Governor‘s Comments...

As I write this it is getting late and I’m getting tired. It’s about time to call it a night and rest. However, rest will not come just now. I have been preparing the Club Reports this evening and I am filled with wonder at the many things YOU do and the many ways YOU help those in need. From the smallest Club to the largest, YOU help people! If you have not heard my speech about why YOU MAKE ME PROUD TO BE A DISTRICT 18B LION all you have to do is read the Club Notes every month. To have had the pleasure of being your District Governor this year is one of the highlights of my life!

Of course, the year is still not over and we have time to complete several important goals. We still do not have a new Club this year! We still do not have a new Leo Club this year! We still do not have a new University or College Club this year! Who will accept the challenge and fill one of these needs? If you can think it, you can do it! Do it! Please!

Can you name the six official Georgia Lion’s Projects? Has your Club made a contribution to each program? A $25.00 contribution to each program from each Club would generate $1225.00 for that program. I promise that every one of them would be more than pleased to receive ‘only’ $25.00. Can you name the unofficial project of The Lions of Georgia? It is The Georgia Lions All State Band. Do you remember last month’s article about the Band? If not review it. The Band may be the best publicity and recruitment project we have. Another $25.00 or so would help a great deal.

Speaking of the Band. The Band will perform in Athens at the State Convention both Friday and Saturday nights. Friday night will be a ‘GEORGIA JAMBOREE’! If you have never attended an International Convention, you might not know what that is. Mostly its FUN, FUN, FUN. Friday night, alone, will be worth going to the Convention. If you have not made your plans, it’s not too late, but hurry! Speaking of the State Convention. Remember FUN and COMMUNICATION?

There will be no better time or place to have FUN with other Lions and to improve Lions COMMUNICATION than at the State Convention. It will not be your father’s same old convention! This year is the start of a new century in Georgia Lions State Conventions!

Speaking of fun and communication. If your Club has not taken advantage of The Young Leaders in Service Awards, you have missed a great opportunity to do several things at the same time. One: Honor young people who have Lions Hearts because they know what service to others really means. Two: Inspire young people by simply saying ’thank you’, something many of them never hear. Three: Generate some great publicity about Lions Clubs and Programs. Four: Attract the attention of potential members. Five: Have a positive effect on the choices young people make in today’s world. Six: Generate some positive involvement with the community. (I’m certain there are many others that I don’t think of this late). The best news is that it’s NOT TO LATE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS PROGRAM Even better, such a program could be a fund and fun raiser project. Contact your District Governor or District Governor Elect for more information. Don’t forget PIP Jim’s often repeated, and always true statement: The youth of today do not make up 50% of our population, but they do make up 100% of our FUTURE. Not just of Lions Clubs, but THE FUTURE! Without some positive influences in their lives THE FUTURE does not look as bright for any of us!

Contact Lion Thoris Yeomans, the District Raffle Chair, (P O Box 234-Blackshear, Georgia 31516) for additional tickets for great prizes. She will be glad to send them to you without delay. You Presidents have sold all of the first allocation, haven’t you? In addition to being good fun and offering great prizes, the District Raffle is an important part of funding the District operation. Please support the Raffle by buying many tickets.

Oh no! Membership again. March was a hard month on membership in 18B! We lost several Lions due to reason 7, death. Not anything we can do about that except remember them well and provide whatever comfort possible to their families. However, we also lost seven Lions (on reports received) to reasons 2, 3 or 4, non-attendance, non-payment of dues or both! We cannot lose seven members a month, because of reasons we could change, and expect to continue to be a premier District. Lions leave Clubs for many reasons, but the most likely ones are: One: Long, boring meetings with no structure, no FUN and nothing being accomplished. Two: No interest in what is happening or task to perform because no one has bothered to find out what they like to do, what they do well and how those talents may be used by Lions and has not ask them to participate with any projects. Three: Because the ‘We have never done it that way so it won’t work ‘ clique will not give them the courtesy of listening to new ideas, much less actually trying them. Four: Because someone in the Club has been rude, offensive, made fun of them or otherwise bruised their ego. Oh yes, we all have egos that are fragile and easily hurt. We should provide support to each other, not disdain. Be a help to new Lions, not a hindrance. Provide ongoing programs and projects, not just meet and eat and hurry home to watch the ballgame. Ask new members for their ideas and be willing to try them.

DGE Jerry is still waiting for us to break the 1300 membership mark. We can’t do it without keeping the Lions we have and adding new ones. Let’s be Jerry’s Jumpers and soar over the 1300 bar! If you think you can, YOU CAN!

DG Jack

Alma Lions Club has launched its web site. The address is http://www.almalionsclub.org  You can view this site and all other District 18b resources at http://galions.org/18b

The Lions Club of Savannah will celebrate its 80th Anniversary on Saturday May 11 beginning at 7:30 at the Wilmington Island Club, 501 Wilmington Island Road in Savannah. Cost is $25 per person, business attire. There is a 6:30 cash bar. RSVP is by May 1, and the check should be made out to the Lions Club of Savannah, P.O. Box 16916, Savannah, 31416.

By now all clubs should have completed their elections of officers and filed their PU101 reports. This report is easy to fill out but often causes the District Governor to have headaches when clubs fail to send them in on time. The deadline is April 15 for submission to Lions International and to District Governor Jack. Another problem that reoccurs is incomplete or wrong addresses. Please double check all information including address, phone numbers and email addresses. If you change officers during the year be sure to notify the District Governor and LCI of your changes. We will not be able to send you important information if we cannot reach you. Club Secretaries can file the PU101 on line at http://www.lionsclubs.org. Click on Club Officers Report and fill out the form. The officers that need to be reported are: Club President, Club Secretary, Club Treasurer, and Membership Chairman. These are the people who need the information on how to enable your club to grow.

The 81st Georgia Lions State Convention will take place at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, May 24-26, 2002. Information packets were distributed or mailed to all club secretaries. Cost for the Hospitality Books are $65.00 each. This will cover the two district breakfasts and the District Governor’s Banquet. Reservations for the Melvin Jones Luncheon are $15.00. New this year is the District Governor’s Banquet for Children 12 and under, reservations are $15.00. Registrations must be post marked no later than May 10.

The assigned hotel for District 18-B is the Foundry Park Inn, 295 East Dougherty Street (706) 549-7020. Room rates are $99.00 or $104.00 per night plus 14% tax. Rooms are limited, so make your reservations early. The overflow hotel is the Courtyard by Marriott, 166 Finley Street, (800)321-2211. Room rate for the Courtyard is $87.00 per night. Hotel reservations must be made by May 3 to receive the published rate.

When you make your reservations be sure to mention that you are a Georgia Lion to get the published rate. Also specify any special needs that you may have to the hotel when you make your reservation. There is a special needs form that can be filled out and sent to the Convention Committee.

Something new this year is the Georgia State Training Seminars similar the USA/Canada Leadership Forum. Six seminars are planned. These are: You want to be a District Governor, Getting involved with District Chairmanships-I’m interested in, You want to be a future President or Secretary, What can be done about Morale, Everything you wanted to know about Youth Programs, and Publicity?, Who Cares.

Activities for non-Lions, guests and spouses are also planned. Visiting our State Convention this year is International Director W. Allen Broughton from Tennessee.

Additional information packets are available from District Governor Jack Kennedy or State Convention Chairman Bobby Sweatt. This information is also on the Georgia Lions Web site at http://galions.org/convention

Information packets concerning voting issues will be sent to all clubs before the convention. Clubs are reminded to select their voting delegates and report those names to DG Jack and the Credentials Chairman Jon Lichner. Each club is allowed 1 delegate for each 10 members or a major portion thereof. A club that has 14 members would have 2 delegates while a club that has 24 would have 2 delegates. Past District Governors automatically have voting privileges and should not be selected as club delegates. The number of delegates will be determined by the MMR report sent to International. Club Secretaries are reminded to submit their reports on time.

Nearly 16 Million Americans May Suffer from the Newly-Coined Condition

The threat of an epidemic of diabetes is now so great that the U.S. government has created a whole new condition for those at risk, called "pre-diabetes." Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson warns that nearly 16 million Americans may suffer from the condition that sharply raises the risk for developing type 2 diabetes and increases the risk of heart disease by 50%.

Research shows that most people with pre-diabetes will develop diabetes within a decade unless they make changes in their lifestyle, such as eating a healthier diet and becoming more physically active.

Type 2 diabetes was previously called adult-onset diabetes. In recent years, however, the number of children and adolescents with this type of diabetes has grown -- largely due to the growing number of overweight youngsters.

"The good news is that if you have pre-diabetes, you can do something about it," says Thompson in a news release. "We want people to know that pre-diabetes is a serious condition that can be reversed or alleviated with modest changes in their daily routines -- such as eating fewer calories and walking regularly for exercise."

Thompson also announced new recommendations about pre-diabetes from a panel including members of the American Diabetes Association. They call for doctors to begin screening overweight patients over age 45 for pre-diabetes.

According to the panel, the new term describes an increasingly common condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet diabetic -- a condition known among doctors as impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose. Having blood sugar levels in the pre-diabetes range increases the risk of heart attack or stroke by 50%.

The panel also recommends that doctors consider testing overweight people younger than 45 during regular office visits, especially if they are significantly overweight and have one or more of the following risk factors:

Since 1927, Better Hearing Month has been a time of raising awareness on the effects of hearing loss and urging individuals to have their hearing tested. This year the Georgia Lions Lighthouse is issuing a challenge to all Georgia Lions Clubs to raise awareness of Hearing related issues during the month of May. The Lighthouse’s mission, through its hearing program, is to assist those in need of hearing aids. During the month of May, each club is challenged to make it their mission to take it one step further and help prevent hearing loss. Just as each club helps to raise awareness on visual impairments throughout the year, please do the same for hearing this May. 

In 1977, several Lions joined together and started the Hearing Aid Bank at the Lighthouse Foundation. Twenty-Five years later, many Lions still are not aware of what we accomplish on a daily basis through our hearing program. This year alone we have provided 419 hearing aids to needy Georgians. If some Lions are not aware of the service we provide through the Hearing Program, just think of all the millions of Georgians who are also unaware of what we achieve year after year at the Lighthouse. As you promote Better Hearing this May please make it a point to also promote your Hearing Program. 

 DID YOU KNOW THAT...

• There are more than 2.1 million cases of hearing impairment reported annually in the U.S. alone.

• About 13 percent of Georgia’s population suffers from some degree of hearing loss.

• Studies show that people who notice problems with their hearing wait an average of 7 years before having it tested.

• Hearing loss is more common than heart disease, kidney disease and cancer.

• Every year after age 50 we experience a gradual decline in our hearing.

• While 15 million people have rather significant impaired hearing, only 4 million wear hearing aids.

YOU MAY HAVE A HEARING PROBLEM IF YOU...

•  Turn one ear toward the speaker.

• Often ask someone to repeat.

• Complain about not being able to understand.

• Have difficulty hearing when your back is turned to the speaker.

• Turn up the TV louder.

• Sit close to the speaker at meetings or parties

• Find it difficult hearing young children’s voices.

• Become tense and anxious in social gatherings because of difficulty understanding.

If You Suspect A Hearing Problem, Get Help As Soon As You Can.

TOGETHER WE CAN HELP GEORGIANS HEAR…

For most people, hearing is automatic. But hearing is a complicated process. Sound must be channeled into the ear, where the tiniest bones in the human body change sound waves into electrical impulses. These impulses move into the brain, which interprets their meaning. And it all happens instantaneously. 

Through hearing, babies learn about the world around them, children unravel the code of language, and adults acquire information. When the physical process of hearing breaks down, as it does at some point during the lives of many in the United States, it affects academic, social, family, and career life. Of every 1,000 people, 95 reported a chronic hearing loss. 

Hearing loss in young children imperils their ability to learn language. Children who do not acquire basic mastery of language before the ages of 6 or 7 might never achieve fluency in any language. That is why it is so important to identify, as early as possible, the 2 in 100 children younger than 18 who have a hearing loss. 

Middle ear infection- otitis media- is the second most common health problem among preschool children, outranked only by the common cold. Otitis media can cause temporary hearing loss and repeated episodes can damage hearing permanently. Otitis media requires immediate treatment; children who have frequent ear infections should also be evaluated by an audiologist and a speech-language pathologist to make certain their language development is not delayed. 

Less common, but equally significant, is the sensorineural hearing loss present at birth in one of every 1,000 American children. These children need special attention as soon as possible. Audiologists can accurately diagnose hearing loss within a few hours of birth. 

However, some profoundly deaf children are not identified until age 2 or older. A parent who thinks a child might have a hearing loss should consult an audiologist. Children as young as 3 months can be fitted with hearing aids. Intervention to encourage normal development of language and speech can begin in the early months. 

Some 28 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. Injury, illness, or exposure to loud noise can cause hearing loss in adults. The loss may occur suddenly or so gradually that it goes unnoticed until it is quite severe. 

Many adults react to hearing loss by withdrawing from activities they previously enjoyed, needlessly resigning themselves to less productive lives. 

Most adults with hearing loss can benefit from today’s increasingly sophisticated hearing aid technology. Other assistive devices can keep people with hearing loss involved and active. Rehabilitation can help people team new ways to communicate more effectively.

Copyright 1997-2002 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

More information can be found at the Lighthouse Web Site, http://galions.org/lighthouse/better_hearing_month.htm

The fourth and final Cabinet Meeting of this Lions Year will be Sunday, May 5th in Patterson. Meeting time is 2:30 p.m. with new officer training to follow. Courses for Club Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers, and Tailtwisters will be offered along with Zone and Region Chairs. Instruction on reporting by the Internet will also be provided. Please make your incoming officers aware of this opportunity to learn more about Lionism and encourage them to attend.

Zone One Region II is excited to invite any and all Lions and guest to their final zone meeting April 25^th at 7:30. Bellville Lions Club will be host at the Bellville United Methodist Church. The Church is located at the intersection of Highway 280 and Highway 169 in Bellville. The meal will be “home cooked” by the club members for only $6.00. Please make reservations by April 22^nd to Brenda Nease zone chair (912) 964-4518 or E-mail: [email protected] .

This year’s District Governor’s Points Contest will end on April 30. Each year clubs in this district compete for bragging rights of how active they are in Lionism. Points are earned in areas of contributions of funds to Lions and non-Lions Charities, hours worked by members for various causes, the addition of new members, attendance at various Lions functions, and promptness of reports being filed.

Clubs are urged to report all activities in a timely manner. Awards will be announced at the State Convention in Athens.

The contributions deadline for all Georgia Lions Charities is fast approaching. That deadline is April 30. Any and all contributions must be received by the designated charity by April 30 in order to be counted in award consideration. Please make sure the contributions are mailed in time. Contributions received after April 30 will count on next years contest.

Your Ga Lions Camp for the Blind is gearing up for its last work weekend before campers arrive in early June. The dates have been set for the weekend of April 19-21. Please come and visit us for the weekend and help make your camp a better place. Many projects will be available for all people to work on. For more information on exactly what you and your club members can do to help the camp, contact us at 888-297-1775. Lodging and food will be available at no costs. We are promised a great meal, too, by Lion Ed Ressler who will be concocting his famous Jambalaya for us all on Saturday night. Look forward to seeing some of you there.

Calling all Century Club members! Please bare with us as we continue to try and update our computer listing of all Century Club members. In the mean time, our 2002 medallions are now in and available for placement in your Century Club Key. Send us your payment today and we will not only send out your medallion, but we will also update our member list to make sure that you get a notification for payment from here on out. Thanks again for supporting this most worthwhile program. Remember, all monies raised through Century Club go into our Capital Improvement Fund to ensure the continued growth of your Lions Camp facility.

Please be on the lookout for new campers in your community. A camper must only be a Georgia resident, independent in their living skills and have a visual loss of 20/70 or greater in their best eye to participate in our program. The cost is only $25 for a whole week of fun and fellowship at the Lions Camp for the Blind. Camp begins June 9 and ends August 2, 2002.

We would like to congratulate Dr. Jim Davis of the Savannah Lions Club on his recent election as Camp for the Blind President, 2002-2004. He is sure to bring a wealth of knowledge to the Lions Camp and help make it a better place.

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