Holiday Greetings!

Next Meeting -Tuesday, December 18, at 12 noon. At the Sheraton. PHIL INGWELL is the Program Host for this one, and he will introduce Dr. John Bonsett-Veal, Doctor of Optometry. He is the Communications Chairman for the Wisconsin Optometric Association and has practiced in Madison for years, so there is a wide latitude for his discussion. Vision is the main thing Lions do, so the more we know about it the better.

Our last meeting was our 90th Anniversary celebration, and over 40 Lions and friends gathered at the Sheraton to mark the occasion. Ninety years is a long time, and we've done a lot of good over those years. Some of the traces are still there - Neighborhood House still exists, the trees we planted are still growing, the bench is at Olbrich, some of the signs are probably still in the Arboretum, and some of the fruit cakes we sold in such numbers are probably still doorstops somewhere. But much of what we have done is not publicly visible - it is in the lives of people that changed for the better because of what we did. Locally, people see because of our Eye Bank. There are people statewide who fondly remember their stay, or that of their child, at Lions Camp. There are people worldwide who are alive because we sent help - housing, food, medical aid - when they needed it.

Pres. LINDA presided over the few formal (and semi-formal - somehow, she arranged for the annual PITA Award and ended up receiving it, upon which occurrence the Editor has no comment) moments of our Anniversary party, and SCOTT GROVER gave the invocation. LINDA recounted many of the service projects and activities that we have done over the years, including the fact that PP JIM SCHUTZ started the Vision Screening which is now widespread in our area. She also noted our various meeting times and formats, including our recent switch to one breakfast meeting and one lunch meeting during our current year. If anything, our history proves that “change is constant”, because many of our activities that were highly visible and important in their day are now pretty much forgotten. But, as a Madison Central Lion, you can rightfully be proud of all that our Club has done, and it's something we can build upon.

We also formally inducted (by PID PHIL INGWELL), our newest member, DEBBIE MAHAFFEY. She got the full formal induction, which illustrates the effects of blindness, and says that with the new member's help we will keep others from darkness. DEBBIE is already at work on a Club project - see one of the following paragraphs.

We had a number of visiting Lions who came to help us celebrate our anniversary. PID PETE CERNIGLIA and JOANNE, PDG RICK DALUGE and PEGGY, PDG WALT ALTHAUS and EILEEN from Albany, PDG GREG JOHLL from Cuba City, Zone Chair JOHN ELVEKROG from Stoughton, DAVE PELTIER and PHYLLIS from Beloit.

PID PHIL INGWELL presented another, more prestigious award to President LINDA - the International President's Certificate of Appreciation, recognizing the many and varied contributions that LINDA has made to our Club and Lions in general. She has been, and still is, a dynamo of activity for Lionism! There was also recognition from the Madison-Monona Lioness Club presented by BETTY INGWELL, and from the Stoughton Lions Club presented by JOHN ELVEKROG. LINDA deserves thanks from all of us for keeping afloat by her personal exertions several projects that benefit our Club and community.

Our Club worked a Salvation Army kettle at West Towne last Thursday. Among the participants, DEBBIE MAHAFFEY and her husband Doug, SCOTT GROVER, JOHN JENSON, PHIL INGWELL, CRAIG BUTLER and TERRY SCHAR. CRAIG had a family helper, and if we get any more names you'll certainly see them.

From the Tale Editor and our Club's Board of Directors, Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years!