Tuesday, December 6. Our annual musical program, presented this year by the East High School Swing Choir, directed by Brooksie Bilkey. These young men and women always put on a good show and have fun doing it. This is a good meeting to invite a guest, spouse or friend. OTTO FESTGE, our Music Man, got the program.

At our last meeting, President CHUCK BASFORD presided, JIM SCHUTZ shook up the group by leading us in “America The Beautiful” (we did pretty well) and ROSS ROYSTER delivered the invocation. We had one guest, Dan Murray, a Financial Adviser with Ameriprise, introduced by President CHUCK. A prospective new member — we need more of those. The next two meetings are good times to invite someone you know who might like to serve their community, have a good time, meet some good people, etc. Bring someone.

We urgently need more guests who can be transformed into new members. President CHUCK has several new brochures that help define what Lion service does, and tell our story to prospects. Get some and use them!

JIM SCHUTZ announced that the Beaver Dam Lions will be bringing their citrus fruit to our December 6 meeting. A box of oranges is $16.00, box of grapefruit $14.00, half of each $15.00. If you didn’t sign up at the meeting and want some, give JIM a call. President CHUCK and PP LINDA handed out a Club Survey form, originating with Lions International, asking what you like and don’t like about our Club. It’s a chance to have your say, offer suggestions, and help our Club to better meet expectations. Please complete and bring to the next meeting. If you didn’t get one, contact President CHUCK.

We had a pair of Melissas side by side at one table. Speak to one, get two! As if some of us weren’t confused enough already. The TT opened up the meeting with a joke contest, which produced some bad jokes and some very bad jokes. Our speaker for the day was observed to chuckle, but he probably won’t be able to use any in his next public appearance if he wants to keep his job.

BOB (HO HO HO) BOHN is lining up a crew to ring the bell for the Salvation Army again this year. We need six pairs of Lions for two-hour shifts, and we’ll be inside the Hilldale Mall. It’s actually fun to do, as well as a chance to work with another Lion, so see BOB to sign up. 8 AM to 8 PM.

DON NEVIASER reported that we raised $2,430 from our Raffle, plus the $250 prize that one winner donated back to us. That’s money to do good with. PHIL STOWITTS still has 18 Bucky Books left, and the proceeds from those will be all profit. Golfers and those who take someone out to dinner really benefit.

MICHELLE VETTERKIND says that our gala Social and Awards party on December 13 will include Lion Birthdays for October, November & December. That means lots of gifts to be drawn for. If your BD falls in those months, you should have heard from MICHELLE, but please be there to be recognized.

Art Rainwater, Madison’s Superintendent of Schools, was our speaker at the last meeting, introduced by PHIL INGWELL. Rainwater highlighted a great many differences between the schools of today and the ones we remember — graduation rates up from 75% to 90%, low-income students up from 25% to 40% (a shock to the Editor) who come to school with a vocabulary of 800 to 1200 words, while middle-income students have 12,000 words, English-as-second-language up from 2% to over 10% Spanish-speaking alone, 3 times as many Hispanic students, 80% of whom are Spanish speaking, Special Education 20% of the budget, 18,000 meals served each day. It is a totally different world — the basic manufacturing jobs which used to absorb those with minimum education are now overseas, and a “basic education” likely won’t even get a person a job today. “Efficiency” has caused larger schools, too far from home for kids to walk, and expectations are much higher — there are no “shop” courses to speak of — everybody is pointing towards college, because that’s what it takes to get a job in the current American economy. This has created a conflict between “doing what is best for children” and the constant rise in the property tax which funds almost all schools. He suggested that there needs to be a bipartisan discussion at the State level on how to resolve this problem. (Editor’s comment — which seems like a great idea if only we had some statesmen and not so many politicians.) Listening to Mr. Rainwater, you get a lot more insight into what is causing so many problems in Madison schools and elsewhere. Perhaps some of the basic issues are obscured by inflammatory reports about gangs, religious arguments, and other stuff that gets a lot of exposure but doesn’t really affect the basic process all that much. Informative, if not entertaining, program.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

Holiday Web Link — There are still opportunities for working at the Kohl Center Concession Stand.