eNewsletter of Multiple District Four California Lions
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Centennial Convention Issue
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Council Chair Rob Manning
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Lions of Multiple District Four:
With our mid-year just passing, we are looking forward to our upcoming multiple district convention in San Diego, the Eyes Across California project on March 17, 2018, and the LCI convention in Las Vegas June 29 through July 3, 2018.
Our guest for the MD-4 convention will include Past International President Sid Scruggs and his wife Lion Judy, LCI endorsed 3rd Vice President candidate PID Brian Sheeham, our guest presenter PID Sangeeta Jatia,(“Women Who Inspire”), PID Jack Epperson, guest speaker Sharon Giovinazzo of World Services for the Blind, and PIP Bill Biggs and PID Dana Biggs. Seminars and presentations are scheduled for Friday and Saturday with entertainment and dining for Friday and Saturday nights. This should be a great event.
On March 17, 2018, the districts and clubs will be participating in the Eyes Across California eyeglass collection project.
Eyes Across California started as a centennial project in 2015-2016 and has provided for public exposure of Lions and in the collection of used eyeglasses. Please encourage your club(s) to participate.
Between June 29 and July 3, 2018, will be the
LCI International Convention in Las Vegas. This is a great opportunity for the Lions of California to attend an International Convention. On June 29 through July 3 there will be exhibits and seminars, the International Parade will begin at 08:30 on June 30, our
MD-4 Breakfast will be on July 1, and the Plenary Sessions will be 09:00-12:00 on July 1 and July 2, and 10:00-1:30 on July 3, 2018 (includes installation of the 2018-2019 District Governors).
Other news and upcoming events in MD-4 include the approval of a $100,000 LCIF grant in District 4-C6 for
LEO’s Haven, a Lions co-sponsored and county supported new playground for children and adults of all abilities, the upcoming Southern California leadership institute in Ontario on March 10th through March 12th, the acceptance of the application to review Long Beach as a potential host location for the 2022 Canada/USA Forum, and the Lions sponsored petition to assure the California DMV Drivers Manual is translated into Nepali.
We are making a difference.
Thank you for allowing Lion Lucy and I to serve Multiple District Four.
Council Chair Rob Manning
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GMT Coordinator, PDG Buck Larson
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Greetings California Lions;
Over the past three years Multiple District 4 has shown the Lions of North America that membership growth is not only possible, but repeatable. Through prioritizing and effort, our example has shown that people still have a desire to serve others and develop their communities through Lions Clubs. The positive results of our service activities in California helps to set the future as a ripe opportunity for community development and we will need more hands to help us achieve our goal of serving 200 million people annually by 2021.
We have had a challenging first half of our Lions year and we must show other Lions that California knows how to recover from the downward trends that can happen during growth periods.Our Multiple District 4 Global Membership team has developed several different ways to recover from this trend and will look to bring two of them to our districts with a sense of urgency. Membership requires effort and we are hoping the response will be rapid so that we can rebuild quickly.
The first program is to bring a
comprehensive membership workshop program in a stand-alone morning session. This workshop will have the District Governor teams, District GMT teams, Zone and region chairs, and anyone at the club level who is interested in growing their membership. This is the best comprehensive program that we have seen in that it covers recruiting friends and communities, building existing and new clubs, and ensuring membership satisfaction for our Lions so their commitment will be lifelong.
Our second program involves
new club development workshops. Lions Clubs International has devoted substantial resources to this program. Well trained consultants will come to our districts and build new clubs in targeted communities to expand our service in places that have not known a Lions club. This is done at no expense to the district except to transport the consultant during the workshop. Hotels, meals, and transportation to the workshop are paid by LCI so that the districts can devote as many of their own resources as possible to ensure the development of the new club. The educational benefit of how to help districts develop their own new clubs through this process is invaluable. We hope to be able to find new people to help develop our strike teams for each district, to work on membership development well into the future.
I have worked exceedingly hard behind the scenes to ensure that all workshop requests, that are properly submitted, will be approved. Two of the best consultants in the country are from California, Karen Fillmore and myself, and I have spoken with three other top consultants in North America and they have agreed to accept any requests that come from California that do not conflict with their existing schedules. WE ARE READY. Our districts need to avail themselves of these opportunities.
Let's move forward and show all Lions that California will continue to show the way for the Lions of North America. We plan to remain at the cutting edge of membership development and hope to have the complete cooperation of all 15 of our districts to make it a reality.
Respectfully submitted, Buck Larson MD-4 Global Membership Team Coordinator
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GST Coordinator, PDG Norm MacKenzie
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Global Services Team (GST)
Major Asset to Recruiting and Member Retention
GST is a member of the Global Action Team (GAT) system, which is designed to empower and excite clubs in becoming more visible and prominent in their respective communities by promoting service projects that attract multi-generational participants, including the integration and leadership development of LEOs through service to others. The Council Chair leads the team.
Other members of GAT are the Global Leadership Team (GLT) PCC Liz Crooke; Global Membership Team (GMT) PDG Buck Larson; and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) PCC Roger Powell. All Districts have GSTs and they are members of the District GAT which the District Governor chairs.
The Global Service Team is designed to be a major asset for
recruiting and member retention for clubs. All club presidents should appoint a GST. Club GST assignments are an important position within the GAT. The position provides another leadership growth opportunity in each club and offloads service activity reporting responsibility from the club secretary.
All club GSTs are encouraged to increase service projects by
at least two which would generate a 50% increase in individuals served and enhance membership recruiting by inviting members of the community to participate in the club’s humanitarian efforts and later invite them to a club meeting.
The key is promoting the project and inviting members of the community (church, work, Parent Teachers Association, fellow workers, eye doctor, dentist, school nurses, Leo parents, to name a few), to help Lions serve more people.
More hands equal expanded service to the community.
The project’s Plan of Action should outline where community members can participate so that there is no confusion on the day of the event where people can be assigned to work alongside Lions.
If all clubs added just two more projects, that would be two more opportunities to invite service-minded people to participate in club humanitarian projects, as well as keep existing members more engaged in club activities. If the two projects generated two new members per club, that would increase the Multiple by 1,466 members and provide more potential leaders for the future.
Currently a database of 2016-2017 service activities is being developed so that we can measure percentage of increase over the previous Lions year. All District GSTs have been requested to accumulate what activities clubs have accomplished thus far this fiscal year.
I’m available for presentations any time. My motto:
“Have presentations, projector, computer and truck will travel anywhere.”
It’s Great to be a Lion!
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GLT Coordinator, PCC Liz Crooke
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Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes ae high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.
Chris Hadfield
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“…..
especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter
”. The consequences of Leadership in Lions Clubs International does really matter. Our leaders are tasked with overseeing the significant community service provided by millions of Lions every day. From the International level to the Club level, the quality of leadership does matter. We seek leaders that are ethical, empathetic, skilled speakers and listeners, and able to lead others to a common goal of service. We look to leaders that lead by example and provide consistent ethical oversight of Lions efforts.
Leadership matters
.
The care and feeding of our leaders and emerging leaders also matters. The study of leadership is never over. A caring and qualified leader continues to sharpen their skills and increase their knowledge. An emerging leader is searching for knowledge, skills and the opportunity to serve in a leadership capacity.
Fortunately, our International organization continues to provide learning opportunities, as do our Multiple District and our Districts. The Lions of California have a smorgasbord of Institutes, on-line learning opportunities and District level training of an extremely high quality for our Lions to choose from to continue their learning. As leaders, it is up to us to encourage those emerging leaders around us to take advantage of these opportunities. Critically important is that we help them become familiar with what is available to them. Additionally, each District is encouraged to provide financial assistance to these emerging leaders when possible and appropriate. Kudos to all of those Districts that are doing just that for their Lions.
Leadership Matters. It can make or break an organization. It is up to us to continue to hone our skills, identify and encourage emerging leaders, and support those Lions that we see as qualified leaders, or potential leaders in the making. The on-going service to our communities depends on it.
Kudos to the 33 Lions recently graduating from the MD-4 Leadership Institute in Fairfield. Kudos to the 3 Past District Governors who recently graduated from the Faculty Development Institute in Atlanta. Kudos to the Lions who have recently attended a training session or completed a session on-line and last but certainly not least to those Lions who will be attending the MD-4 Institute in Ontario. Thank you for your dedication to our organization, and taking the time to sharpen your skills, which will directly benefit your club and your community.
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Lion Reginald (Reg) Clayton Harris
Early Pioneer of California Lions Clubs
Club Organizer, and District Secretary
In 1905, Paul Harris, a Chicago attorney organized Rotary Clubs, a new service club concept. Paul Harris’ brother, Reg Harris, a college professor, joined him to help develop new Rotary clubs throughout the Midwest. Reg Harris was very successful.
Because of his success during the first dozen years of Rotary, Paul called Reg into his office and shared that he, Paul, was being criticized by his Rotary Board of Directors for building a Harris Dynasty. Fearing criticism, Paul suggested to Reg, “Why don’t you go over and talk to Melvin Jones (also in Chicago) who has just organized Lions clubs?”
Legend says that Paul called Melvin Jones and highly recommended his brother. Reg followed Paul’s direction and interviewed with Melvin Jones. Reg was hired on the spot to start developing new Lions clubs.
Reg Harris was very successful at starting new Lions clubs in the Midwest for over a dozen years. In the early 1930’s, Melvin Jones, then Secretary General of Lions, asked Reg Harris to move to California and expand Lions clubs in this new bustling area of the country. Reg immediately moved his family from Chicago to Laguna Beach and started developing new Lions clubs. He had no office – just his hat and a satchel.
He began traveling throughout California/Nevada and developed many new Lions clubs and grew membership. Reg had two tasks: one, to represent Lions International in establishing new clubs in California/Nevada; the other, to represent District 4 (California/Nevada) to Lions International. It was a monumental job, but because he was so dedicated, he did both jobs well.
Reg Harris helped build District 4 into one of the most prominent Districts of Lions International at the time. He is considered a founder of our present Lions Multiple District (MD4), and was a true leader. As he continued to develop more clubs and grow membership, he decided to spend 6 months of the year in Northern California and 6 months in Southern California, plus Nevada. Again, he had no office – no staff – he did it all alone.
After approximately 15 years traveling all over California/Nevada with no office, in 1944 Reg obtained approval to establish a District office in Santa Barbara, with the backing of Melvin Jones at Lions International. He hired a secretary and began to build a permanent office for Lions of District 4. He was proud of his accomplishments and honestly believed it was important to establish a permanent office for the District. Again, during this time, Reg Harris established hundreds of Lions clubs throughout California/Nevada.
Reg was a man of vision, and continued to manage the Santa Barbara office until his retirement in 1954. While MD4 District Secretary he was instrumental in MD4 growth from 173 clubs and 9,000 members to 590 clubs and 28,500 members! In 1955, the Lions of California/Nevada approved the purchase and construction of a permanent office in Santa Barbara, the current location of our MD4 state Lion office. Reg Harris remained an active Lion until his death in 1958.
In 2017, California Lions Foundation decided to name a prestigious fellowship in his name because of Reg’s dedication to the growth of California Lionism.
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California Lions Foundation
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An IRS 01(c)(3) Corporation #81-2850129
January 2018
The California Lions Foundation (CLF) has recently surpassed $125,000 in donations, a great milestone for its first year. This includes about $7,800 in designated donations. Thanks to the generosity of California Lions and clubs, CLF is well on its way to the established funding goal of $250,000 in order to begin providing grants to California Lions clubs.
CLF wishes to acknowledge the outstanding support of over sixty Lions and nine Clubs and Districts for becoming 'Founding Members' of CLF. CLF also recently received its first Corporate donation, and the CLF Board is expanding efforts to obtain additional corporate and company support.
As a reminder, CLF will be providing matching grants from $500 - $10,000 to California Lions Clubs for projects that serve their communities. Please see the
CLF brochure on our
web site.
CLF still will be accepting donations for 'Founding Members' until the initial funding goal of $250,000 is reached. Lions may become a founding member of CLF for a donation of $1,000. In addition the member will also receive recognition as a ‘Kay Fukushima Fellow’. A California Lions Club may become a founding club for a donation of $5,000. Founding member donations by individual Lions may be counted toward the founding club donation amount to qualify as a founding club of CLF.
CLF has also established a Reginald Harris Fellowship in the amount of $2,500. He was instrumental in growing the California/Nevada Lions from 173 clubs and 9,000 members in the early 1930s to 590 clubs and 28,500 members in 1954. A Reginald Harris Fellow can also be a Founding Member.
Whether you give cash or stock, becoming a CLF founding member would be an outstanding choice! The gift of appreciated securities also is an excellent way to support CLF and get the full deduction for your donation without incurring any capital gains tax. 100% of your donation will help California Lions make a difference in their communities. Again, all funds donated to CLF remain in California to assist Californians.
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CLF is also conducting a raffle for a beautiful jeweled pendant created and donated by PDG Alberto Montes de Oca. The pendant is 14K white gold with diamonds, blue sapphires, rubies, blue topaz and garnet and has an estimated retail value of about $10,000. Raffle tickets may be purchased for $20 each from CLF directors and all proceeds will go solely into the administrative fund at CLF. Tickets will be available at convention. The drawing will be held July 1, 2018.
The CLF board is meeting at convention on Friday, February 9th from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Any Lion is welcome to attend.
Please review our website at californialionsfoundation.org for more information.
Tax ID # of California Lions Foundation is 81-2850129.
Checks made out to ‘California Lions Foundation’ may be sent to:
California Lions Foundation
California Lions MD4 State Office
129 Los Aguajes Ave.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Together we serve,
PDG Gilbert Smith
President, California Lions Foundation
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Lions Eye Foundation - One Year Later
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by IPDG Jamie Hart, District 4-C 1 Lead Trustee
It is hard to believe that it is a year since I shared about what the mission and vision of the Lions Eye Foundation of CA/NV, comprising Districts 4-C1-4, 4-C6, 4-A 1-3 and 46. In that year, there continues to be inspirational and groundbreaking events that I thought should be updated.
One of the most significant was the opening of the eye clinic in San Francisco at 711 Van Ness. The facility is nothing short of phenomenal. On the tour of the diagnostic testing services, I got to see state of the art equipment running from cameras that capture the retina to machines that meticulously measure the existing shape and size of the cornea to get an exact match for a transplant or replacement of lens affected by cataracts.
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This year, the Penn Valley Hi-Graders Lions Club, Higgins Diggins Lions Club and Nevada County 4H worked together to collect See’s Candy for our troops at Beale AFB. Beale AFB is located just north of Sacramento in California.
This project started with an idea from two of our Lion members from Penn Valley Hi-Graders. The idea was to collect candy and distribute it to the airmen who were on duty over the Christmas holiday. It was our way to share some love and support of our service men and women. Customers were asked if they would like to purchase an extra box of candy and donate it to the troops. A total of 133 boxes of candy and various other See’s items were donated by the residents of Nevada County.
Pictured L to R are Penn Valley Hi-Graders Lions President Carol Puphal, Lion Mimi Faudoa, from Beale AFB SMSGT Scott Leach, TSGT Stephen Bates, Lions Faustino Cardona and Shirley Emmrich. All three organizations were overwhelmed with the amazing show of support from our communities for our local troops this holiday season. All three groups will continue this project again next year.
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A Brief History of Auburn Host Lions Club
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Auburn Lions Club has history of giving
Our Auburn Host Lions Club, having received its charter from Lions International in 1927, has been helping the people of Auburn for more than 90 years. We are but one of many service clubs that make up Lions Clubs International.
Read more
www.auburnjournal.com
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Foresthill Lions Embrace KidSight
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After partnering with the Lions KidSight Foundation, Foresthill Lions members were trained on the usage of the Plus Optix eyesight screener. They then teamed up with nurses at Foresthill Divide School in November, 2017, to perform eyesight testing on students in grades K - 4. Overall, the testing took four and a half hours, but was not completed, so a second session was scheduled. A total of 223 children completed vision screening, of which 12 children were referred for issues that may have not been detected otherwise.
The Lions received a lovely note from FDS school nurse, Tracy Castro, when the testing was complete, which said, in part:
“As clear vision has a huge impact on learning, I am thrilled that so many issues were found and that action can now be taken for correction. All of this would not have occurred without the partnership between the school nurse and the wonderful members of the Foresthill Lions Club. I look forward to a long, continued partnership with the combined goal of helping the community around us.”
Foresthill Lions wish to extend a special thank you to Lion Dave Johnson, of Auburn Host Lions, who provided the Plus Optix screener training to our members. The Club hopes to continue the eyesight screening program for new students on an annual basis.
Debbie Griffin
Foresthill Lions Bulletin Editor
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Helping our Youth and Their Families
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by PDG Bob Olin
Helping our youth has always been one of the goals of Lions Clubs International There are many ways that Lions help our youth all over the world. This article is about a specific area of our youth which many of us call our challenge children.
I would guess that every Lion either has, in their family, a neighbor, friend, business associate, church member who has a child who is challenged. It could take many forms.
This special group of our youth with special needs have a lot of requirements. What if we can provided something that would help both the child and parents?
The Lions of District 4C-5 feel we have a way to help both our youth and their family. We would hope every district in Multiple District 4 would hold a
Special Kids Day for physically and developmentally challenged “KIDS”.
What is
Special Kids Day? It is a free day of fun, food, family, friendship and camaraderie for all the family. We will repeat, for all the family. It is where we help not only the child but the parents and siblings.
They have a day the family can enjoy and not be labeled. It helps them to see others who are like them. If you would sit and talk with a family with a challenged child you would understand why a day such as
Special Kids Day is so important to them.
One mother summed it up this way.
”Thank you so much for making the Special Kids Day. My husband is in the Air Force and works long and varied shifts. When he can’t go, we usually skip events because it’s hard for me to handle our twin 6 year old boys myself in a crowded area.
“I took a chance and took my boys to your event myself. Everyone was so great with my boys and you had everything spaced out so well. We were able to spend hours there without tantrums. It was a truly stress-free event for me. I was even able to eat on the outing which almost never happens even when my husband is with me. I want to thank you so much for the event. My boys are already talking about going next year.” Jenny Biggs.
This happened because all the Lions lent their hands and hearts to make this day possible for the Biggs and all the other families.
Please visit
lionsspecialkidsday.com to see what we do. If you want to hold a
Special Kids Day, e-mail PDG Bob Olin at
Lion-Olin@sbcglobal.net and ask for a procedure on how to establish this wonderful day for our challenged youth and their families.
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Upcoming Events and Important News
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Check here
for important news and "What's New" information.
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Robert G Smith Walk to Cancel Out Parkinson's - Home Page
Please help us make this event a success by participating in any way possible. You can form a team, walk as an individual, make a donation, or become a corporate sponsor. By supporting this event you will make a major impact on the Parkinson's...
Read more
rgsmith.org
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City of Hope Lions Tribute Day
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Invitations will be forthcoming soon. Tours will begin at 9:00 AM with a complimentary lunch, informative presentations, and awards beginning at noon.
Come and view the newly named Lions Clubs International Family Center and share the joy of the occasion with fellow Lions, Lioness and Leos. Attendance may be limited again this year as a result of concerns for the possibility of inclement weather. Preliminary reservations may be made by emailing: legacyandaffinity@coh.org
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MD-4Con (2018 Convention)
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San Diego, February 9-11, 2018
Crowne Plaza Hotel
San Diego – Mission Valley
Special International Guest
PIP Sid Scruggs and Lion Judy
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PR Committee Hosts Tech Open House
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Need a Facebook presence? Want a club/district newsletter?
Bought (or thinking of buying) a "smarter" phone but terrified?
Plan to drop by our Techie Open House in San Diego and leave feeling confident! Fellow Lions will be there to get you going.
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(Lion members Only - see your
District Governor for Access)
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Lion Linda Pugliese, Editor
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Welcome to this edition of the MD-4 e-newsletter. It's always great to get stories from Lions of Multiple District 4 for
The Leader.
It adds interest, diversity, and a sense of community. I'll be looking forward to your contributions. Please send your proofread entries and photos to Linda Pugliese at editor@md4lions.org.
Guidelines for article submission:
- Be brief and to the point
- Include title of article
- Use lots of paragraphing and white space
- Include photos and links to web pages or videos
- Remember many people read the e-newsletter on their smartphones you may see Read More with a link to the rest of the article
- We look for unique articles of interest to all Lions of California and beyond and topics about local events or fundraisers may not be included.
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Please forward and share with Lions in your district or subscribe to get your very own electronic copy in your e-mail inbox. You may unsubscribe at any time.
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