President’s Message
Happy Independence Day!
Those words are spoken thousands if not millions of times each year here in the United States. As I said them to my wife this year, I thought about the great sacrifices that were made so that I could live in this country now.
I know that many of the soldiers who fought and died during our war of independence were fighting because they believed in the cause. What they didn’t know then is that the United States would become the greatest superpower that the world has ever known. The actions of a relative few made possible the outcome, and that outcome is truly amazing. The ideals of freedom and democracy that spread throughout the world were not necessarily born in our revolution, but that, I submit, is where they blossomed and became real for many, if not most people in our country and then throughout the world.
Perhaps the greatest reason to admire the founding fathers is the tenacity they showed. Even when faced with overwhelming odds, starvation, and a lack of needed supplies, they continued to fight for what they thought was right.
And they prevailed.
I was thinking about this prior to writing to you this time. I thought about all of our challenges as a club. Most of the challenges come down to a simple, basic challenge: Can we recruit enough people, willing to work, so that all of our work will be done? I believe that yes, we can. Just as the generals needed commitment from every soldier during our revolutionary war, we need help from each and every member of our club.
I know that many of our members come because of the comraderie, and the interesting programs. There is nothing wrong with that. If we think back a bit, we realize that someone who enjoyed the meetings invited us to visit, and then for our own personal reasons, we stayed. The vision that I have for the club is that each member could invite someone to come, and that some would stay. To do this, it must be a personal decision on the part of the guest, and also a personal decision on the part of the existing member. It starts with the decision of the member.
You may think that you don’t know enough people to invite someone. You might think that people may refuse to come. You might remember when it was expensive to invite a guest. You might even think that I am speaking to another member, not you at all! The truth is that it is free to invite a prospective member, and although some will refuse, some will not. As far as knowing someone, you do. Your church is full of people that you know. Your neighborhood is full of people that you know. If you need help, then ask, and we can help you invite people you know. It is this type of activity, speaking with people you know, that will make our club strong into the future. And just to be clear, I am speaking to you.
The soldiers in the Revolutionary War didn’t know what would happen if they won. They only hoped for what happened, and they tried anyway. Let’s emulate them, and fight this battle for the future of our club. It is worth it.
David Lambertson, President
NEW MEMBERS
2015 – 2016 Club Officers installed at the May 14 meeting
RECOGNITION
Monarch Awards are given to Lions in recognition for their long-term service, beginning at 10 years and continuing in five year increments until 75 years of service.
This year awards were given to three members:
Bill Brenner – 55 years
Rozella Friedrich – 25 years
Dan Fahrlander – 25 years
Calling all Lions – Active and Affiliate – HELP WANTED
Did you know that our Lions Club runs two Bingo sessions a week? Did you also know that all of the money raised from those Bingo sessions is what funds our charitable activities? Did you know that we raise about $100,000 a year from those Bingo sessions? It takes 8-10 people at each session to make that happen and we are short workers. If you are able to donate 4 hours of your time, at least once a month, it would really help us to continue this fantastic fund raising opportunity. No experience necessary – training provided onsite!
Tuesdays, 5:30 – 9:30 pm OR Fridays, 10:00 am – 2 pm
Please let Harold Hartman know which day works best for you so he can get you on the schedule. This is a great chance to get to know other Lions and help with our fund raising efforts.
Remember our motto – WE SERVE!!!
On June 10, 22 people attend the Rockies game in Denver. Thank you to Neal Hopkins for arranging the Salvation Army bus to take us to the game! We played Bingo on the way to the game and had CASH prizes! Make plans to join us next year at this fun event.
by Carole Kitchell
Your KidSight team added four new schools this year – Highland Child Development, Little Lambs, Primrose Academy, and T.R. Paul School. In total, we screened at 21 PSD schools, 3 private schools, 24 preschools, and 6 home daycare sites. Many of the schools required two visits.
KidSight’s work with the North Fort Collins Business Association (NFCBA) in Project Smile/Project Vision resulted in the vision screening of 58% of the student population in the target schools (1264 students); last year’s total was 1268. The schools screened were the same as last year – Irish, Laurel, Linton, Putnam, and Tavelli. In each of these schools, over 50% of the student population participates in the free-lunch program. The aggregate referral rate for this group of students is 11% as compared to over 30% last year! This translates into 143 children referred to an eye care professional for further evaluation.
GRAND TOTAL OF STUDENTS SCREENED
PSD schools, private, church, in home day care 1780
ROJECT SMILE/PROJECT VISION 1264
GRAND TOTAL 3044
Committee Members: Lois Atwood, Alex Chapman, Wayne Crownhart, Denise Clynes, Jack Freshwaters, Bill Funke, Harold Einarsen, Carole Kitchell, Faye Lockner, Vic Meline, and Susan Yadon. Dave Mendenhall of the Poudre Valley Lions also assisted us. Committee Chair, Carole Kitchell qualified as a “Certified PlusOptiX Screener” at our convention this year.
UPCOMING PANCAKE BREAKFASTS
July 18 – Search and Rescue
Larimer County Emergency Services Building
1303 N. Shields St.
OPEN HOUSE 8-12
BREAKFAST HOURS – 8AM – 10AM
August 29 – Library Summer Reading Program
More details to come
Sign up to volunteer with Bill Funke. It is a lot of fun and provides a good service to the community!
O’Dea Elementary Pancake Breakfast – May 23
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program Pancake Breakfast – June 20
Tail Twister Fun
Tail-Twister Reid Jacob gave notice that he was going to fine anyone that came to our June 11 meeting with matching socks. Some of our members would rather comply than pay the fine … can you identify those who participated???
International Visitor
International Convention – Honolulu, Hawaii – June 26 -30, 2015
Five members of the Fort Collins Lions Club, Bob and Carole Kitchell, Faye and Ron Lockner, and Rusty Holsten, joined 20,000 Lions from around the world at the International Convention held in Honolulu in June. District Governor, Bob Kitchell, carried the banner leading the Colorado delegation in the International Parade. Next year’s convention will be held June 24-28 in Fukuoka, Japan. For more information: http://lcicon.lionsclubs.org/EN/index.php
