Next Meeting - Tuesday, March 18 - At noon - At the Sheraton. JOHN JENSON is the Program Host, and the speaker will be Cross Plains Lion John Dixon. He is the Wisconsin Lions Foundation Director from our area, and will make a presentation on the activities of the Foundation and Lions Camp. We'll surely hear about the latest of the constant improvements that are made to the Camp, so if you haven't visited lately you'll want to hear this. A lot of your Lion friends will be there, and we hope that the temperature will be above zero, but that isn't a sure thing. This has been the winter that won't quit.

At the last meeting, Pres. LINDA opened with a couple of “reflections.” One had to do with the fact that our present Board of Directors consists of 11 of the more active members and has trouble getting a quorum. Likely course of action, which will require a change in the Constitution/ByLaws and a vote by the membership, is to eliminate one VP position and two or three Directors positions when their current terms expire. Seems reasonable, since our current membership is about half what it was when the present format was instituted. The second reflection was to remember that our mission is still to serve our community.

The current item of major importance is our flower sale. The orders should be in by APRIL 7TH, and the delivery date is APRIL 21, so as the attorneys say, “time is of the essence.” Get in touch with your prospects, make your sales, estimate what you're going to sell, and get that info in. Order blanks and flyers will be available at the next meetings. Be sure to fill the orders out COMPLETELY. We might have mentioned that before, but it's still important. If you have ever stood in front of a large pile of bricks with many doors and windows in it, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and an order which says “Mary Smith @ 123 Anywhere St.” you will understand the problem. Don't be the cause of it. Completed orders and money (don't forget the $$$) go to MELISSA NOVINSKI. As someone put it, “remember that you're selling a lot more than flowers.” Many of the things we do for others as Lions depend on the money we raise, and your buyer is contributing to that effort.

Filling out the blanks includes the date, your name, phone numbers, exact product (we offer red roses, mixed color roses and a mixed Spring Flower bouquet.) The number to call for problems requiring replacements is (608) 235-0914.

Another important point - if there are limitations on the availability of the recipient, be sure to put them on the order blank, and if you are on the committee or are the deliveryperson, look for them. Example - a bouquet headed for a school HAS to be there before midafternoon, because some staffers leave with the kids at 3:00 - 3:30. We don't want the flowers to be a day old before the recipient gets them. Same thing with a residence where nobody's home - make a phone call or tell a neighbor, so they are found that day.

Another important date is our Golf Outing, set for May 19 at Cherokee CC. Golf starts at noon, with a social hour at 5:00 PM and dinner to follow. Note that you don't have to play golf to attend the dinner - all are welcome. In fact, we've changed our regular Tuesday meeting date for that week to make the Monday dinner one of our social events. Members must register for the dinner (so we have a good plate count), and will be billed for the cost along with dues. We are still looking for donors - hole sponsors, prize donations, whatever. Theme is “Glasses For Kids”, which goes straight back to our roots as a Club. Obviously, we are also in need of as many golfers as we can get. Recruit some of your golfing friends to have some fun, play a good course and do some good for the kids all at the same time. There will be no rain date for the actual golf round - the dinner will go on regardless of the weather, and if the weather prevents playing, the golfers will get free passes for a future round.

March is our month for eye tissue transplant, and JIM SCHUTZ reported five missions in the first four days (now up to 23!). Transporters now have to have ID badges, and if you need one, SCOTT GROVER has them, along with special Lion Transporter pins. Those should be prized possessions. We were reminded that the former transfer point at Portage has been moved to Wisconsin Dells, which entails a little longer trip from here.