Our next meeting, on June 19, will be the last one of our Lion year. We will install our new officers and directors, and perhaps hear from outgoing Pres. SAL AL-ASHKAR about what we’ve done, and incoming Pres. DON NEVIASER on what we’re about to undertake. Either way, it will be interesting.

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Our last meeting, supposedly a special one for the orientation of new members, turned out much like our usual ones, with a goodly number of Lions old and new in attendance. Your editor attributed the large crowd either as a desire on the part of many members for more Lion knowledge, or as further proof that almost no one reads the BULLetin that he labors over twice a month. Either way, it was nice to have so many Lions present.

PID PHIL INGWELL opened the meeting in his capacity as chairman of the event, and introduced TERRY SCHAR to talk about Lionism at the Club level. Terry donned a gold Lion vest for the occasion, commenting that it was something not often seen at our meetings, and then described the Club’s Board of Directors, Committee structure and how the Club does business, with a list of all the places the Club has held its meetings. He then enumerated our committees, dividing between Fund-raising, Service and Operations, and urged all members to pick activities in those committees and then tell the officers/chairmen where they’d like to help. A partial list of our service donations and hands-on activities followed, with reference to Melvin Jones and Birch-Sturm Fellowships which both honor our members and provide funds for service by the Lions International Foundation and the Wisconsin Lions Foundation. He said “you will give the most, and receive the most, by being active in our Club, attending, serving on committees and participating in Club projects.” He also spoke of the valuable leadership training which is available, and how Lions is an important part of his life.

PHIL then introduced JOHN JENSON, Club Secretary, Zone Chairman and soon-to-be District Governor, who described Lionism at the Multiple District (state, in Wisconsin) level. Clubs are grouped together in Zones, Zones are grouped into Regions, and Regions into Districts. Each has a leader - Zone Chairperson, Region Chairperson and District Governor, and the Governors administer the Multiple District through the Council of Governors. Our Club is in District 27 D-1. The charitable arm of the Multiple District is the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, which has its own Board of Directors, two from each District. WLF operates Wisconsin Lions Camp at Rosholt, and also the Eyeglass Recycling program and Hearing program. He noted that last year, the WLF recognized a need for a new Health Lodge at Lions Camp and made plans, contingent on raising the full cost before construction would start. What was expected to take almost a year was achieved in a few weeks, as Wisconsin Lions and businesses rose to the occasion with donations totaling the full amount, and the Lodge was completed this Spring and is ready for this year’s camp season.

PHIL then spoke of his experience as International Director, in which capacity he traveled all over the world on Lion business. Lions International is the largest service organization in the world, having over 1.3 million members in about 200 countries and geographical areas. Led by the International President, which is alternately an American and a Lion from another country, two VPs and an International Board, which is now slightly less than half Americans and the balance from around the world, it operates from the International Headquarters in Oak Brook, IL. It was founded in 1917, five years before our Club, and is growing rapidly outside the US. Some of the largest clubs are in the Far East, and there are clubs in Russia, China and even one in Iraq. Service activities are operated through the Lions Clubs International Foundation, which receives donated funds and makes grants for service projects. It is noteworthy that emergency grants up to $10,000USD are available within 24 hours of a disaster, such as the tsunami in Asia or Hurricane Katrina. They are sent to District Governors in affected areas for emergency aid. LCIF is currently disbursing the last of about $190 million USD raised in Campaign Sight First about 14 years ago to fight blindness around the world, and is embarking on Sight First II to raise additional funds to continue the programs. Literally millions of people around the world have had their sight preserved or restored because of this effort.

Many thanks to SCOTT GROVER for the reporting and writing of last week’s Lions Tale. The editor was in Chicago, adopting a new family dog from a rescue organization. There is some good in this internet stuff after all - if you can find a place in your family for a pet who needs a home, go to www.petfinder.com. All you have to do is tell it what kind of pet you’re looking for and where you live, and it will find them for you.