Next Meeting - Tuesday, March 7. That part is right. OK, we try this again. The speaker will be attorney Iris Christenson, Pres. (and one of the founders) of Family Connections. She has years of experience in working with children of incarcerated parents, and will describe the work of her organization in maintaining family connections for people who have family members in prison. She will be accompanied by someone who used the service to stay in touch with her own family and can describe what it meant to them.

Those celebrating their Lion Birthdays on March 7 will be: JONATHAN WINSKI, LOUISE FRITZ, SHARON MOLL-BRENNAN, SCOTT GROVER, LINDA BERGREN, DAWN JOHANKNECT, JODI BURMESTER, DICK POMO, ROSS ROYSTER, JIM BRADLEY, RICH MATZELLE, PHIL INGWELL, JIM RUNDELL, AL GOLDSTEIN, SAM SANFILLIPPO, OTTO FESTGE and THAYER BURNHAM. A few of them have gone off to warmer places, but we want to see all the hardy ones!

ROSE DAY IS APRIL 24!! WE NEED TO START FAST!! We are starting a month late, and after this next meeting have only 3 more meetings before the big day. DON NEVIASER has assumed the chairmanship, and he’s going to hit the ground running, but we all need to step it up. Kickoff is next meeting, but the basics are that we have a new supplier, The Bouquet Connection, and new products. A dozen red roses will be $24.00 as before, and we will also offer a dozen mixed (pink, yellow, cream, salmon) roses for the same $24.00. There will also be a mixed cut flower bouquet for $18.00. A decorative vase will be $4.00. Order blanks and fliers will be available at the next meeting, but start your sales NOW! Directions for turning in order blanks and money will be given at our next meeting. Lion DENNIS URECHE, McFarland and former MCLC member, noted that the McFarland club has had good results with flowers from the new source.

Every year we make the same request: FILL OUT THE ORDER BLANKS COMPLETELY AND CORRECTLY, AND GIVE GOOD DIRECTIONS TO FIND THE RECIPIENT. Large office buildings have a lot of people in them, and we want our flowers to go to the right one. And, if the recipient lives in a new area which may not be on the map yet, give driving directions. We will need help with delivery on Rose Day, too.

We will also celebrate Lion Birthdays at the next meeting, recognizing the years of service given by those Lions who joined us in Jan.-Feb.-Mar. 17 of them and a total of 437 years of Lion service. All those who got letters from MICHELLE please be sure to be there, with a small gift for the drawing.

Our last meeting opened with OTTO FESTGE leading the song, and DALE MUELLER gave the invocation. Guests introduced were Jan Cichocki, Financial Planner, with SAL AL-ASHKAR; Mike Basford of Associated Business Consultants, with his father, Pres. CHUCK; and Holly Felly of The Bouquet Connection, with DON NEVIASER. At last, somebody to take on DON - we need to sign her up!

Holly Felly brought samples of the flowers we will be selling, and they looked great. Pres. CHUCK showed previously unrevealed talent as an auctioneer, and the TT fund prospered. JON WINSKI won the TT drawing and got the red roses, but didn’t win the pot, which continues to grow. Odds are a lot better than the lottery, still.

The program was our own VP, SAL AL-ASHKAR, who gave us an impressive presentation on diabetes, a widespread but controllable illness with potential serious consequences if left undiscovered and untreated. About 10% of the population have it, or will get it, and too many are unaware that they have it. There are four kinds - 5%-10% have Type 1, which is insulin-dependent, the rest have Type II, also called adult-onset, which can be treated or prevented by proper diet and exercise. Pregnant women may have a third type, and there is a new pre-diabetes version which also can be treated if caught in time. Risk factors which increase the chances of becoming diabetic are overweight or obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, lack of exercise, unhealthy eating, over age 45, and family and/or ethnic genetic factors.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease, occurring when the glucose which is the source of energy for the body is prevented from reaching the cells. Insulin, normally produced in the body by the pancreas, unlocks the receptors for glucose and allows it to enter the cells. Diabetes occurs when there is insufficient insulin, or the body ceases to use it effectively.

Symptoms include unusual fatigue, blurred vision, frequent urination, increased thirst and hunger, a burning or tingling sensation of the feet, and slow healing of skin sores. Any of these should trigger an immediate checkup by a doctor. You can help yourself delay or avoid the condition by checking your sugar consumption and blood sugar levels, eat a healthy and varied diet in smaller portions, and by exercise, even if only a brisk walk for 30 minutes three to five times a week. Many of us who thought they knew something about diabetes know a lot more after hearing SAL. If there is one most important fact, it is, if you have any of the risk factors, GET TESTED!