We Serve! And at our next meeting on May 15, we will get a report and description of our local Vision Screening program from the guy who pretty much started it and has been at the forefront ever since, JIM SCHUTZ. Here is an opportunity to carry out our motto in person, hands on, and hopefully prevent vision loss in children. JIM will tell us what is being done, how we do it, and how you can help. Don’t miss it! Also at our next meeting, MICHELLE VETTERKIND will lead our Lion Birthday Party for those whose joining date was in April or May. This is our way of celebrating the years of service of our club members, and there will be lots of gifts for the drawing. Lions celebrating are: TOM STEVENS, 4 years; DAVE MIES, 11 years; SPARKY WATTS, 12; PHIL STOWITTS, 20 ; KEVIN KING, 25 ; STEVE BRIGGS, 26; JERRY MILLER, 27 (two clubs); BOB BOHN, 38; DAN STOUDT, 45 (2 clubs); TERRY SCHAR, 48.

TaleTwister's Jackpot
$1,168

Our last meeting opened with the usual TT raffle, the usual card drawing, and the usual result. However, we are down to about 20 cards in the deck, and the TT did actually display the joker after DON NEVIASER had SANDY SOBECK LESLIE draw for him in an attempt to change his luck, and still didn’t find it. There is $1168 USD in the pot, with more to go in next week. This is getting serious.

Pres. SAL opened the meeting by shaking up the order — JIM SCHUTZ led the song, LINDA BERGREN gave the invocation, and only then did SAL lead the Pledge. We coped. DON NEVIASER once again introduced Themis Flores as a guest, but she is now a soon-to-be member!

PID PHIL INGWELL announced a special Orientation Meeting for new members to be held on June 5. All new members from the past couple of years are requested to attend, and their sponsors and any other members who’d like to hear an Orientation Program on Lionism in general and our Club in particular are invited. You can put a lot into Lions and get a lot out of it, and this meeting will explain how. The hows and whys of “We Serve” will be presented, along with the many other aspects of Lionism, including opportunities for personal growth and enjoyment. (The Board has decided to combine our golf outing, which was to have been that day, with the Eye Bank Golf Outing on June 7. Lions are welcome if they want to come for dinner only on June 7, at a cost of $25.00.)

STEVE BRIGGS reported that our Community Service Committee presented a check to the Elvehjem Elementary School for $3,500 for their playground improvement project. The school serves children with physical and cognitive disabilities, and the new equipment we are providing will help these children participate more fully in playground recreation. There’s a great picture on our front page, featuring committee members JODI BURMESTER and DAVE WEINBACH making the presentation. We should have a rep at the Grand Opening — perhaps STEVE BRIGGS in a Lion vest!

DON NEVIASER and MELISSA NOVINSKI presented the report on our Rose Day sale. We made over $7,000 for our service funds! We only had one replacement, and 8 remaining bouquets were donated to Oakwood and Meals On Wheels recipients. We sold 593 bouquets and 120 vases. In addition to DON and MELISSA, DAN STOUDT and ROSS ROYSTER made up the committee. SAL AL-ASHKAR, DON, JERRY MILLER and TERRY SCHAR did the routing and we had great help with delivery from MELISSA ABBOTT, STEVE BRIGGS, JOE FULLER, JIM KEMMETER, DALE ST. JOHN, CHARLIE and Trish LIBERTY, HAL OTTERBACK, DAN STOUDT, SAL AL-ASHKAR, JODI BURMESTER, SCOTT GROVER, DAVE MIES, MICHELLE LONERGAN, WALT PRIDHAM, PHIL STOWITTS, CHUCK BASFORD, THAYER BURNHAM, JERRY, HODDINOTT, JERRY MILLER, JIM SCHUTZ, DON NEVIASER, ROSS ROYSTER, MICHELLE VETTERKIND, JIM BRADLEY, CRAIG BUTLER, JOHN JENSON, ED NEESE, PHIL INGWELL, MELISSA NOVINSKI and TOM STEVENS. What a great team effort!! Please turn in the money for your sales ASAP to MELISSA, and get any credit card charges in right away — they all have to go through by the end of May. Pres. SAL made DON NEVIASER the Lion of the Week for his work on Rose Day.

STEVE BRIGGS introduced speaker Katharyn May, Dean of the UW School of Nursing, who told us a lot about the modern, high-tech profession of nursing. Fewer nurses are being graduated, just as the demand for more is growing to serve an aging population. Both coasts are short 10-12% of the staff they need-the Midwest only 2-3%. The average age of practicing nurses today is 47 — half will be gone in 10 years. 45% go to a 4-year college, 55% to tech schools. School applications are up, but the schools don’t have room for more. There’s more-this was an excellent program, but we’re out of space.