Our next meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007, and our speaker will be a fellow Lion well known to some of us. DENNIS URECHE was a Vice President of Madison Central Lions when a job change made it difficult to continue with us, and he transferred to the McFarland Lions Club. DENNIS was a substantial citizen, to the point that his health was in danger, and he will tell us what he did about it - his subject is “A New Lease On Life - Life After Gastric Bypass Surgery.” There'’s about half of the original DENNIS left, but all of his ability and enthusiasm. It should be an interesting and informative story. JODI BURMESTER is the Program Host.

TaleTwister's Jackpot
$942

Our last meeting had a lot of people present — the tables were mostly full — and it was nice to be a bit crowded. ROSS ROYSTER continued his TailTwister Perpetual Raffle, for which the pot has now inched up to $942.00. The presence of the winning Joker in the deck was verified by Atty. JIM KEMMETER prior to the event, but like any good lawyer he put in a disclaimer — “As of 14 minutes ago, there was a Joker in the deck.” SCOTT GROVER had the winning raffle ticket, but didn’t pull the winning card. SCOTT also had two guests, his son Jesse Grover and Jesse’'s friend Michelle Herbold. Wisconsin Lions Eye Bank staff members Wendy Wright, Office Manager, Sue Sabin, Quality Systems Director, and Sandy Sobeck Leslie, Hospital Development Manager, were with us, and are in various stages of joining, or considering joining, our Club.

Our newest member, JAN CICHOCKI, was with us, and he pronounces his first name in the Scandinavian fashion, “YAHN.” He says the first name is Swedish and the last name is Polish. Your editor is not going to try to explain that one. You’ll have to ask JAN.

MICHELLE VETTERKIND sends word that Lion Birthdays for Nov., Dec. and Jan. will be celebrated on Jan. 16. The Birthday Lions have given a total of 273 years of service! The distinguished list: DON NEVIASER, MELISSA NOVINSKI, CRAIG BUTLER, PETE AARSVOLD, JOHN JENSON, JERRY HODDINOTT, DICK POMO, AL GOLDSTEIN, OTTO FESTGE and THAYER BURNHAM.

LINDA BERGREN announced that there were still fruit cakes and peanuts remaining to be sold from our Holiday Treat fundraiser. Help her out — she said “fruit cakes have to be sold” (your Editor mentally added “like life insurance”) and let’s clear out the last of the inventory. When she finished, Pres. SAL gave her the “Lion of the Week” award, for her almost singlehanded efforts on this fundraising project. LINDA stepped in at the last minute a couple years back and saved it from oblivion, and has kept the income coming for our service work. Congratulations and well done, LINDA!

PID PHIL INGWELL reported on a service trip that he and about 20 other Wisconsin Lions, many with spouses, made to the Biloxi area on the Gulf Coast. They were there to help repair a Boy Scout camp, located on a bay two miles from the Gulf that was heavily damaged by a 30 ft. storm surge from Hurricane Katrina. Among other things, there were big boats left strewn around the camp, and debris everywhere. PHIL said the devastation was unimaginable, the worst natural disaster in US history. New Orleans has gotten most of the notice, but the Mississippi coast was ruined for miles — buildings gone, buildings missing their first two or three floors, wreckage and FEMA trailers everywhere. Lions International has sent $5 million USD in grants to help the recovery. The Wisconsin Lions worked on new reinforced block walls for camp buildings.

Pres. SAL introduced our speaker, Officer MaryAnne Thurber of the Madison Police Dept., who told us about the fastest growing crime, identity theft. (Retail theft, shoplifting, is still the largest in volume.) Identity theft includes false charges, stolen credit cards, stolen charge card numbers, forged checks, false accounts and loans in the victim’s name. She said that the perpetrator in half the cases is someone the victim knows — a family member or friend, which is not an encouraging thought. Information is obtained thru lost or stolen cards, camera phones snapping pictures when a card or number is displayed, reading over shoulder at ATMs, and wallet or purse thefts. She said stolen purses are one of the most common sources of trouble — everything is in them when stolen, ID, charge cards, checkbooks, everything. (She says her own attitude is “if it won’t fit on a gun belt you don’t need it.”) To protect yourself, guard your mail, shred anything with numbers on it, watch for bills, because a thief could have changed your address on the account, don’'t put anything with numbers in your trash because thieves “dumpster dive” for your info, don’t EVER give account info over the phone. She also pointed out that in half the reported burglaries, the thief got in through an unlocked door. Informative, if a bit scary, program.