Fort Collins Lions Club

Entries for the ‘News’ Category

Volume 3, Issue 5                 May, 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE                  Ted Blevins

Drought or naught. They say April showers bring May flowers, but after the driest March in recorded history, who can say what the effect on May flowers is. Are we headed for another long term draught? We are already an inch and ½ behind normal in moisture. Time will tell.

I do know without doubt where there is a drought. It is in new membership. With all the baby boomers retiring, there should be plenty of people looking for opportunities to be in service clubs. Do we have any contacts with the Newcomers Club in Fort Collins? If so, why aren’t we asking them to come to Lions? Our membership is now below 70 for the first time in years.

Ask Alan Beatty or David Lambertson or Tobey Yadon how they get guests to come so frequently. I have found that asking someone if they have ever been in a service club or would they be interested in a service club can open the door. If there is interest, I’ll tell them I’ll pick them up for next Thursday’s meeting.

The only way we can break this draught on new membership is to get guests to meetings. Yes, I am preaching to the choir because the only choir I have is you, and you, and you, and you. Make it your personal responsibility to bring a guest to our next meeting. Please!

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Harold Einarsen

President of Fort Collins Lions Club

1990-1991

Sixty Years a Lion

I was married to Shirley Einarsen (now deceased) for 48 and 1/2 years. I have four children, 10 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

I first became a Lion in 1952 when we lived in Delta, Colorado. Two weeks after joining I was elected to the position of Tail Twister. This turned out great because I got to know the members faster and soon knew every member of the club.

When I became President of the Fort Collins Lions Club there were 100 members. I stressed membership at every Club meeting and when I left office one year later we had a membership of 117.

A fun time was had when we were meeting at Gillette’s Café in the Northern Hotel. The food was not good and the people in the restaurant made no effort to improve it, so one day we all brought our lunch in a brown paper bag! Gillette didn’t like it and we had to pay for the meal anyway, but he got the message.

I’ve made many visitations to other Lion clubs with Tom and Irene Toliver and Ed Marvel. What a great way to meet other Lions and get acquainted. I highly recommend it!

One notable person the Fort Collins Lions Club entertained and he was our speaker that day was baseball great Don Newcombe. He was very enjoyable.

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Two Horses

Author Unknown

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.
From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse.
But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice

something quite amazing….

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down,
but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear
the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound,
you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the horse’s halter is a small bell. It lets the blind
friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you’ll see that the horse
with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that
the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to
where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each
evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend
isn’t too far behind to hear the bell…

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges.

He watches over us and even brings others into our lives
to help us when we are in need…

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.
Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way….

Good friends are like that… You may not always see them,
But you know they are always there…

Please listen for my bell and I’ll listen for yours, and remember…

Be kinder than necessary-
Everyone you meet is fighting
Some kind of battle.

Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly…

FOR WE WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT

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Mad Hatters

The term “mad as a hatter,” made famous by Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, came about because hatters usually acquired a physical disorder after working for too long with the mercury solution used in the felting process. Breathing in the mercury fumes caused damage to the lungs, but it also affected the central nervous system and brain, eventually resulting in paralysis, memory loss, dementia, and death. In the U.S. “mad hatters disease” was known as “Danbury Shakes,” since most top hats were manufactured in that Connecticut town. In 1864, at least one country – the U.K. – decided to relieve the problem by implementing the Factory Act, which mandated ventilation in all workshops.

Volume 3, Issue 4                 April, 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE                  Ted Blevins

Spring is my favorite season. First of all it is the time of year when we see the Fort Collins Lions Club get to show the community as a whole what we as a service club can do by putting on the 9Health Fair, as ably headed up by Lion Carole. Most of the club is involved in setting up booths, welcoming and directing traffic, collecting fees and, in general, managing the two day affair that brings nearly 2500 people thru the doors. Then on Saturday afternoon we take it all down. It is our annual major club effort and those of you who have not participated before will enjoy it.

Second, it is the season of new beginnings. For me, this is especially poignant this year, as the narcissus, daffodils, crocus, tulips and iris all reach their peak of colors. Take a moment to examine each leaf of the narcissus bloom in their minute, perfect detail and tell me there is not a great creator. Take a look at the smallest mountain flowers and the detail of their hardly visible blooms and tell me there is not a great creator. The creator in all His glory is so obvious this time of year.

I have a favor to ask of you. One of my favorite songs, and perhaps one of yours, is How Great Thou Art. Lion Bill Funke will give you a little background of this song which perhaps you didn’t know. And then his trio will lead the singing of the first verse:

Oh Lord, My God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds thy hands have made

I see the sun, I hear the rolling thunder

Thy power throughout the universe displayed……

Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee

How great thou art, how great thou art……

I’ll be listening, and I hope to see you all soon.

Ted

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MOTHER’S DAY

Second Sunday in May

Though the British had long honored mothers during Lent on what they called Mothering Sunday, the idea of setting aside a day in recognition of motherhood did not catch on anywhere else until the 20^th Century. Reformer Julia Woods Howe first broached the idea in 1870. For the next few decades others tried to stir up interest in regular Mother’s Day observances. But credit for making the day stick as a national celebration belongs to a West Virginia schoolteacher named Anna Jarvis.

Born in Grafton, West Virginia, Jarvis had a close, loving relationship with her mother. Despite her filial affections and attentions, Jarvis felt guilty she had not done more for her. She set to work campaigning for a national Mother’s Day. To rush for legislation she sent out letters to congressmen, governors, mayors, newspapers editors, and business leaders across the land. Her hometown church in Grafton celebrated Mother’s Day on May 10,1908, the anniversary of Jarvis’s mother’s death. Jarvis handed out carnations – her mother’s favorite. Finally, Congress approved the proposed bill, and in 1914 President Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May to be Mother’s Day.

In a sad footnote, Jarvis died childless and impoverished in 1948 in a sanatorium. But the tradition started by a woman who devoted her life to her mother and her mother’s memory has spread to many countries. The U.S. leads the way in Mother’s Day spending – on cards, flowers and dinners out.

Today more than 100 countries celebrate versions of Mother’s Day. In India, Japan, Finland, Pakistan, and many more, mothers are honored, usually with a special cake, a big meal and flowers.

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Wayne Crownhart

President of Fort Collins Lions Club

1980 – 1981

Forty-Four Years a Lion

As I looked through our club history, and considered my 44 years as a Lion, I realize how fortunate I have been to have been invited to become a Lion those many years ago. I had been in Fort Collins just two years when I joined in 1968. In 1969 our club reached a peak of 121 members. What a privilege it has been to be able to associate with the many community leaders and builders throughout the years.

In the early 1970′s our Sight Budget was often less than $5000, and was our major budget item. Our major fund-raiser was the annual Broom and Bulb sale and, although somewhat of a “pain” to do each year, it was great to see how many people in our neighborhoods waited for us to come around so they could restock on bulbs and buy a new broom. In a good year we might have sales of $10,000, with $4000 profit. We supplemented our income with raffles and other small fund-raisers.

I think 1980 was our first year of involvement with the 9Health Fair (then called the Channel 9 Health Fair) and 12 Lions helped with the Fair. We can certainly be proud of how the 9Health Fair has grown and our sponsorship has become one of our terrific annual contributions to Fort Collins.

The Tolivers and the Crownhart family attended the Lions International Convention in Chicago in 1980, as I was beginning my year as president. I remember us feeling like we were going to freeze to death in the canyons of the Chicago skyscrapers as we waited for the parade to start and the cold north winds were blowing off Lake Michigan on the 4^th of July! We had just driven to Chicago, with two or three days of over 100 degree temps, but a cold front came in the morning of the parade. We and our young boys enjoyed seeing Lions from all over the world during the events of the convention.

Our Club’s Salvation Army Bell Ringer raised $1700, the most of any Fort Collins service club. Our Valentine’s party was held at the Safari Club. (How many of the newest members know where the Safari Club was located?) One of our first club pins, the flying geese, was designed for our 60^th Anniversary party.

We saw the chartering of the Cache la Poudre Lions club in May of 1981, with Tom Toliver serving as their Guiding Lion and I was MC for the Charter Night ceremonies. We also hosted the State Convention at the recently completed Lincoln Center. Lion Paul Hutchinson had been elected as incoming president, but would have nothing to do with getting on the stage, in front of all those state Lions, and just said…”Wayne, you can do that.” That was probably my first, and only, time in the “spotlight”. As I recall, our current club vest was designed for that state convention.

It’s hard to believe that was 31 years ago.

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The WORST and LAST

April 15, 1912 R.M.S. Titanic sinks 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.

April to July 1912 Inquiries by the U.S. Congress and the British Board of Trade spur changes in maritime safety, including rules for lifeboat capacity, including mandatory 24-hour radio service by all ships at sea.

January 1914 The International Ice Patrol is established to monitor key shipping lanes. No ship since the Titanic has been sunk by an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

1955 Walter Lord’s book A Night to Remember and the film based on it rekindle public interest in the disaster.

September 1, 1985 A French-American team, led by Robert Ballard and Jean-Louis Michael, locates the Titanic using the deep sea robot Argo.

July 12, 1986 Ballard returns aboard Atlantis II and dives to the wreck in the submersible Alvin. He removes no artifacts, urging others to leave the site undisturbed as a memorial to the dead.

1987 Salvage operators begin to recover artifacts from the Titanic despite heavy criticism from the scientific community.

1994 A U.S. court declares RMS Titanic, Inc. (RMST) the wreck’s sole “salvor-in-possession” because it was the first to recover artifacts from the site.

1997 James Cameron’s film Titanic breaks box office records. He later claims he made the movie primarily so he could explore the wreck.

1998 First tourists dive in submersibles to Titanic… $32,500 each!

2000 RMST sues to stop the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of State from developing guidelines governing exploration and salvage of the wreck site. The suit is dismissed and the guidelines are issued the next year.

May 31, 2009 Millvina Dean, the last Titanic survivor, dies at age 97. She was just ten weeks old when she was lowered to a lifeboat in a canvas mailbag.

2010 The first survey of the entire wreck site is conducted in an expedition led by RMST in collaboration with NOAA and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

April 14, 2012 A hundred years after it struck the iceberg, the Titanic becomes eligible for protection as a UNESCO underwater cultural heritage site.

Volume 3, Issue 3                 March, 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE             Ted Blevins

As I lie here in my hospital bed in March, I am thinking of what the words “we serve” really mean. Most of us think that service only extends outside the club to activities like collecting eyeglasses, kid site, 9 health fair, diabetes, sight committee, speech contest, and Lions camp but it is just as important to serve inside our club.

I am reminded of the recent efforts to help Paul Telleen during his illness, schedules to help Tanya get to her dialysis and eventually thru her kidney transplant. And, more recently to those who have helped me personally. Dan Fahrlander and Reid Jacob are putting together a team to install railings on the outside of my house and the inside of my garage to help me negotiate steps safely. Wayne Crownhart has donated some equipment that I will need around the house and Cathy Hutchinson has created some unbelievably beautiful cards. I have heard from many of you through phone messages. I know I have a whole new band of brothers and sisters.

I will be in and out of chemotherapy until the end of June, so I probably won’t see much of you until after that. I know David will continue to do a fine job leading meetings and keeping things entertaining. Meanwhile, you are in my thoughts and please keep me in your prayers.

Each day is a blessing, so take advantage of each and every one.

Ted

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Victor Meline

President of Fort Collins Lions Club

1974 – 1975

Forty – five Years a Lion

Nineteen seventy four, that’s 38 years ago. My, time sure flies when you’re having fun! IT’S GREAT TO BE A LION!

July, 1974 found the Fort Collins Lions Club still meeting at the Salvation Army. Reviewing the records, I found that we were doing many of the same things we’re doing today only fewer dollars were generated to help support our many objectives.

The Club raised over $10,000 from Broom and Bulb sales, $759 from the Kettle Drive for the Salvation Army and $925 collected from a garage sale. With some of this money, the Club purchased a Braille typewriter and sent $100 to Honduras for disaster relief.

Our Club also celebrated its 55^th Anniversary, no party; it was just announced at our regular meeting. Fifty-five + 38 that’s 93 years. Could I be blessed to be around to celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of our Club?

So much for fund raisers to support our objectives! WE SERVE. I found the main difference between our Club today and the Fort Collins Lions Club 1974-1975 was membership and attendance at meetings. Our Club then had 102 members and attendance at meetings was 80 plus!

The membership was made up of judges, farmers, tradesmen, barbers, business men, college professors, lawyers and everyone in between.

Let’s start working harder on membership now!

Vic

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Tom Toliver

President of Fort Collins Lions Club

1978 – 1979

Forty – eight Years a Lion

It is difficult for me to remember very much about the year I was president…and also served as the Zone Chairman in our area…but there were three events that I won’t forget.

Shortly after I was installed as President, I was informed that our Lions Club would have to move out of our meeting place, “The Red Shield Room” on Linden Street that was owned by the Salvation Army. As I remember, they had sold the building. The Noon Kiwanis Club met there on Tuesday noon and the Rotary Club met there on Wednesday noon. A few members of each club met together quite often to try to find a new place to meet. All three clubs were fairly large so we needed a large room as a meeting place.

At that time in Fort Collins there were not many of the large hotels or restaurants that we now have. Most of the service clubs in Fort Collins had donated money to the City for the new “Lincoln Community” building which was almost finished. The Columbine West room and kitchen were both complete and the Lincoln Center was anxious to have the new building used. All three service clubs decided to use the Lincoln Center and the same caterer. This worked out for several years until the Lincoln Center started to increase the price of the use of the rooms every year and made some restrictions on the caterers and we were forced to find a new location to meet.

The second unusual event involving our Lions Club was started by the Swink Lions Club in the southeastern part of Colorado. As a way to help raise money for the Colorado Lions Camp for the Handicapped, a member of the Swink Lions Club had donated a fairly large goat. They gave the goat a name, “Billy G. Oates”, and provided membership papers for their club. Their plan was to take the goat to another Lions Club and transfer him as a member of that club. This club was then required to donate $100.00 to the Camp and transport and transfer the goat to yet another Lions Club!

We had no inkling about this program until about March or April when the Estes Park Lions Club got us involved. Just as we started the meeting some members of the Estes Park Club brought the goat into the Red Shield room and presented us with his transfer papers. This was the first that we learned about “Billy G. Oates”. I kept him over the weekend so we could transfer him to the Poudre Valley Lions Club the following Tuesday morning. I called my son and asked him to bring a pick-up to take the goat to our house and put him in the dog pen. Our youngest daughter had a lot of fun taking the goat around our property to let him eat the long grass in some areas. We donated the $100 to the Camp and took Billy to the Poudre Valley Breakfast Club as planned.

The third event was our sponsoring the Fort Collins Lioness Club. This was a fairly new event in the world of Lionism. This new Club had wives from all three Fort Collins men’s clubs as members along with some women who were not connected at all with Lions Clubs. They had their own projects and the two clubs would help each other on some projects.

The day of our annual Christmas party, Fort Collins received two feet of snow. It was a beautiful sight because there was no wind and the city had cleared the roads. The Country Club was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season. We had only one couple that did not attend the event. Lee Effner served as the chairman of the Christmas Party committee.

Being president of the Fort Collins Lions Club and Zone Chairman qualified me to run for offices on other levels. PDG Fred Friedrich encouraged me to run for District Governor and I was selected as the Chairman of the Colorado Lions State Council of Governors. Then a number of Lions from our club, other Colorado clubs and Clubs around the country encouraged me to run for the office of Director on the International Board. All of these activities were very interesting and great experiences that I would not have had if the members of the Fort Collins Lions Club had not elected me president of the club and provided great support to try for the other offices.

Tom

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Election of officers is coming soon…are you a candidate?

Volume 3, Issue 2                 February, 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE             Ted Blevins

Membership – Again!

When the Fort Collins Lions Club was founded in 1920, 92 years ago, there were 28 members. The club grew up and down over the years, but as recently as 2000, there were 116 members.

We now have 71 members, a loss of 45 in a little over 11 years. Unless we do something differently, we will have a membership of 34 in the year 2020, our 100^th anniversary — just 6 more than we started with in 1920.

We need numbers to survive and serve our community at the current level. Our charitable budget this year is about $67,000, essentially all of which comes from Bingo. We need a minimum of 20 members per week to conduct our two games. Normally, about 28-30 members help in a given month, but if we continue to lose membership, we cannot continue the two bingo games.

Several of you have brought guests to meetings in the past year. We had great attendance at our “membership meeting”, but we only got two new members from that meeting.

In my own experience, I was a guest three times before I decided to join. My sponsor, Warren Mauk, made sure to invite me several times. And I believe that is the key – follow-up.

Make sure your guests are invited to at least three meetings so they can learn firsthand what a great service club we really are. Tell them we’ve raised over $1.2 million over the past 18 years for charity right here in Fort Collins, tell them about Kidsight, Ensight, our glasses programs, our 9 Health Fair. Tell them about our youth programs and hearing programs, our diabetes awareness efforts, the Lions Eye Bank, the Lions Camp. But, be sure to tell them to come back again, as your guest.

Let’s stop our trend of losing over 4 members per year. We can and
must do it!

Ted
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William (Bill) Brenner

President of Fort Collins Lions Club

1963 – 1964

Fifty-two Years a Lion

In the January issue LeMoyne Anderson recalled the trauma when he and Hollis, on a couple of days’ notice, had to find a place for the Lions to meet after Ace Gillett’s restaurant in the Northern Hotel was shut down by the Larimer County Health Department.

Ladd’s Covered Wagon solved LeMoyne’s problem, but we met in a couple of other places during the 1960s…Wayne’s café (about 115 North College) and the 10^th floor of the Rocky Mountain Bank Building at Canyon and Howes.

About 1968 the Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs pooled their resources and purchased some used kitchen equipment and helped turn a Linden Street storefront into a meeting hall and food facility for the Salvation Army. The three service clubs met there until we all moved into the newly completed Lincoln Center about 1980.

In spite of all the moving, the Lions, under great leadership, continued to find new ways to help the visually handicapped, provide support for and send campers to Woodland Park, man kettles and raise money for the Salvation Army, donate money for medical equipment at the Poudre Valley Hospital and provide CSU scholarships for needy Fort Collin’s youth. More recently we sponsored and organized the annual 9Health Fair and provided the impetus for the Ensight Skills Center.

When Lion Dale Shannon installed me as president of our Lions Club in 1973, my challenge was to keep these great programs going. In those days, before women were invited into Lions club membership, the wife of the newly installed club president automatically became president of the Lioness Club. These hard working ladies provided the woman power to carry out many of our Lions club programs. They also planned many of the major club social events…Christmas and Valentine’s parties, picnics, etc. They were, indeed, instrumental in helping the Lions achieve their goals! Also, in those days, our Board of Director’s meetings rotated among the Club officers and always ended with a great dessert and coffee which helped keep attendance high!

Back in the 60′s and 70′s our weekly meetings always started with a song or two from our Lions Club song books sung with gusto. Doc Byers or Charlie Compton usually led the singing accompanied by Earl Cady on the piano to keep us near pitch. They’d probably roll over in their graves if they heard us sing “Happy Birthday” today!

Lunch was served to the Lions seated on both sides of long tables…making it difficult to always sit with the same Lions!

Lions club programs, then as now, emphasized local culture and community needs. Traditionally, at that time, CSU football coach Bob Davis (who Lion Tom Toliver played for} and basketball coach Jim Williams would bring us a rundown of their personnel and expectations for many years, at the time when athletes came to CSU primarily to earn a college degree.

Lion Joe “total recall” Price was club secretary for a few years before and after my term as President. He never took notes, but with very few exceptions, all meeting minutes read the same!

Our treasurer, George Wolfe, did his best to make the treasurer’s report look positive during my term, but it was a struggle. Trying to help the budget, Lion Tom Toliver initiated a “50 – 50 raffle” for our meetings where all the money was split in half. Half went to charity and half to the winning ticket holder. Lion Elton Collins was the first winner and gave his half to the charity, thus, starting a precedent that continues to this day in one form or another!

Our major fund raiser, as it was for many years before and after my term as President was the Broom and Bulb Sale, held every year in mid-September. The 50 or 60 Lions that worked were just able to cover Fort Collins before its population really exploded. Many families in Fort Collins waited for the Lions to come, to stock up on light bulbs. Even so, it was tough to net more than $3,000 or $4,000 dollars from the sale.

Over the years we supplemented those earnings with candy machine sales, garage sales, art shows, hoboes with cans at street intersections, raffles, pancake breakfasts, bowl for the blind, horseshoe tournaments, chili cook-offs, bike rides – and now Bingo!

But whether we struggled to make money four decades ago, or to find the help we need to man Bingo and our charitable activities today, Thursday noon’s meetings are fun, with good programs to boot! We need to get more members in the Lions Club to enjoy the fun and provide more man-and-woman power to support our work.

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If You Like Dogs

• “If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.” Will Rogers, humorist
  

   

• “The average dog is a better person than the average person is.” Andy Rooney, journalist
  

   

• “A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.” Robert Benchley, humorist
  

   

• “My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am!” Unknown”
  

   

• “If your dog is fat, you aren’t getting enough exercise.” Unknown
  

   

• “Happiness is a warm puppy.” Charles M. Schulz, cartoonist

Volume 3, Issue 1                 January, 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE             Ted Blevins

As you know, Lion Dick Corl, editor of the Lions Tales is planning to feature bios and highlights of each active club president in this year’s newsletters. He is starting with the 1963 president, Lee Anderson. I have done a little research, and found some interesting history of our now 92 year old club.

Did you know?

In the 1920s, the Fort Collins Lions Club entertained the honorable Franklin and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt at a lunch in the Northern Hotel. Mr. Roosevelt spoke on the topic “Greater Efficiency in Government Affairs.”

In 1921, Colorado Governor Oliver Shoup threw out the first ball in a baseball game between the Lions and Rotarians held in May. Coach Harry Hughes pitched for the Rotarians, who won 31-15.

The 1937 funds were allotted between the blind – $25 and the Iron Lung Fund – $200. The Lions led the drive to buy the Iron Lung and an infant respirator, raising a total of $3000.

In 1941, Lions Art March and Bob Bales won the wild cow milking contest at the College Days Rodeo.

In the late 1940s, one program featured Bill Carlisle, a reformed bad man who had served 20 years in prison. He told how he staged a hold-up on the Union Pacific train near Cheyenne, and took over $500 from the passengers.

Lion Ben Delatour donated several hundred acres of land near Red Feather Lakes, which became the Boy Scout Camp, in 1959. The club later financed the planting of 4000 Douglas Firs by the Scouts in the camp areas.

Lions Clubs in 1966 had committees for: agriculture, youth, citizenship and patriotism, civic improvement, education, health and welfare, safety, United Nations and youth exchange.

In 1977, the Thanksgiving meeting featured the raffle of a live turkey. When Floyd Headlee won the raffle, the 28 pound turkey was released from the next room. Lion Floyd immediately donated the bird to the Salvation Army. There is no record of the bird’s capture.

We have a proud and fun history, and to carry it forward, we need new members. All you have to do is ask — a neighbor, a church member, anyone who you think would enjoy serving this community as a Lion.

A BIG WELCOME to our newest member – Dr. Marcelo Saldivia!

Ted

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THE A,B,C’S

Accept differences, Be kind, Count your blessings, Dream, Express thanks, Forgive, Give freely, Harm no one, Imagine more, Jettison anger, Keep confidences, Love truly, Master something, Nurture hope, Open your mind, Pack lightly, Quell rumors, Reciprocate, Seek wisdom, Touch hearts, Understand, Value truth, Win graciously, Xeriscape, Yearn for peace, Zealously support a worthy cause.

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LeMoyne W. Anderson

President of Fort Collins Lions Club

1963 – 1964

Fifty-five years a Lion!

I started life as a child before serving as a teen-age infantry soldier in WWII.  I married my college sweetheart after we graduated from Minnesota.  We lived in Chicago for 6 years after completing a Ph.D. from Illinois.  Served as a CSU administrator for 30 years, retiring as Dean and professor emeritus. We traveled the world extensively while residing in Fort Collins for past 54 years and are “enjoying” 61 years of marriage.  Have 2 daughters, 5 grandkids, & 4 great grandsons.

As President of the Fort Collins Lions Club I received a phone call late one Tuesday night in October, 1963, informing me that the kitchen at Ace Gillette’s restaurant had been closed by order of the State Board of Health…thus, no place for our Lions to meet on Thursday noon for our regularly scheduled luncheon in the GilBan Room of the Northern Hotel.  So, what to do!

Well, my wife, Hollis, and I got on the telephones trying to locate an alternate venue.  After several hectic hours, we finally found a meeting site:  Ladd’s Covered Wagon on HWY 287 north of the “Y” (since burned to the ground).  Following this episode, we proceeded to inform the Lions.  It took a while inasmuch as back then we had 125 members to call.

We continued meeting at Ladd’s for several months pending the re-opening of Gillette’s food services in the Northern Hotel, which eventually met the health standards of Colorado.

The experience was unprecedented and certainly not in the job description of a Lions Club President!

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The Best INSULTS of ALL TIMES

• “He has no enemies but is intensely disliked by his friends.” Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist
  
• “He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” Samuel Johnson, British writer
  
• “He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” Forrest
  Tucker, American actor
  
• “He has Van Gogh’s ear for music.” Billy Wilder,
  American film director
  
• “He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” – John Bright, British politician
  
• “He had delusions of adequacy.” Walter Kerr, American critic and writer
  
• “He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” Winston Churchill, British prime minister
  
• “He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.” William Faulkner, American writer
  
• “He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.” Paul Keating, Australian prime minister
  

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Remember to Sign Up for

Our Valentine’s Party

Noon,Thursday,February 9th,2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE             Ted Blevins

‘Tis the Season and here’s the reason for the season –

CHRISTMAS LOVE

This December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I cut back on nonessential obligations, card writing, decorating, and even overspending. I did not want to find myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments.

My grandson, Ben, is in kindergarten this year. It is an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he has been memorizing songs for his school’s “winter program.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working the night of his show. I spoke with his teacher. She told me there’d be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation, and any parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Ben was ok with this.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I found a spot in the cafeteria and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly taking their seats. The students were led into the room, and sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each class, one by one rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long-stopped referring to the holiday as “Christmas”, I didn’t expect anything other than fun songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when Ben’s class rose to sing, “Christmas Love”, I was slightly surprised by its bold title. Ben and his classmates were adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snow caps. Those in the front row held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing “C is for Christmas”, a child would hold up the letter C. Then “H is for happy”, and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, “Christmas Love.”

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly we noticed her — a small quiet girl in the front row — holding the letter “M” upside down, totally unaware her letter “M” appeared as a “W”. The audience of 1^st through 6^th graders snickered at this little one’s mistake. But she stood tall, proudly holding her “W”. Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together.

In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: “Christ was love.”

And, I believe he still is …and I hope you do too!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Ted

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More Help Wanted

Vice President(s)
If the president is unable to perform the duties of his/her office for any reason, the vice president next in rank shall occupy his/her position and perform his/her duties with the same authority as the president. Each vice president shall, under the direction of the president, oversee the functioning of such committees of the club as the president designates.

President
He/she is the chief executive officer of the club who presides at all meetings of the board of directors and the club. The president issues the call for regular meetings and special meetings of the board of directors and the club, and appoints the standing and special committees of the club while cooperating with chairpersons to ensure regular functioning and reporting of such committees. He/she sees that officers are elected as provided for by the constitution and by-laws, and cooperates as an active member of the district governor’s advisory committee of the zone in which this club is located.

Immediate Past President
He/she and the other past presidents officially greet members and their guests at club meetings and represent the club in welcoming all new service-minded people in the community served by the club.

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Lions Tales 2012
Our newsletter for next year will honor past presidents of the Fort Collins Lions Club. (Note those four words. We do happen to meet during the noon hour, but “noon” is not included in our name!)

We’ll be starting with Past President Lee Anderson and work our way through Ted Blevens and David Lambertson. We’ll be asking the Past Presidents for a digital photo and personal biography as well as some of the memories they have of “their year” such as fund raising, number of members in the Club, district conventions, notable Club visitors, Tail Twister’s antics, where the Club met, etc.

Hopefully we’ll get a few laughs at the differences between “now” and “then”!

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Merry

Christmas

& Happy

New Year!

Volume 2, Issue 11                 November, 2011

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE             Ted Blevins

Who would’ve thought we would have so much fun in Stoneham??? We did! Those of us who met the members from Sterling Lions Club in Stoneham, to celebrate their winning the “trophy” for getting the most new Lions last year, are all glad we went.

The Sterling club is fun, gracious, motivated and planning to go for the win again. Some tips we heard from their club that we may want to consider are:

• Guests eat free. Hosts are not charged.
  
• Members are rewarded monetarily for bringing the most guests (we don’t), and for getting the most new members (we do).
  
• Their meetings are just 1 hour, plus or minus, INCLUDING EATING.
  
• Ask, ask, and ask again.
  

As I may have mentioned before, our club’s membership status is my main focus this year. We had 73 members as of October 1^st, but could drop below 70 with the move of the Hollingsworth’s and potential transfers. As recently as the year 2000, this club had 116 members. My goal for the year was to reach 100 members by June, 2012. Maybe that was naive on my part, but we now have another challenge from the Sterling Lions Club for a membership contest ending in June 2012. They had 79 members on Oct. 1. If both clubs added 10 new members, Fort Collins would win on the basis of percentage gained. Are you up to it? Ask, ask, and ask again! I keep reading in the Coloradoan about the young business people in this community who want to volunteer. Do we have any contacts with them? If you don’t ask, they won’t even have a chance to answer.

A big welcome to our newest members: Mark Scott and Luke Burhenn. BRING YOUR FRIENDS…

I’ll be listening… Ted

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MY TRAVELS

I have been in a lot of places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots. Apparently you can’t go there alone…you have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I’ve also have never been in Cognito, either. I understand that no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don’t have an airport…you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my family and friends.

I would like to go to Conclusions sometime, but you have to jump there! At my age I am doing good just to walk!

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Looking for work?

Each spring our Club follows established procedures to elect officers for the ensuing year. Following is Lions Clubs International’s Job Descriptions for several of our officers.

Wanted – Lion Tamer

The Lion tamer is responsible for the property and paraphernalia of the club, including flags, banners, gong, gavel, song books, etc. He/she puts each item in its proper place before every meeting and returns the items to the proper storage area after each meeting. He/she acts as sergeant-at-arms at meetings, seeing that those present are properly seated, and distributes bulletins, favors and literature as required at club and board meetings. He/she ensures that new members are welcomed to the club and sit with a different group at each meeting so that the new members become better acquainted.

Wanted – Tail Twister

The Tail Twister promotes harmony, good fellowship, and enthusiasm in the meetings through appropriate stunts, games and the judicious imposition of fines on club members. There shall be no appeal of his/her decision in imposing a fine, provided, however, that no fine shall exceed an amount fixed by the board of directors of the club, and no member shall be fined more than twice at any one meeting. The tail twister may not be fined except by the unanimous vote of all members present. All monies collected by the tail twister shall be immediately turned over to the treasurer and a receipt shall be given.

Wanted – Treasurer

The Treasurer shall:

• Receive all monies from the secretary and deposit the currency in a bank or banks recommended by the finance committee and approved by the board of directors
  
• Pay the club’s obligations authorized by the board of directors. All checks and vouchers shall be signed by the treasurer and countersigned by one other officer, determined by the board of directors
  
• Have custody of and maintain general records of club receipts and disbursements.
  
• Prepare and submit monthly and semi-annual financial reports to the international office of the association and the board of directors of this club
  
• Give bond for the faithful discharge of his/her office in the sum and with surety as determined by the board of directors.
  

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FORT COLLINS LIONS CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY

MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011

FORT COLLINS COUNTRY CLUB

5:30 – 6:30 P.M. HOSPITALITY

6:30 P.M. DINNER

RSVP To Vic Meline by November 29, 2011

IF YOU MAKE RESERVATIONS AND DO NOT ATTEND, YOU WILL BE BILLED.

ACTIVE MEMBERS & THEIR ALLOTTED ONE GUEST WILL BE CHARGED $15.00 EACH

M. A. L.S, AFFILIATE MEMBERS AND MEMBERS WHO ARE HONORARY SPOUSES WILL BE CHARGED $35.OO.

REMEMBER: BRING AN UNWRAPPED GIFT FOR EITHER A BOY OR A GIRL AND MARK THE GIFT ACCORDINGLY FOR THE SALVATION ARMY AND BRING A GIFT OF CANNED FOOD.

Volume 2, Issue 10                 October, 2011

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE             Ted Blevins

Back by popular demand (?) – Another dog story —

A man is driving near Virginia Dale when he sees a sign saying “Talking dog for sale — Cheap”. He stops and the owner tells him the dog is in back. He sees a nice Lab retriever there and asks, “Do you talk?”

“Oh, yes” the lab says. “When I discovered I could talk, I was able to join the CIA, and I became very valuable in listening in at private meetings. I became one of their most valuable spies, and have been awarded many medals, all in secret, of course.”

The man is amazed, and goes back to the owner to ask him what he wants for the dog. “Ten dollars.” “Why so cheap”, the man asks.

“Because the dog is a liar — he never did any of that.”

YOU don’t have to lie when you are telling prospective members what your Lion’s Club does in this community — as Knights of the Blind, we interview and purchase up to 30 pairs of glasses each month for Northern Colorado’s needy folks. We collect and send several thousand pairs of glasses to third world countries each year. Each year we take pictures of up to 1000 children’s eyes in preschools and elementary schools for detection of correctable eye disease. Our club founded the Ensight Skills Center in Fort Collins for low vision clients (usually adults) to enhance their quality of life, and supports it with over $1,000 per month. Our club sponsors and coordinates the 9Health Fair every year, which helps around 2,500 people. We provide funds for several corneal transplants through the Lion Eye Bank, hearing tests and hearing aids, diabetes awareness and needs, and leader dogs.

Yes, we are a service organization and we do serve. Believe it!

When are you going to bring a new member?

I’ll be listening….. Ted

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FOUNDATION NEWS

The Foundation Trustees have selected an audit committee for the current fiscal year. Robin Mitchell and David Lambertson were selected from the membership at large and Jim Trupp was selected to represent the Foundation. Robin Mitchell will chair the committee.

The committee audits Foundation finances which include charitable income and disbursements, pass through accounts, permanent endowment funds and investment policies. An operational audit is also a large part of the procedure to determine whether approved policies are being followed. All members of the committee have experience in the bingo program.

Lee Brown, Chairman

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Bingo!!! Income for September…..$11,833.60!
….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..

Correct Your Lions Club Directory

Or

Miss the Christmas Party!

The Christmas Party is MONDAY, DECEMBER 5,2011. See you there!

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MEET OUR NEWEST LION…Luke Burhenn

First, I would like to say how grateful and excited I am to have this opportunity to join and serve with you all. I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and moved to Fort Collins to attend CSU in 1998 and have called it home ever since. Pursuing my interests in the arts, humanities, and social studies, I received a degree in Liberal Arts with a minor in Sociology in 2002. Presently, I have pursued a career path in business management and became a Team Leader at Whole Foods Market.

This past June I got married to my soul mate, Katrina, and we are thrilled to begin our new lives together as a family. My personal interests include enjoying music, golfing, running, and spending quality time with Katrina and our Miniature Schnauzer, Francis Bacon.

I feel blessed to have been introduced to the Fort Collins Lions Club as a way to serve the local community that I love, and to learn how Lions are involved in service as an international organization as well.

I look forward to befriending all the members, and to participate in the many programs you currently provide. Special thanks to Bill Brenner for being so welcoming and helpful.

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Rappin’ For Lions by Dan Fahrlander

Let Me Tell Ya Bout the Lions Club
We don’t Waste Time in the Local Pub
Serving People is What We Do
Give us a Call ‘N We’ll Help You

CHORUS
We’re The Lions Club YEAH,YEAH,YEAH
The Lions Club    YEAH, YEAH,YEAH
If you wanna have some fun ‘N Put your blues on the run
Join the Lions Club

Helen Keller said “Please be Kind”
“You Should Be Knights Of The Blind”
“There So Many Folks That Just Can’t See
Serving them is Where You ought to Be”

CHORUS

A Pancake Breakfast is What We Do
Coffee, Juice and Sausages Too
The Funds We Raise, We Give to the Poor
When the Money is Gone, We’ll Cook Some More

CHORUS

Do You Need Glasses To See Your Way?
Or an Eye Exam, and You Can’t Pay?
Here’s the Thing That You Should Do
Call 377 2282

CHORUS

Lions and non-Lions everywhere are talking about the newly-debuted Lions rap video “Rockin’ the Vest.” In the video, real Lions members dance and sing along with an original rap song while they perform community service.

Our hope is to make this rap video go viral, to expose as many people as we can to the great work that we do and excite them about serving their communities. Partnered with four new and fun public service announcements, this rap video is designed to have potential members view us in a new way.

Do you rock the vest? Watch the Lions “Rockin’ the Vest” rap video and help us spread the word by sharing this video with your club members, friends, family and neighbors.

Thank you for helping our Lions rap go viral.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE             Ted Blevins

As I write this during an August warm spell (O.K. — HOT), I am reminded how blessed we are to live in Fort Collins and to be a part of the greatest service club in town. Other parts of the country are going through their real “dog” days of summer.

Speaking of dogs, here is a story….

A man had a talking dog that wanted to join the circus. So, he took the dog for an interview. In the manager’s office, he asked the dog what is on the top of a house. The dog barked “roof”, “roof”. The manager said, “Any dog can do that, what else does the dog say?” The owner asked the dog who he thought was the greatest baseball player to ever play. The dog barked “Ruth”, “Ruth”. The manager threw them both out of his office.

On the way home, the dejected dog looked at his owner and said, “Do you think I should have said DiMaggio?”

Well, doggone it, go out now and talk up our club and bring in some new members!

I’ll be listening!                            Ted