February 2016 Newsletter

DISTRICT 2-E2
February 2016
Volume 12, Number 7
Bobtales
Governor’s Membership
Challenge
In this Issue
Tom’s Thoughts
2
Charlie’s Chat
3
Membership
4
Club Size
(Lions)
New Members
(Lions)
Up to 20
3
Service Activities
5-7
21-30
4
District 2-E2
Elections
8-9
31-60
5
re-MEMBER
Texas
10
61 & greater
6
Leader Dogs for the
Blind is Accepting
Applications for their
2016 Summer
Experience Camp
11
Coming Events
25 Ways to use
Social Media to
Help Your Club
12
13-14
Texas Lions
Leadership Forum
15
District Convention
Registration
17
Texas State
Convention
18-21
Lions of District 2-E2: It’s time to get serious about reMEMBERing our
clubs. At this writing there are 81 fewer Lions in our pride than when we began
last July 1. If this were to stand there would be over $2500 fewer dollars to
sustain our Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville (81x$31.00). Other entities that we
support would be impacted as well. Equally as significant, our ability to serve
would be that much diminished with fewer human resources at hand.
With dues paid for this second half, there are few if any reasons to get further
behind. Rather, it’s time to turn the tide. It’s time to aggressively rebuild. It’s time
to seek out, invite, and induct new members. And I’m not talking about someone
else. I’m talking about each and every one of us, whose responsibility it is to not
only to regain and maintain but to grow in numbers for greater service.
Let that wooden reMEMBER token given to you be your daily reminder to
search for new Lions. When it comes right down to it, it takes one-on-one on the
part of everyone. That is, one Lion (you) on one would-be Lion to make it
happen. I know we’re up for the task.
So, I put this challenge before you: In the five months ahead, will you accept
and endeavor to succeed in meeting my New Member Challenge that I’ve
established according to your club size. Who is up for the challenge – I know we
all are. Make yourself and your club proud as I am of you. reMEMBER Texas!!!
DG Bob
Tom’s Thoughts
Welcome to 2016
Although we are beginning the 2nd half of the LIONS year, we
need to begin some preparations for the upcoming LIONS year.
Now is the time that your clubs nominations committee should be
forming so the your club can hold election in April to ensure the by
15 May you new LIONS leadership is correctly loaded to MyLCI by
15 May. The accuracy of information loaded into MyLCI directly
affects the accuracy of the district directory which will be available
at the first district meeting for the new LIONS year on July 16 th.
I hope that you enjoyed the District conference and Cabinet
meeting held on January 16th, host by the Justin LIONS club. Thanks to the
Justin LIONS and Alliance Church of Christ for the great event.
Spring is a time for renewal and a lots of community clean up activities. Consider
partnering with your community beautification organization and volunteer your
efforts. This type of volunteerism qualifies for the Centennial Environmental
service category.
As I suggested in December, now is great time to ask those members of the
community who assisted your club during in the holiday if the would like to
continue to work with the LIONS fully as a member. Just ASK them, who knows
they just might say YES.
On Thursday the 14th of January, LIONS international sent out an email asking for
member’s input on the future direction of LIONS. Please take the time to respond
to the survey, it only takes 10 minutes.
If there a position for which you would like to join me in service on the district
cabinet for the next LIONS year, contact me promptly by email
liontomh2e2@gmail.com or by phone 469-831-5403.
Have a great February,
LION Tom
Charlie’s Chat
The Holiday Season is behind us and the second half of this Lions
year is off to a good start with the Winter cabinet meeting and youth
contests held in mid-January. I along with 1st VDG Tom applaud the
Justin Lions club and the Alliance Church of Christ for hosting this
event.
There is still much to do during the remaining portion of the 2015-2016
Lions year. One of the important tasks as Governor Bob pointed out,
is rebuilding District 2E2 membership, i.e., re-Member Texas and
specifically District 2E2. Let us all rise to the challenge that Governor
Bob has defined.
I am encouraged when I witness clubs formally inducting new members and as a part of
those ceremonies passing the wooden re-Member token from the sponsoring Lion to the
new Lion along with encouragement to bring in another Lion. I am also seeing more and
more Lions proudly wearing one or more 100 year centennial pins, each denoting that a
new Lion has been sponsored during the centennial period.
As to Leadership/personal development opportunities, I again mention the LCI website
and its incredible assortment of learning opportunities or seminars, the Regional Texas
Lions training forum in Austin March 5-6 (http://www.texaslions.org/ Rooms are free to
the first 100 first timers), and the District 2E2 convention in Pottsboro April 29, 30 and
May 1. If you are interested, the International Convention will be in Fukuoka June 24-28.
As 1st VDG Tom mentioned, Lions clubs need to get their succession plans in place (who
are the leaders for next year and are they as prepared as can be).
One further matter, there will be openings on the Board of Directors for District Entities
including, Lions Organ and Eye Bank, Drug Awareness Council, Eye Glass Recycling
Center, and Julien C. Hyer Youth Camp. These openings are filled when possible via
elections at the District Convention. One way to be place on the ballot for those elections
is to have your club submit a letter 30 days before the convention stating that you are a
Lion in good standing of XYZ Lions club, have expressed an interest in serving on the
board of ABC entity and that XYZ Lions club supports you. This letter needs to be signed
by the President or Secretary of your Lions club and mailed to Governor Bob or our
elections chair, David Gramm.
Let me know how I can help any of you.
2nd VDG Charlie Bethards
Membership
Welcome New Members
Club
Denton Hi Noon Lions Club
New Lion
Joshua D. Johnson
Sponsor
David Hiegel
Gainesville Lions Club
Kathi M Kirby Ms.
Kelly Fiore-Watson
Glen Rose Lions Club
Gregory W Ammon
Herman Merritt
Kelly K Nobles
David Lander
P.D. Hoskins
Max Bly
Grapevine Lions Club
Rebecca Nichole Talley
Laura Higgs
Justin Lions Club
Judy L. Lawson
Penny J Tomczak
Elizabeth Johnson
John Panarisi
Keller Lions Club
Josh M. Anderson
Michael A Leonard
Jim B Sandifer
Steven D. Seed
Bill Woodruff
Scotty Carlisle
David Braack
Patrick Stuhr
Robert Walker
Gary Neuberg
Paul N Blacklock
Christina Curtis
Kevin Hall
Elayne Matson
McKinney Morning Pride Lions Club
Northwest Tarrant Lions Club
Rodney E. Clayton
Sue Ann Clayton
Charity Deville
Michelle L. Greco
Joe D. Johnson
Matthew Reid
Julie Wooten
Ronald B. Wooten
Jack Adkison
Jeanne Adkison
Sherry Sue Bransom
Judy Ralston
Jack Adkison
David Hagel
Jeanne Adkison
Jack Adkison
Princeton Lions Club
John Mark Caldwell
Nathan Council
Angie Brumley
Angie Brumley
Sanger Lions Club
Andrew Warren
Springtown Lions Club
Jason Paul Finchum
Jeff Hansen
The Colony Lions Club
Jamie Gilton
Joanna Gilton
Jeanne Gilton
Jeanne Gilton
Weatherford Noon Lions Club
Jade F Barbee
Jerry A Smith
Jennifer Baisden
John Good
Service Activities
Aledo sponsored two students in the District
Drug Awareness Poster contest and arranged for
two others to compete also. Presented students
with 1st and 3rd place awards. Sponsored one
student in the District Outstanding Youth
contest.
Argyle Lions attended
the Mid Winter Conference
for District 2-E2. Attended
student presentations and
training followed by the
awards luncheon.
Attended the Cabinet
Meeting and other
meetings.
Assisted with vision
screening training for
children in Decatur.
Visited the Colleyville Lions Club to learn more
about membership growth and retention.
Lion Chief Mac Hohenberger and Lt. Chris
Muscle with the Argyle Fire District did a
presentation on Emergency Management on
Tornadoes, Code Red and other emergencies
and preparedness. Fire Chief and Lieutenant
presented Emergency Management; Tornado
Sirens; and Fire Related Topics.
Attended the Greater FM 407 Lions Club and did
a presentation on Fundraising.
Greater Arlington presented two Arlington
Police Officers plaques and $1000 each to go to
the APD Benevolence Fund in their names. Had
Congressman Tinderholt, State Senator Barton,
Mayor Williams, Chief of Police, AISD President
and many Police and Fire Dept. Personal present
for the awards ceremony.
Donated $1000 to the WWII Foundation that
records the stories of veterans and produces
Movies that air on PBS about the rapidly
declining survivors of WWII.
Donated $2000 to Meals on Wheels Program.
Azle Lions Club made a donation to LCIF for
shots for measles to children around the world.
Monies were donated to the Azle Competitive
Youth Sports organization for their banquet. They
do sports activities in the Azle Community.
Donation was made to Leader Dog Program in
memory of Lion Kathy Nesmith on the passing of
her brother.
Essilor Foundation came to Azle on Jan 13 and
14 and screened students for eyeglasses. 100
students received glasses. They were from
Preschool thru Senior in High School. Azle Lions
Club members are there to process paperwork
and greet students as they arrive.
Azle High School "Enerakd Dazzkers": they will
be taking a trip for competition in May. They need
monies for those who cannot afford the financial
portion of the trip. Azle Lions Club passed a
motion to give them monies so more could
attend.and compete for their school and Azle.
The Azle Lions Club gave them $1,000.00 for
this.
The Cleburne Lions Club has collected 220
pairs of glasses.
PDG Ron and Lion Mary Alice Layland, were
honored to be in attendance at the Austin
Downtown Founder Lions Club Centennial Gala
on January 9, 2016.
Raymond Vasquez, Dora Vasquez, Ron Layland
and Mary Alice Layland attended the quarterly
District Cabinet meeting.
We had seven Colleyville Lions at the Baylor
Health Fair vision screening, with 102 women
screened and had 55 referrals.
Crowley Lions bought glasses for a lady who had
not had new glasses in 20 years.
Crowley Lions collected over 800 pairs of
glasses.
Crowley Lions took a check for $500 to a family
whose home burned down and left them without
anything.
The Denton Hi Noon Lions Club collected 1178
pairs of eyeglasses to be sent to District 2-E2
Eyeglasses recycling center in January. The club
has 10 collection boxes in the community.
Denton Triangle Lions sponsored an essay and
speech contestant at the Jan. 16, 2016 2-E2
Cabinet meeting. Both contestants took third
place in their respective category.
Club purchased new eyeglasses for 6
individuals.
Donated funds to help feed the homeless in
Denton
Fort Worth Founder Lions Club. Local
optometrist collects used eyeglasses on behalf of
Lions Club International. A Lion from our club
picks up the accumulated collection of used
eyeglasses and delivers to the Eyeglass Recycle
Center in Watauga, Texas.
President of the Fort Worth Forest Hill Lions
Club and several other Lions were part of the
Forest Hill MLK Parade
Service Activities
The Fort Worth Southeast Lions Club collected
and turned in for recycling 30 pounds of
aluminum and 40 pounds of paper.
Donated $100 to relieving hunger.
Collected and turned for recycling 24 pairs of eye
glasses.
Gainesville Lion President David Hughes, 1st VPresident Lion Kevin Gann and Zone 1
Chairperson Lion Lane Holcomb, Lion Dean
Mendenhall and PDG Billy Graham attended the
Mid-Winter Cabinet Meeting held in Justin, and
reported it was a very informative meeting. The
Club sponsored a Youth in the Essay Contest,
but the youth was unable to attend due to a
conflict in another activity held the same date and
time.
Zone 1 Chairperson Lion Lane Holcomb
presented a Power Point Presentation to the
Club regarding new members orientation and
covered the entities the Gainesville Lions Club
sponsor each year.
The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce
2016 Banquet was held Thursday, January 21st,
2016 with guest speaker, Bob Phillips ,the well
known Texas Country Reporter speaking how he
started his television career while he was a
student at SMU. Zone 1 Chairperson, Lane
Holcomb, Lion President David Hughes and Lion
Secretary Kanita, together with Whitesboro Lions
Cynthia and Don Wood attended the social/
event.
Lions Martha Healy and Liz Lovette work over 30
hours volunteering at Baylor Grapevine. They
work in the gift shop and with heart patients.
They do this monthly.
Grapevine Lions Club helped screen 100
attendees of the Baylor Grapevine Health event.
Lions Jim Bob Bruce, Wild Bill Nicholas, Neena
Jindal, Suresh Chandra, Krishna Chandra, Molly
Munson, Kam Cheung, Barb Spenser, and
Martha Healy all participated.
The FM407 Lions Club became aware of a
house fire late Sunday night in the Estates of
Double Oak neighborhood. Fortunately, the
family got out of the home safely. The FM407
Lions Club contributed $200 towards their needs.
The Justin Lions Club collected over 2000
pounds of food for the Justin food bank and for
the Snack pack and back pack programs for
Northwest and Ponder ISD.
District 2-E2 Youth Speech, Essay contest and
Poster contest was held Jan 16, 2016 with the
winners being announced at the luncheon. 3rd
District Cabinet Meeting was held immediately
following the luncheon. Justin Lions Club was the
Host club of this event and over 135 Lions
attended.
JLC Collected over 3000 used pill Bottles to date
to send to Malawi Africa, since they are given
their medication in tissue paper.
Krum donated $300 to Meals on Wheels, Denton
County SPAN.
The Lake Cities Lions Club hosted Lake Cities
Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee event.
Spoke to group explaining the Club's annual fund
raiser. Also covered Lions activities (Texas Lions
Camp, Vision Screening, etc.) supported by
these funds.
Clean up damage from tornados in Garland and
Rowlett Texas.
The Lewisville Lions Club held Drug
Awareness Speech Contest - 5 students from
Lewisville High School. Awards were given to the
top 3 winners.
Sponsored 1 Student for Diabetic Essay Contest,
1 student for Drug Awareness Speech Contest
and 1 student for Outstanding Youth Contest.
Our Speech contest and Outstanding Youth
Contestant won 1st place and will compete in the
State Competition I May.
The McKinney Morning
Price Lions Club
gathered to celebrate
accomplishments and
induct one new member.
We screened 8 adults and
referred five to the
optometrist at quarterly
eye screening.
North East Tarrant Lions volunteered at the
Artisan Community Theatre in Hurst, serving as
ushers.
NET Lions took three bags of clothing to the HEB
School Clothes Closet which serves the needy.
NET Lion took several pieces of furniture to the
Hurst-Euless-Bedford Clothes Closet to be used
by a family whose home had burned.
Lions distributed application forms to nurses of
the Birdville School District, asking their
assistance in identifying children who might
qualify to attend the Texas Lions Camp.
NET Lions collected 400 pair of eyeglasses for
recycling.
NET Lions were represented at the January 13
Governor's Cabinet Meeting in Justin.
An NET Lion, an elected director of the Texas
Service Activities
Lions Camp, gave programs on the camp to
seven clubs in the district.
Northeast Tarrant Lions worked a the District
Eyeglass Recycling Center, sorting incoming
glasses and reading prescriptions on 300 pair.
NET Lions met with nurses of the Hurst=EulessBedford School District asking their assistance in
identifying children who might qualify to attend
the Texas Lions Camp.
Northwest Tarrant made a donation to Essilor.
Eight new members inducted into club by DG
Bob Carlson.
Two members participate monthly on Adopt a
Highway.
Two members attended the third cabinet
meeting.
Two members attended zone meeting in
Weatherford.
donation for start of after school program for local
schools LWISD.
We co-host a movie day for children with special
needs. These sensory friendly screenings allow
these children to attend and watch a movie in a
relaxed atmosphere where they are the only
attendees in the theater. The parents and care
takers can relax and allow the children to move
around and speak freely since others are not in
the theater.
River Oaks had 3 members that attended the
Conference in Justin. River Oaks had one
student that participated in the DAC contest.
Those from our club participated in the OYC,
DAC Contest, and the LOEB Diabetic Contest.
Joe Crews attended a planning meeting for the
2016 Children's Vision Fest at Tarrant County
College.
Joe Crews attended the final planning meeting
for the Vision Fest that will be held on Feb. 5.
Joe Crews picked up the necessary equipment
for the Vision Fest.
The Roanoke Lions Club sponsored a high
school junior in the Outstanding Youth Contest.
The Roanoke Lions are now responsible for the
bi-monthly trash pick-up on a half mile stretch of
Marshall Creek Dr.
The Roanoke Lions Club is dedicated to
volunteering at the District 2-E2 Eyeglass
Recycling Center. Each month Roanoke Lions
prepare thousands of glasses for mission trips
going all over the world.
Three Roanoke Lions attended the 2015-2016
third cabinet meeting in Justin, TX on January 16
2016.
Sherman Noon Guest speaker for this day was
Tom Shields, real estate entrepreneur and his
business partner, Don Knobbler. Tom spoke on
his real estate vision to
restore old buildings and
bringing new life to
downtown areas. Don is
well known as the Super
Mavs Fan and he gave us
an energized testimony on
his favorite hobby of being
the Super Mavs Fan. Tom and Don donated
$250 to the Sherman Noon Lions to be used for
projects and eyesight conservation.
Seven were seen for eye exams and/or glasses
Our guest speaker today was Randy Truxal, the
Executive Director of the Grayson College
Foundation. Truxal is responsible for the
leadership of the Foundation’s objectives related
to fundraising, alumni, scholarships and grants.
He leads a staff that works closely with GCC
administration and faculty as well as Foundation
board members to
manage fundraising
efforts, meet college
development goals and
advance alumni relations.
Mr. Truxal told the group
about new developments
at Grayson College. He
answered questions from members about the
varied fields of study available and how Grayson
College has helped our community. Lion
President, Lamar Jackson then presented Mr
Truxal with a check from the members to be
added to the Sherman Noon Lions Club
Endowed Scholarship at Grayson College.
Two new members,
Joanna and Jamie Gilton,
were inducted into The
Colony Lions Club by
District Governor Bob
Carlson at our January 14
meeting. Pictured with the
Governor and our new members is their sponsor,
Lion Mom (Jeanne Gilton).
Three members volunteered at a local food bank,
stocking shelves, packing food boxes and
distributing food. One shopped for the food bank
and one picked up donated food from local
restaurants.
Three members attended district cabinet meeting
in Justin.
District 2-E2 Elections
Candidacy Requirements
PDG Dave Gramm
District 2-E2 Elections Chair
The candidacy requirements of the various
elective offices in District 2-E2 are listed below:
The following positions are all electable in our
district:
 District Governor (one elected each year
for one-year term)
 First Vice District Governor (one elected
each year for one-year term)
 Second Vice District Governor (one
elected each year for one-year term)
 Lions Camp District Director (one elected
each year for two-year term)
 Drug Awareness Council Director (three
elected each year for three-year terms)
 Julien C. Hyer Youth Camp Director
(three elected each year for three-year
terms)
 District 2-E2 Organ & Eye Bank Director
(2-4 elected each year for three-year
term)
 District 2-E2 Eyeglass Recycling Center
Director (3 elected each year for threeyear term)
 District Budget Committee (two elected
each year for one-year term)
two years, and have served as a Zone or Region
Chairman or Cabinet Secretary or Cabinet
Treasurer for at least a year with none of the
above having been done concurrently.
Note: A candidate must run for the 2nd VDG
position first. The 1st VDG position may only be
filled by a candidate who has served as 2nd VDG
and the DG position may only be filled by a
candidate who has served as 1st VDG.
Texas Lions Camp Directorship
There are two directors from each district, each
serving two year terms and elected on alternating
years. These directorship positions are
controlled by the Texas Lions Camp constitution
and candidates must meet the following
requirements:
1. Must have been a Lions Club member for
three (3) years,
2. Have served as President of his/her club or
as chairman of his/her Club’s Camp
Committee,
3. Must be willing to attend, unless
providentially hindered, the regular and
special meetings of the Camp’s Board of
Directors.
Drug Awareness Council Directors (District 2E2 Constitution/DAC Constitution)
There are different candidate requirements
depending on the position being sought due to
several different constitutions in play that must be
adhered to. For all positions, the candidate must
be a regular, active member of a club in good
standing with the District and International and
must him/herself be in good standing with same.
Candidates must be endorsed in writing by their
own club or by 2/3 of the clubs in the district.
Any Lion of District 2-E2 in good standing, and
with a written endorsement from his/her local
Lions Club, and presented to the District
Governor 30 days prior to the District
Convention, is eligible to seek election to the
DAC Board of Directors.
Any member of a Lions club in this district
seeking elective office shall file their intention to
do so with the District Governor & Nominations/
Elections chair not less than thirty (30) days prior
to the first day of the convention; concurrently
furnishing evidence of their compliance with the
requirements set forth in the qualifying document.
Any Lion of District 2-E2 in good standing, and
with a written endorsement from his/her local
Lions Club, and presented to the District
Governor 30 days prior to the District
Convention, is eligible to seek election to the
JCH Board of Directors.
District Governor, 1st and 2nd Vice District
Governor
These positions are controlled by the Lions Club
International constitution and require at a
minimum the candidate have served as a
president of his/her club for a year, have served
on the club's board of directors for an additional
J.C. Hyer Directors (District 2-E2 Constitution/
JCH Constitution)
Organ & Eye Bank Directors (District 2-E2
Constitution/O&EB Constitution)
Any Lion of District 2-E2 in good standing, and
with a written endorsement from his/her local
Lions Club, and presented to the District
Governor 30 days prior to the District
Convention, is eligible to seek election to the
O&EB Board of Directors. There shall be a limit
District 2-E2 Elections
of not more than two members from the same
club, or not more than one member from a family
at any given time serving on the Board. There
shall be three Board members elected from the
North and Central Divisions of the District as
defined below, and two Board members elected
from the South Division. The remaining three "atlarge" Board positions are filled as outlined
below.
Division of the District. There shall be three (3)
Divisions with each consisting of the following
counties:
 North: Collin, Cooke, Denton, Grayson,
and Wise Counties.
 Central: Tarrant County.
 South and West: Johnson, Hood,
Parker, and Somervell Counties.
Candidates from and seeking to fill vacancies on
the Board from their respective Divisions shall file
for election as prescribed herein. Within each
Division, vacancies shall be filled by the
candidates from that Division receiving the most
votes. If there are more candidates than there
are positions open in the Divisions, any open "atlarge" positions may be filled by the remaining
candidates from all Divisions receiving the most
votes.
District 2-E2 Candidates and
Delegates
Candidates letters for positions mentioned in the
previous article must be received by the District
Governor by March 29, 2016.
In addition to candidates for officer positions and
entity directors, two Lions will be selected to fill
the budget committee positions in the convention
meeting.
Amendments to the District 2-E2 Constitution
and By-Laws will be addressed in next month’s
newsletter.
Eyeglass Recycling Center Directors (District
2-E2 Constitution/ERC Constitution)
Any Lion of District 2-E2 in good standing, and
with a written endorsement from his/her local
Lions Club, and presented to the District
Governor 30 days prior to the District
Convention, is eligible to seek election to the
ERC Board of Directors.
Budget Committee Members (District 2-E2
Constitution)
Nominations of Lions, who shall not have
previously served in any elective international
office (e.g. District Governor), for the two
elective positions on this committee shall be
made from the floor at the district convention and
they shall be elected by plurality.
If you have any questions about the above,
please call or email me with specifics and I will
address them promptly. Questions about each
entity's specific board member's function can
best be answered by contacting the respective
entity president listed in the directory.
Now that you know what the requirements are;
Step up, be a Lions leader, and become a
candidate for one of these positions.
District 2-E2 2016 Candidates
Governor
Thomas Hayford, Lewisville Lions Club
1st Vice District Governor
Open position
2nd Vice District Governor
Open position
Texas Lions Camp Director – one position to
be selected for a two-year term
Open position
Drug Awareness Council – three positions to
be selected for three-year terms
Candidates in contested races are entitled to
have someone do a five minute nominating
speech and a three minute seconding speech at
the convention meeting, or candidates may
speak on behalf of themselves.
Organ and Eye Bank – three positions to be
selected for three-year terms
Troy Dale, Greater 407 Lions Club
Cindy Ward, Mid Cities Family Lions Club
Jeanne Gilton, The Colony Lions Club
The List of Certified Clubs with Eligible Member
Counts and Balances should be sent to the
District Governor as of March 1, 2016. It will be
posted on the District web page as soon as it is
received. Each club will be able to get its
delegate count from that document.
Julien C. Hyer – three positions to be selected
for three-year terms
Eyeglass Recycling Center – three positions to
be selected for three-year terms
Carolyn Gramm, The Colony Lions Club
re-MEMBER Texas
Perception is Reality
By Council Chairman Tom Blasé
To most people perception is reality. It doesn’t matter what’s behind the façade. What they
believe they see IS the truth to them. So it becomes important to make sure what they see is
pleasant and inviting. Last month we started discussing the 1st part of the 3rd “R” in our “reMember Texas” program – rebuild.
For those who have not been keeping up, re-MEMBER Texas is our Texas membership plan
for 2015-16. The plan is built around three main tenets: Recruit, Retain, & Rebuild. The reMember Texas kit contains two important pieces in it to help you with your recruiting plan: The
re-Member Texas News, a 14 page newspaper full of ideas & several guides for your club to
help in the process. If you don’t have one, the re-Member Texas News can also be found on
the Texas website www.texaslions.org .
This month we will tackle the 2nd prong of Rebuild: the “Facade”. The façade is what people see
that makes them decide if they want to enter the building, which is half the battle; of course, as
we discussed last time, they won’t stay long if the infrastructure inside is not sound. We need to
rebuild that first.
Over the last 30 years we Lions have done a poor job of promoting ourselves. When I joined in
the ‘70’s, everyone knew who we were. Today a very large percent of people I talk to have no
clue. It’s time to polish up the façade and make ourselves more visible and attractive.
Part of that goes back to the sound “foundation”. In other words, making sure that the projects
we do are relevant to the needs of our community today. More importantly, we have to realize
that we, the Lions, are the façade of Lionism. So it is critical that we are seen out in public with
our hats and vests/t-shirts, not only raising money, but more importantly, doing what Lions do –
SERVING!
For too long now, many of our clubs have raised money and then sent that money to non-Lion
charities, while doing NO visible service. When we do that it’s those other charities that are
recognized. No wonder people have forgotten (or in the case of our younger generations – don’t
know) who we are.
So to spruce up the facade of your club to attract people to join and stay, you need to be seen
visibly serving in projects that are relevant to the community. Just as important, however, is PR.
A modern successful club will spend some time developing a PR committee that will constantly
get the club’s name on air and in print. If the external façade is one of action, service to the
community, and fun, then the reality becomes the perception and will attract people to your
club.
The re-Member Texas News is full of ideas about how to build a PR program. LCI’s website
offer loads of press release templates for you to use and the Texas website offers several
different full color posters (in English and Spanish) developed by our State PR Chairman, DG
Orlando Rodriguez from T3. These posters can be personalized to your club and then
reproduced to post in your community. Take a look. Get noticed!
Whether or not you need to work on the infrastructure, the facade or both, the process of
rebuilding your club will make you more attractive to new people, who are the future of our
clubs; and once they join it will make them want to stay.
Leader Dogs for the Blind is Accepting Applications for their 2016
Summer Experience Camp
Do you know any teenagers who
could use a week of fun, outdoor
activity and friendship this summer?
Do you think they would enjoy
kayaking, rock wall climbing and
tandem biking? How about the
challenge of developing new travel
skills and stretching their
independence? If so, the Leader
Dogs for the Blind Summer
Experience Camp was designed with
them in mind.
The program combines outdoor
activities with things exclusively
Leader Dog—GPS training and the
opportunity to spend time with Leader
Dogs in training and guide dog
mobility instructors. The combination
will help them increase the skills they
need to live independently!
Summer Experience Camp is for
boys and girls ages 16 and 17 who
are legally blind. The program is
completely free including airfare to
Michigan—and everyone receives a
free HumanWare Trekker Breeze+
GPS device to keep. Summer
Experience Camp is scheduled for
June 25—July 2, 2016. Applications
are due by April 1, 2016.
For more information and to
download an application, go to
www.leaderdog.org/clients/programs/
summer-experience-camp or call the
Leader Dogs for the Blind client
services department at 888-7775332.
Learn more about the construction of Leader Dog’s new Canine
Development Center at leaderdog.org/canine-center or ‘like’ us on
Facebook
Our mission is to empower people who are blind or visually impaired
with lifelong skills for safe and independent daily travel.
Coming Events
February 25, 26 and 27
Grandview Lions Club Little
Dribblers
DENISON TEXOMA LIONS CLUB
BEAN DAY – $5.00 All you can eat
beans.
Waples U M Church
830 W. Main St.
Denison, Texas 75020
Thursday, February 25, 2016
10:30 a.m. -2:00 p.m.
All you can eat beans with all the fixin’s. Plus dessert and drink
(tea, coffee and/or water).
Come and support us for our scholarship fund for a graduating
Denison High School student.
Sportsmanship Basketball
Tournament
GVISD Sports Complex
Fundraiser for Grandview Lions
Club
817-240-4948 or
info@AntiqueAlleyTexas.com
for more information
Volunteer helpers welcome!
Service Activities
Service Activities