bringingpositiveattitudesandgoodoldIowa friendliness. Third was new and youngerfaces;whatalightthatshineswithenthusiasm.

The Friday night entertainment at Mid-WinterConference was enjoyed by all. All attendeesparticipatedinthenamethattuneandwhowroteit contests.Then the comedian tickledeveryoneforanhour.

AswegoforwardlookingatourStateConventioninJuneweneedtoforceourselvestoattend.TheparticipationbyyouinYourLionsOrganizationatthestatelevelisvitaltoourstrengthinthecomingyears. It would be great if you stepped up andbecameanofficeronthatlevel,butitisimportantfor you to get involved as a delegate from yourLionsclub.YouhavetoexpandoutsideyourHomeClubs: share ideas at zone meetings, districtconvention and at your state level conventions.Theseareputtogetherforthatpurpose.

At the closeof our Saturdayeveningprogram ItoldtheattendeesthatIknewtheywereleavingwithawarmfeelingintheirheart,becauseofthefantastic fellowship they had just experienced.Come join us next time for your little bit offellowship.

View from the ChairMD9 Council Chair

Wm. R. (Bill) Pollard2401 8th St. Ct. SW

Des Moines, Iowa 50009-1508515-480-2210



By PCC Ardie Klemish, MD9 GLT Coordinator Congratulations to 9SE 1VDG Paul Hain, 9EC 2VDG Jim Bixler and 9NC 2VDG Darwin Meyer who graduated from Lions Clubs International Advanced Lions Leadership Institute in November 2015. Congratulations also to PCC Diana Benzing for completing Lions Clubs International Faculty Development Institute in November 2015.

Lions Clubs of Iowa is proud of your individual efforts to improve your leadership skills in order to serve not only your local community, but your districts, and our state. Your commitment to personal development will positively impact many others in the future!

For more information on Lions Clubs International leadership institutes, go to www.lionsclubs.org, then click

Iowa Lion leaders graduate from International Leadership Instituteson Leadership Development, then click on Development Programs. Or contact your District Global Leadership Team Coordinator, or Multiple District Global Leadership Team Coordinator Ardie Klemish at 641-740-0148.

By PCC Diana Benzing, LRP ChairWhat committee works quietly in the background, helping to shape the policies and programs of the Lions of Iowa? It’s the LRP: Long Range Planning committee! But has the average Lion ever heard of them? Why do we need a committee like this and who is on it? DGs are often so busy taking care of business in their own districts, that it is hard for them to step back and evaluate our organization as a whole. Furthermore, because most district governors are serving in their DG roles for the first time, it is not easy for them to see the big picture. That is the main function of the LRP—to be the eyes and ears of the organization in order to help the Council develop a vision for the future of the Lions of Iowa.

Who serves on the LRP? By tradition the LRP is made up of all active MD9 Past International Directors, a District Governor, a Past District Governor and the current and immediate past president of the Iowa Lions Foundation. The Immediate Past Council Chair serves as chair of this committee. This year by necessity the committee is slightly different: PCC Diana Benzing serves as chair, DGs Donna Wood and Dean Brant, PDG Deb Doty, Immed. Past ILF President Jim Arnold and ILF President Jim Bixler serve on the committee. SA Tim Wilson and all PIDs are members. This committee meets three times a year to make recommendations to the Council on matters of policy and programming. Because the committee can only recommend, the Council will decide whether or not to follow those recommendations.

The LRP met at the Mid-Winter Leadership Conference and submitted the following for the Council’s consid-eration. Recommendations are in boldface.

1. Because a district is considering asking the Lions of Iowa to raise the maximum level of dues that may be assessed by an individual district to its members, the LRP urges the Council to use extreme caution in making any changes to the dues structure beyond the club level.

2. Because we are now actively forming Leo clubs throughout MD9, the LRP urges the Council to adopt a Leo to Lions program for use by local Lions sponsoring clubs for follow up with graduating Leos to help retain them as members.

3. Because we feel that not enough local clubs are aware of, or actively participate in, the military veterans program, the LRP urges the Council to work in their districts to promote the existing Veterans membership program.

4. Because MD9 is seeing a slow but steady loss of members, LRP urges the Council to develop an MD9 extension team with appropriate budget.

5. Because we wanted to help retain new members and/or new leaders, the LRP urges the Council to promote a program to train Lions to become mentors.

The Council decided to work on these issues by way of each governor’s taking one issue to research, with a report being due back by the next Council meeting. Any Lion may forward his/her ideas to PCC Benzing ([email protected]) to be put on the agenda for the next meeting.

LRP Is Council’s ‘Guide on the Side’

-- FROM THE IOWA LION ARCHIVES -- 1981, Vol. 17, No. 1. FAIRFIELD: The presidents of three service groups (Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary) held their annual joint meeting. Bernie Saggau, exec. sec’y. of the Iowa High School Athletic Association gave a tremendous talk. “Separate the good from the garbage and be willing to do something for others. If you help others reach their goals, you’ll also reach your goals.” (Notice how well that message blends with the objects and activities of Lionism.)

CHECK OUT THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE LIONS CLUBS OF IOWA WEB SITE: www.IowaLions.org


THE IOWA LION

New date for “Dinner With Joe”By PDG Gary Glockhoff, MD9 LCIF Chairman

ForallwhomarkedtheircalendarsforApril19thtobeinMitchellvilleforourspecialLCIFcelebrationwithourIPPJoePrestonandhiswifeJoni,Ihopeyouhaveagooderaser.DuetoaspecialspeakingengagementattheUnitedNationswewillbepushingtheeveningbackoneweektoApril 26. Mostofourplansaregoingtoremainthesame.Wewill still be meeting at the Mitchellville CommunityCenter at 6:00 p.m. We will have a delicious meal,entertainment by Mitchellville Elementary children,testimonials by recipients of LCIF grants, and aninterviewwithourLCIFchairmanandimmediatepastinternational president. You will gain a perspectivethatyoucannotattainanywhereelse. ProceedsfromthebanquetwillbesenttoLCIFandadonationfromtheLionsofIowainthenameofJoePreston.Costis$50/persontobesenttoPIDGaryFry,P.O.Box606,Mitchellville,IA50169.Writechecksto:IowaLionsFoundation-DinnerWithJoe. Remember to place your Melvin Jones Fellowship orders by April 1andhavethemdirectedtothestateofficeifyouplanonhavingtheawardpresentedattheevent.Welookforwardtoseeingyouallthere.

IPP JOE PRESTON

THIS SYMBOLIC CHECK PRESENTATION at the 2016 Mid-Winter Conference business meeting tells a success story by the Lions District 9EC Golf Committee on behalf of the Iowa Lions Foundation. The $20,930 check represents the amount raised in the 2015 9EC golf event, now called the Virdi Eye Golf Classic, named for Virdi Eye Clinic, the corporate sponsor that contributes $3,000. Holding the check are Jim Bixler, president of the Iowa Lions Foundation, in center, and Council Chair Bill Pollard. PDG Loren Claussen, at left, the event’s treasurer, related some of the 12-year history of the 9EC golf event. The first year, 2004, there were 32 golf participants and the event raised $7,500. In 2015 there were 143 golfers. Claussen said a total of $137,000 has been donated to the Iowa Lions Foundation from the 12 years of the golf fundraiser.

Documents

February, 2016 - Lions Clubs of Iowa