HAPPY VALENTINES DAY 02/2007
HAPPY PRESIDENTS DAY
Hello all you wonderful lions. I thought that spring had almost sprung but I was mistaken. I hope this new set of storms does not cause anyone any trouble. I guess we can be thankful that we are not like New York .
Dear District 28T Officers, Club Officers and Members,
We have the best district in all of Lions International. Our clubs are doing fantastic. Each one that I talk to is installing new members, planning their projects for the new year or finishing up projects for the last year. We have a few clubs that are in status quo, that need our help. Roosevelt , Leeds & Heber are three that could use your support. If any of you have family or friends in these areas or if you know of someone who used to be a loin that lives there encourage them to help those clubs or let me know and we will try to get them involved. To get out of status quo the club only needs to pay their dues and send in their monthly reports. I am afraid Spring City is gone.
I would like to once again congratulate the Moab club for a wonderful Mid-Winter Social. The food was great and lots of it. The weather was better than where most of us came from. The accommodations were nice and convenient, but the companionship was the best. To visit with old friends, and to make new ones, to share ideas, and successes is the one thing that we all need and want. We learned a lot about the area down there. Some of us saw things we had never seen before. If you didn't make it to Moab you really missed out.
Our International President Jimmy Ross has sent an important announcement. THIS YEAR WE WILL CONTINUE THE TRADITION BY CELEBRATING WORLDWIDE INDUCTION DAY ON APRIL 21 st, 2007 . He would like to see how many new members we can sign up by that day. However just getting people to sign isn't the end. We need to fellowship them, encourage them to attend meeting and help with projects. Keeping new Lions involved without overwhelming them is the key to helping them to become strong Lions who can stand on their own.
The next Lions Tale will be coming out soon so I would like to encourage you to get your articles and pictures into Lion Ray Truitt P.O. Box 231 Fountain Green UT 84632 or email: rtruitt@burgoyne.com, I would really like to see something from each club this time. If you have anyone who has passed away please let Ray know so that we can put him or her in with our other fallen Lions. Lets let District U know that we are getting it done.
A HEADS UP: The Multi-District convention will be in Bountiful this year. I would encourage you all to attend, this could be a very important meeting for our state as a whole. There has been some talk of consolidating the two districts. Because our membership is down in both districts we are in transition. I feel that we can get our membership up and get out of transition. We are not that far away if each club would get at least 5 new members we would be out of transition. Our present membership is 1035 with 60 members in status quo clubs. So I believe it is within our reach to achieve this I am counting on you to make it happen. But in case we don't, YOU NEED to come to convention to hear both sides of this important issue, so you can make an informed vote.
If you have not contacted me to make a club visit please do so as soon as possible. I really look forward to meeting with all of the members in each club. Each club I have visited so far has been my favorite. Thanks to all of you that I have been with, you have made me feel very welcome. I appreciate all of the GREAT LIONS in our district Thanks for all the service you give and all that you do.
District Governor
Mary Ivory
DUES, MMR REPORTS AND ACTIVITY REPORTS.
1). Thank you so very much for your great response on bringing your dues up to date. And as I billed everyone for dues from July 2007 to the end of the year, some have already paid those dues also. We are drawing closer to the end of this year’s term and I encourage all the clubs that haven’t responded as of yet to do so. Remember, this is the only means the District has to function and do what is needed to keep current also.
2). I have a way for you to send the district your MMR reports and do it on line at the same time. LCI said if you will save your report by clicking on the disc icon found at the top in the tool bar and put in a file that your create. Then you can go back into your files and print the report out and send it to the district. If you have any questions email me at rowhitey@gmail.com or call me at (435) 529-2279 and I can talk you through this.
3). As far as the activity report this should come to the club every month along with your MMR report so the district can see how your club is doing and may be able to offer any suggestions or aid some clubs that might need help.
Dear Club Officer,
I am very pleased to tell you that our new Family Membership Program is off to an excellent start. In the month of January alone 42 new family-oriented clubs have been chartered (with at least 25% of the charter members coming in as family members). In existing clubs, materials on integrating family members into the dues structure are in high demand and international headquarters has sent more than 4,500 certificates recognizing Lions for participation in the January inaugural kick-off activities.
To keep this trend going and to cement our new members' commitment to the spirit of Lions Clubs International it is imperative that clubs participating in the family initiative plan for family involvement and family-oriented service projects. Family projects should include "hands-on" activities for children, allow families to work together and make use of the talents and skills of members at all stages of life. These fun and engaging
projects can also help to invigorate existing members, many of who report that they enjoy the time they spend with young adults and children. For ideas on family-friendly service projects and events, please visit
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/pdfs/family_ideas.pdf.
Please also continue to strengthen your club by inviting new members – you may not have to look far for them. Surely there are family members who have become familiar faces by participating in Lions' events just to lend an extra hand. Some may have participated in meetings as guests. These individuals are prime candidates to become full Lions Club members.
I'm sure you have heard of a "win-win" situation in which everybody benefits. Integrating family members into your club is even better - it's "win-win-win."
New members benefit by gaining a formal role in the governance of the club and our association. Their service, which many have gladly given informally and even anonymously, will become eligible for the recognition it truly deserves. And perhaps most important, they will share in the pride of being
a Lion.
Your club will gain not only additional hands and minds devoted to service projects, but also increased representation at district conventions. The additional contacts your new members have in the community will expand your networking resources and make it easier for your club to get things done.
Finally - and this is at the heart of why we all became Lions – your community wins today because your club will be able to provide more and better service, and in the future because your club will remain a strong
force in your region, providing service for generations to come. For complete information of the Family Membership Program see http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/programs_mem_family.shtml and be sure
to view the Family Membership report in the January edition of Lions Quarterly online video magazine.
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/lnn/lq.html
NEW BUSINESS:
I hope that all remembers the District Board Meeting that is to take place this Saturday, February 24 th at 11:00 am at Michelsons Restaurant in Nephi. We hope to see all of the board members there. The District will pick up our lunch tab. DG Mary is expecting a 3 to 5 report from all the committees.
Reminders
Family Certification Deadline
Existing Family Lions: The next deadline for qualifying existing club members (for Lions inducted prior to December 1, 2006 ) who are not already a part of a certified family unit, to be certified for the family dues rate is
May 31, 2007 . Those members will begin receiving the family membership dues rate as of July 1, 2007 . Certification will be ongoing but the family membership dues rate for existing members will not take effect until the next semi-annual dues invoice is issued.
New Family Lions: New family members entered in the approved process receive the benefit immediately. For more information on the process please visit http://www3.lionsclubs.org/docs/family_unit_instructions_EN.pdf.
MID-WINTER CONVENTION
MOAB, UT
The experience at Moab at the Mid-Winter Convention was great. The Moab Lions had never been the host for a convention before and with many new members they are to be commended for conducting a great convention. Council Chair Paul R. Allen wanted this convention to have a relaxed atmosphere and the club had a wonderful program and really fantastic food. Also we would like to thank the club for the entertainment they provided. There was an excellent band and then the Valley Singers, a female group that sang some beautiful songs, both patriotic (which they are known for) and some other songs.