Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 15. PHIL INGWELL is the program host, and he will introduce Steve Bartlett, a coordinator for the Honor Flights for WWII veterans. They sent off another one recently, and TV has recorded some of the events for us to see. Obviously, the experience has meant a great deal to many who came home from all over the world and successfully picked up their lives again, without much in the way of public gratitude at the time. Some were recognized -“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few!” but most just went about their lives without Fanfare, until recently when monuments were built and “The Greatest Generation” was proclaimed. The Honor Flight organizers have to move fast, because we are losing more of these veterans every month.

Last time, VP LINDA BERGREN was in charge, opening the meeting and leading the Pledge and the song. SCOTT GROVER gave the invocation. RICK DALUGE was our only guest, representing the Eye Bank once again.

Someone passed around a copy of The Wisconsin Corporate Reporter, and there was a great photo of our MICHELLE VETTERKIND on the back cover, extolling the Wisconsin Broadcasters Assoc. Convention in La Crosse. Somebody should have her do a promo for the Lions State Convention!

JACK HEIM reminded us that he's carrying our colors in the Wisconsin Foundation Fighting Blindness next Sunday, May 2o. Still time to add your name and a few bucks to his sponsor list.

CRAIG BUTLER finished off last year's Golf Outing with a check for the proceeds to the Eye Bank, which he presented to RICK DALUGE. This year's event is Mon. June 11, and as usual golfers, prize donors, hole sponsors and a few volunteers are needed. See CRAIG.

We celebrated a couple belated Lion Birthdays for Lions PHIL STOWITTS and PHIL INGWELL. As usual, DALE MUELLER and WALT PRIDHAM won the drawings.

MELISSA NOVINSKI gave a first report on our Flower Day Sale. Our sale numbers were down about 10%, but we still figure to make around $4,500. Collections are coming in well, but please get your money in as soon as you can, particularly credit card sales, because the meter is running on that payment pipeline and we need to shut it off as soon as all the sales have cleared. Lions who helped with the vital delivery process were LINDA BERGREN, JODI BURMESTER, CRAIG BUTLER, SCOTT GROVER, PHIL INGWELL, JOHN JENSON, CHARLIE AND TRISH LIBERTY, MELISSA AND DOUG NOVINSKI, WALT PRIDHAM, ROSS ROYSTER, TERRY SCHAR, JIM AND JACKIE SCHUTZ, TOM AND MARIAN STEVENS, DAN STOUDT and MICHELLE VETTERKIND.

JOHN JENSON was the Program Host, but also the program, and so he was introduced by VP LINDA with a reference to the fact that he was the first recipient of one of her famous “Awards.” Turned out, as you would expect from JOHN, to be one of our better programs, because he told us a lot about things we do and projects we have that continue to benefit our community, year after year after year. Used eyeglass collection is one of them - we still do it, and we still have boxes placed in the community which keep bringing them in. JOHN took over the project when HAL OTTERBACK went down, and if you have, or can find, used glasses bring them to a meeting and JOHN will get them in the pipeline. If you know where a donation box can be put, JOHN will get you one, and be sure if you get a call reporting a full box to go and get them. Some of our best human interest stories come from this project - “Can you see the trees, nino? Si, senora. Can you see the leaves, nino? Si, senora! Do you want to keep the glasses, nino? SI, SENORA!!!” Glasses, sunglasses, readers and cases are OK - no loose lenses, because we have nothing to put them in. We have a box at our Kohl Center stand and the Red Cross takes them on blood drives - like gum ball machines, you can never have too many!