Next Meeting - Tuesday February 4, on the Mezz at Festival Foods, at 11:30 AM as usual. This is our Business Meeting for the month, and even if it is the middle of winter, there's a lot going on. We're more than half way through this Lion year, and planning for the next one is beginning, starting with the Nomination/Election process for our own Club. If you have an urge to lead a surge, volunteer for one of our Club offices and/or committees. There is a Vision Screening Training session in Dodgeville this coming week, a chance to prepare yourself to participate in one of our most important “hands-on” service projects. We may get another chapter of the ongoing Orientation process, the District and Multiple (State) Conventions are coming up.

The Cross Plains Lions are hosting a West African Dinner club fundraiser at the Cross Plains American Legion. The event is open to Lions members only and their spouses and/ or a guest. on March 8 - 5pm social / 6pm dinner. The meal is being catered by club president Frank Kooistra and his wife Zainabu Kooistra, who is from Gambia. Zainabu is one of seven new members in the Cross Plains club and hit the ground running with this fundraiser idea as soon as she joined the club. If you wish to attend, please contact the Cross Plains Lions by Feb. 24 so they can reserve a spot for you. The cost is $30 per person.

At our last meeting, we heard a lot from Lion Sri Vasudevan about Lion service, here in Wisconsin with the efforts to provide two Flow Cytometers to children's hospitals, and also about the service we (YOU!) do through Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) grants. All over the world, Lions race to help after disasters and labor on projects to prevent disease. Our own District has, since the Grants program began, received over $2 million USD in grants for things like the Barneveld tornado and the above-referenced Cytometer to fight childhood cancer. Many LCIF grants over the years have gone to Lions Camp, Restoring Hope, LEBW, and many others.

World wide, there are eight causes that receive attention: Vision, Youth, Disaster Relief, Humanitarian, Diabetes, Hunger, Environment, and Childhood Cancer.

Lion Sri is the Ambassador from LCI for the current fund-raising effort, to keep LCIF ready to help where help is needed.

Calendar for February:
• February 4 - Business/Board meeting
• February 6 - Children's Vison Screening Training - Dodgeville
• February 8 - Albany Lions 53rd Pancake Day
• February 18 - Program meeting
• March 8 - West African Cuisine Meal - Cross Plains