Governor‘s Comments...

It is hard to believe how quickly this year is passing.  Only an month and a half remaining in this Lions Year.  It has been a challenge and very rewarding year for Cindy and I.  I am totally convinced that the is the best district in the Multiple.  I have been impressed with each club that I have visited.  You all have a conviction and resoluteness of purpose that truly is profound.  I wish you all continued success and hope that we can continue on our road to recovery with our strength.

 Thanks to all who attended the last cabinet meeting in Lyons.  We had a good turnout with 13 clubs being represented.  We had an excellent meeting and shared in some of the best officer training I have witnessed to date.  Thanks to Stan Bazemore for arranging the meeting place in the old train station.  If was an excellent location and was educational to boot. 

I hope that you all have made plans on attending the State Convention.  It will be in Columbus on June 9-11.  At the last count 65 people were going.  We need as many as possible to go and vote on some very important changes to our constitution and by-laws, as well as electing our new leaders for the coming year.  Please consider taking some time off to be with us there.

DG Lew

Alma– MMR received by mail on time.  Congratulations Joe Boatright on your selection as President for 2006-2007.

Baxley – Reports received timely by mail.  Club spent 26 hours on Club Administration and 38 hours on community betterment.  Collected and sent to the Lighthouse 252 pair of used eyeglasses, 140 cases and 4 hearing aids.  Collected $1735 for White Cane. 

Bellville– Reports received by mail. Sent DG Newsletter.  Club spent 46 hours on club administration and 137 hours on community betterment.  Spent $50 to Send-a-kit-to-camp.  Made contribution to Campaign Sightfirst II.  The Chicken BBQ Dinner was a major financial success for the Club.  They cleared about $2153.

Blackshear – Reports filed timely online.  Congratulations Ronald Peacock for your selection as Club President 2006-2007.

Bloomingdale – Reports received by mail on time.  Club spent 75 hours on club administration and 60 hours on community betterment.  Congratulations Floy Davis for being selected club president 2006-2007.

Brantley County– MMR received by mail. No activity reported.

Cobbtown– MMR received by mail. Club will hold their Citizen of the Year ceremony on May 27, 2006.

Collins – Monthly reports received by mail on time.  Club spent 100 hours on community service and made a donation to LCIF for $1500.  Congratulations to Janice Sapp for being selected as Club President for 2006-2007.

Douglas – Monthly reports received by mail on time.  Club spent 68 hours on Club administration and 1040 hours on community betterment.  Club spent $2870 for Eyeglass Exams and sight services.  Made $4756 contribution for White Cane to the Lighthouse.  Club also has donated over 20,000 pairs of glasses to the lighthouse this year.  Congratulation Lisa Rowell for being selected as Club President 2006-2007.

Folkston –  Monthly reports filed online.  Club donated $425 to the Camp for the Blind.  Conducted a very successful White cane netting more than the past years.  3  members participated in Earth Day at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.  Club was also corporate sponsor for walk for Cancer.  Congratulations Alfredo Cabutto for being selected as the Club President for 2006-2007.

Garden City– MMR received by mail. Donated $500 to White Cane and paid for one eye exam.  Congratulation Harvey Jones for being selected as Club President 2006-2007.

Golden Isles– Reports received timely on-line. Club worked 34 hours on community betterment.  Club donated $1000 to White Cane.  3 members attended the Lions Day at the Camp for the Blind.  Congratulations Lawrence Johnson for being selected as Club President 2006-2007.

Hinesville - Reports filed online. Average attendance is 28. Club worked 65 hours on club administration and 125 hours for community betterment.  Made a White Cane Donation to the Lighthouse of $1607.25.  Donated $100 to Send a Kid to camp.

Jacksonville – Reports received timely online.  Club spend 10 hours on club administration and 50 hours on community betterment.  Had 13 members present at the April Meeting.  Had yard sale for project and sold 1000 dogwood trees.  Donated facilities to the City of Jacksonville to hold a meeting.  Building sustained some wind damage during recent storm.

Jesup – Reports received timely by mail.  Congratulations Jonathan Paulus for being selected as Club President 2006-2007.

Lyons – Reports received timely by mail.  Club spent 48 hours on club administration 172 hours on community betterment.  Spent $59 on eyeglass program.  Club participated in the play “Tales from the Altamaha”

Metter– MMR received by mail. Club spent $245 for Eyeglass exams and $200 on Community Betterment.  Sold brooms at Metter’s “Anotgher Blooming Festival”.  Co-sponsored the Candler County Citizen of the Year Event.  Congratulations J.R. Morgan for being selected as Club President 2006-2007.

Milan – Reports received timely by mail.  Club donated 38 pair of eyeglasses to the Lighthouse.

Pembroke –  Reports received timely online.  Club spent 8 hours on Club administration and 20 hours on community betterment.  Donations made of $175 each to Leader dog, RFB&D, LCIF, Lighthouse, and Georgia Lions Camp for the Blind.

Okefenokee – Report received by mail.  Club worked 400 hours on club administration.  Club also responsible for collecting $1260.08 for the Salvation Army through the Red Kettle program.  Club donated 114 eyeglasses, 153 lenses, 3 frames, 71 cases and 2 hearing aids to the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation.

Pembroke – Reports filed timely online.  Club spent 300 On Sight Services and $550 on Community Betterment.  Sent $175 to Leader dog, $175 to RFB&D and $150 to LCIF.  Hosted DG Elect Joe Bill Brannon on 4 April club meeting.

Port Wentworth – Reports filed timely by mail.  Club provided Ball Park for Community.  Spent 46 hours on community service. 20 hours on Club Administration and 35 hours on Fundraiser.  Welcome to 3 new members Thomas Hiers, Don Deloach, and Frank Hendrix.  Congratulations James Barnes on being selected as the Club President for 2006-2007

Richmond Hill – Reports received timely by mail.  Welcome Bill Hahn the club’s newest member.  Congratulations Scott Yackel on being selected as the Club President for 2006-2007.

Rincon– MMR filed with LCI .  Club worked 25 hours on club administration.  Average attendance is 12.

Savannah- Reports filed online.  Club worked 575 hours on Community Betterment.  Provided $1000 for Eyeglasses Exams and Sight Services.  Club netted $1500 during Earth Day by selling hot dogs, hamburgers, mops and Brooms.

Statesboro Noon-   Report filed online.  Club spent 67 hours on club administration and 525 hours on Community betterment.  Spent $145 on Sight Services and $167 on Community Betterment.  Contributed $491.14 to the Light House.  Statesboro Noon Lions joined the Bulloch Lions to work White Cane Day at Wal-Mart.  Statesboro Noon Lions also assisted in the Relay for Life Breakfast.  The club had 1 new member added to the role.  Continued to have 2 PSA’s daily at 2 local Radio stations.

Vidalia – Report received timely by mail.  Welcome to 3 new members, Charles Page, Chester Proctor, and Rodney McLain.  Congratulation to James Castleman for his selection as Club President for 2006-2007.

Wilmington Island – Reports filed timely online.  Club spent 36 hours on Club Administration and 111 on Community betterment.  Club contributed $650 to White Cane and $174 to Send a kid to camp.  Club members donated volunteer hours to the “Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf” tournament held at the Westin Hotel & Gold Club in Savannah; food vendor will donate a portion of the proceeds based on club’s volunteer hours.

Woodbine – Reports received by mail.  Club spent 32 hours on Club Administration and 77 hours on Community betterment.  On April 28^th and 29^th club cooked and served crawfish at Woodbine Crawfish Festival.  They worked 456 man-hours during the festival.

Form A-1

 Reminder for All Club Secretaries
July 15, 2006 is the deadline for receipt of the 2005-06 Annual Lions Club Activities Report (Form A-1) at International Headquarters. Club secretaries can easily submit their 2005-06 Activities Report online.

Form A-1 provides information about the amount of funds donated by Lions clubs and the number of hours donated to community service. The 2004-05 form A-1 revealed that:

The average Lions club donated $9,900 to charitable causes. This represents an estimated worldwide total of $449 million (based on 45,358 clubs as of 6/30/05) in contributions.

The average Lions club donated 1,694 volunteer service hours to the community. This represents an estimated 76 million volunteer service hours (based on 45,358 clubs as of 6/30/05).

Club Presidents: Who Inspires You?

It is hard to imagine how we can change the world, but we all know Lions who do. We marvel at their commitment to give back to the community. We appreciate the sacrifices that they make. Sometimes these Lions use their vacations to volunteer their time and energy to helping others. Sometimes it is their dedication to regularly visit the elderly, to make lunches for the homeless, volunteer as a mentor or to go on medical missions. These Lions don’t ask for recognition, they prefer to just perform their service, to make a difference in their own way. We want to know more about their story. Please share a story of a Lion who inspires you. Club presidents, please share “Who Inspires You” by submitting a brief summary by e-mail to [email protected].

Lions Support 4.3 Million Cataract Surgeries in China

OAKBROOK, Illinois, USA, March 23 — Lions Clubs International has supported 4.3 million cataract surgeries in China since 1997 when it partnered with the Chinese government to improve eye health.

Lions also worked with Chinese health officials on its SightFirst China Action project to establish surgical eye units in 104 rural counties that previously had none. Current initiatives include creating secondary eye care units at hospitals in 200 less developed counties, cities and provinces and establishing eye health training courses for paramedics who work among the poor in western and northern provinces.

The World Health Organization estimates that twenty percent of those blind in the world live in China. 

“The commitment by the Chinese government and the China Disabled Persons’ Federation to SightFirst China Action is a key to this successful partnership. Working together, we have increased the number of persons in China receiving surgeries annually from 200,000 in 1996 to over 600,000. This is one of our largest and most successful SightFirst programs,” said Dr. Clement F. Kusiak, chairperson of Lions Clubs International Foundation, the grant-making arm of Lions Clubs International.

LCIF’s SightFirst program is a worldwide blindness prevention initiative that has prevented vision loss for hundreds of millions. SightFirst, LCIF’s largest program, combats blindness by building hospitals and clinics, training doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease. SightFirst fights the major causes of blindness: cataract, river blindness, trachoma, and, especially in developed nations like the United States, diabetic eye disease and glaucoma. SightFirst also supports the Lions/WHO Global Project for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness in Children, the first worldwide initiative addressing childhood blindness.

A team of WHO experts and representatives from LCIF, the Ministry of Health and  the China Disabled Persons’ Federation undertook an evaluation of SightFirst China Action in March.  The evaluators split into teams, completing work in the three provinces of Guizhou, Henan, and Liaoning. The findings of the evaluation indicated that the project’s targets are being surpassed. 

Phase I of SightFirst China Action supported 2.1 million cataract surgeries. The goal for Phase II is another 2.5 million surgeries.

“SightFirst China Action Phase II has completed 88% of the 2.5 million cataract surgeries planned for 2002 – 2007 in a three-year period, “ said Dr. Wing-Kun Tam, Executive Chair of SFCA. “With this level of enthusiasm and support, we know the goal will be surpassed. Even more important, training of almost 20,000 eye care personnel helps to guarantee the long-term impact of SFCA in blindness prevention in China.”

Based in Oak Brook, Illinois, Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with over 1.35 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in 197 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit the Web site at www.lionsclubs.org.

Campaign SightFirst II:

I’m asking all the clubs in our district to put your thinking caps on and think outside the box to have one (1) fund raiser each year for the next three (3) years and designate the proceeds to our Campaign SightFirst II program. 

This is a great opportunity for each of us to help eliminate preventable blindness and add to the tremendous success of the SightFirst program.

Our goal is for every member in our district to donate, and/or assist through fund raising to raise $200  per member over the 3 year period.

On the other hand if your club desires to be a “model club”, then this figure goes up to $400 each.  You get to choose how you would like to make your donation, whether its monthly, by monthly or pay it all up front.

President Mehta suggest asking local business to participate in giving,  when doing this it puts the power in the hands of the potential donor, they choose when and how much to give.  When they are not asked, the choice is made for them.

I leave you with this question, what part are you going to play eliminating preventable blindness?

Jerry Kaiser, PDG, District Coordinator

The above photo is from the State Leo Weekend at the Camp.  Pictured are members of the Coffee County Leo Club. From Left to Right are: Lion Walter Goff, Advisor and Teacher, The Leo’s are Maria Del Barragan, Brittany Grennell and Tarmarrai Smith.

Camp for Blind

This past weekend Brenda and my alarm clock was going off at 4am so that we could leave the Holiday Inn in Waycross and head to camp.  No it wasn’t a work weekend for the camp, but it was our gathering for LEO’s from across the state.  Brenda and I were the cooks and breakfast was to be ready at 7am. 

First I would like to thank Lion Rommie Thompson of Bellville and the Hinesville, Lyons, Statesboro Noon and Vidalia Lions Clubs for donations of food and money to make this weekend such a tremendous success.

There was thirty LEO’s and seven Lion leaders and their activities started with a wake-up call at 6:30 am.  There were seminars, games, work details and lots of fun times throughout the weekend.  Our district had 3 Coffee County LEO’s and a councilor from Douglas in attendance.

I truly believe this is the proudest that I have been to be a lion.

Our new building is up, with windows and doors installed and work is progressing to complete the inside.

Additionally, I’m also very proud of how our great district has supported the camp this year.  However; there are still seven (7) lions clubs within the district who still haven’t made a contribution to camp.  If your club is one I ask that you go to your board of directors to consider making a donation at this time.  This is the time of the year when the camps expenses are the greatest, and our donations are needed the greatest.

Jerry Kaiser, PDG

PU101 Reports

As of May 15th, the following clubs have filed their PU101’s on the LCI website. Many thanks to these clubs for reporting your officers for the next Lion’s Year: Baxley, Bellville, Blackshear, Brantley County, Claxton, Collins, Douglas, Folkston, Garden City, Golden Isles, Hinesville, Jacksonville, Jesup, McRae, Meter, Pembroke, Port Wentworth, Reidsville, Richmond Hill, Rincon, Rincon Noon, Savannah, Savannah Hostess City, Savannah Port City, Statesboro Noon, Waycross, Waycross Okefenokee, Wilmington Island, Woodbine.

The following clubs have not filed with LCI: Alamo, Alma, Bloomingdale, Brunswick Gateway,  Bulloch, Clinch County, Cobbtown, Darien, Georgia Southern University Campus, Hazlehurst, Jekyll Island, Kingsland, Liberty Coastal, Lyons, Milan, Odum, Patterson, Springfield, and Vidalia.

The election of officers and reporting these officer are very important to LCI and the district. This will allow your officers the opportunity to receive timely information and allow the State Directory to list your club correctly.

FYI

There is a Lion in District 18B who has written a book that was selected as a finalist in the Independent Publisher Book awards for 2006. The book is Neptune’s Honor: A Story of Loyalty and Love, by Pamela Bauer Mueller. Lion Pamela is incoming President of Golden Isles Lions Club.

Club Anniversaries

The following clubs have anniversaries for April. These dates are according to LCI records.

 New Members

Deceased Members

Dropped Members

Code Explanation

1 Resigned in Good Standing

2 Dropped for non-payment of dues

3 Dropped for non-attendance

4 Dropped for non-attendance and non-payment of dues

5 Transferred in good standing

6 Moved (Dues unpaid)

8 Other

Membership Gain for April 2006 12

Membership Loss for April 2006 -3

Net Change in Membership 18-B   9

Click here to sign up for e-mail notification of new Newsletter Issues

Previous Newsletters