March 2019Past Issues Hides Make Happy CampersWhen deer hunting season begins each fall the Wisconsin Lions send out their message: We want your hide. The sale of deer hides is helping Lions send kids to summer camp. Through the bulk sale of hides donated by Wisconsin archery and gun sportsmen, Lions have raised more than US$1 million to support the 440-acre Wisconsin Lions Camp for kids with disabilities. The camp, with a 40-acre private lake, nine cabins, and a lodge was…more...Showing up Big for RhinosThe Mafikeng Lions care about rhinos. And they want the world to care, too. While they celebrate World Rhino Day every year, this year they tried something special. They partnered with the International School of South Africa and recruited 780 staff, students, and Lions and Leos of the Mafikeng club to come together on the school’s cricket oval to form an aerial image of a rhino. According to Mafikeng Club President Rusty Hustler, the biggest…more...Free FruitThe Ngongotaha Lions Club in New Zealand has given a barren roadside a whole new purpose. In 2016 the club donated more than 400 fruit and native trees to the Rotorua Ngongotaha Rail Park. Lion Ross Thompson, organizer of the event, said funding from the city council enabled them to add fruit trees to the mix of native species they had planned for the roadside. "We have positioned 25 fruit trees along the road so…more...Making Reading A BreezeUtah Lions give students a lift for reading Lofted by lusty winds with the majestic Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, an airborne parade of colorful kites fills the skies of Cedar City one day each April. Handed out to children, the nylon kites soar high. But the Lions of this city in Utah want the youths who wield the kite strings to reach new heights as they mature and move on in school and life.…more...Anniversaries - March 2019100 Years: Fort Smith Noon, Ark.; Hot Springs, Ark. 95 Years: Cottage Grove, Ore.; New Braunfels, Texas; Salina, Utah; Portsmouth, Ohio; Meadville, Pa.; Walnut Creek Host, Calif.; Mount Vernon, Iowa; West Palm Beach Wellington, Fla. 90 Years: Mt. Lebanon, Pa.; Hobart, Ind.; Broken Bow, Okla.; Alexandria, La.; Elkhart, Kan.; Snohomish, Wa.; Clifton, Texas; Celina, Ohio; New Canaan, Conn.; Arcanum, Ohio; Sour Lake, Texas; New Ulm, Minn.; Port Neches, Texas; Garwood, N.J.; Hubbard, Texas; Sterling City,…more...Voting at 2019 International ConventionVoting at 2019 International Convention Voting for Executive Officers and International Directors Every Lions club in good standing can participate in the election of executive officers and international directors and can vote on amendments to the association’s bylaws by assigning delegates to represent the club at the international convention. At the International Convention certification and voting will occur at the same time in the convention Voting Area. As soon as you are certified, you will…more...Club News - March 2019The Simcoe Lynn Valley Lions in Canada contributed CAN$500 (US$379) to the Children’s Aid Society for their Foster Children’s Holiday Party. The club also sponsored three families, supplying them with food and gifts. In Michigan the Sandusky Lions dedicated a digital sign to the Sandusky City Library and donated a Lion’s drinking fountain for the city playground. WWII veteran Hubert Garland Edwards, his family, and his fellow Western Harnett Lions in North Carolina celebrated Hubert’s…more...Playtime Is Better Together!In Tennessee, the Lions-Anthem Foundation Healthy Heroes initiative helped to fund and build the All-Inclusive Playground at the Karns Lions Club Community Park, in the spring of 2017. The playground serves more than 3,500 families each year and is the only one in all of Knox County that meets the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The playground features a musical garden, modern accessible play structures and much more. Thoughtful and inclusive…more...Lions Celebrate 20 Years of SightFirst in MadagascarCataracts are the number one cause of blindness. Moved to change the reality for those affected, more than 20 years ago, Lions in Madagascar started a SightFirst project to address the issue. Since then, the Lions have gone on to do so much more. “When we see the smiles of the people we help, it goes straight to your heart. No riches in the world can buy the feeling of happiness that comes from helping…more...International Women’s DayHow Lions Celebrate As part of the call to promote gender parity and increase the number of women in leadership positions, Lions Clubs International launched the New Voices Initiative, which is celebrating the contributions of outstanding women in its ranks. On March 8, 2019, Lions will be joining the global conversation about gender parity on International Women’s Day. Here’s a look at how some clubs have celebrated in the past. Empowering Women Last year the…more...We Speak for the TreesWith more than 1.4 million members, Lions have a powerful voice. And around the world, Lions are using that voice to raise awareness about climate change and mobilize. In 2011, then International President Wing-Kun Tam challenged Lions to plant 1 million trees. They responded by planting 15 million in every inhabited continent and have continued to plant millions more since. With tree cover currently disappearing at a rate of 73.4 million acres per year in…more...A Quiet VoiceIn a poster he created for a literacy class assignment, Mark Barniville shared all about himself, just like the teacher wanted. It was one of those get-to-know-you types of activities for the beginning of the year. He drew a bike, because he liked riding bikes. He advertised his love for steak and pizza, and wrote that he wanted to be a chef someday. He drew music notes floating to show he enjoyed playing in band,…more...Planting the SeedLIONS INVEST IN THE FUTURE THROUGH EARLY EXPOSURE TO NATURE You don’t have to plant a forest to save the environment. Simply planting the seed for a love of nature in the younger generation may ensure they will grow to love and protect the natural world. NATURE IN EVERY NOOK Sarah Panganiban, the mother of two preschoolers in California, posted a message on a neighborhood website looking for helpers. She wanted to transform her San…more...What is a Tree Worth?You love it for the shade it gives, the way the fall color matches your front door, the limb that perfectly supports your baby’s swing. but what is it really worth? Location: Suburban Chicago, Illinois Species: Swamp White Oak Tree condition: Good (Healthy) Trunk Diameter: 25 inches Sun exposure: Full sun Value: US$215 per year (Calculations courtesy of the Tree BenefitCalculator at treebenefits.org) how? By intercepting approximately 3,336 gallons of storm water per year, raising…more...Among the GiantsTaller than Cinderella’s castle, wider than a city street, the Sequoias of California are among the largest trees in the world and more than 3,000 years old. Every year about 200,000 people stroll in their shadows at the Calaveras Big Trees State Park in California, and roughly 8,000 children visit with school groups to learn about them. But for the blind and visually impaired, discovering the grove of giants and being among their beauty is…more...LCI Forward UpdateThe world is hungry for good news. That’s why media-savvy Lions in Latin America and the Caribbean are putting their experience to work to tell the stories and elevate the Lions brand. Professional communicators partner to promote Lions. Lions in Latin America and the Caribbean realized that something was missing. We have incredible service stories to tell, but Lions often struggle to get the word out in the media. And so the Circle of Lions…more...The Story Of A PinFrom the moment I received my first non-traditional Lions Club pin, I knew that one day I would want to design one of my own. My first pin was a gift from Lion Harry Grandel, a Claymont [Delaware] Lion with 60 years of service who loves collecting pins—and their stories. I promised him that if I ever got any good pins with stories I would give him one. This is the story of my pin.…more...By the Numbers - March 2019“It’s only when we acknowledge the fact that we’re part of the environment that we can begin to discover what needs to change.” —Donald Pease, professor of American literature and Dr. Seuss biographer at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. “My life goes straight. Then it’s full of ups and downs but sooner or later, it’s back to normal.” — 13-year-old Mark Barniville, described his life in a school project. “You do not need a diploma…more...See You Later SeaweedSee You Later Seaweed On Saturday, November 17, 2018, more than 100 Hawaiian Leos, Lions, and friends partnered with the Malama Maunalua non-profit to pull nearly 6,000 pounds of invasive alien algae from Maunalua Bay in east Oahu. The seaweed, called gorilla orgo, out-competes native algae and coral leading to shifts in the ecosystem and habitat loss, greatly affecting recreational and commercial fishing industries. All the seaweed was donated to a local organic farm for…more...Planting Trees, Planting HopeHello, Lions! When I was a child I planted trees with my family at our summer cottage, and later my children did the same. My son wasn’t always happy about it, being out there, digging holes. He saw a whole lot of small trees that didn’t mean much to him. But now he’s all grown up and so are the trees. More than 4,000 trees brim with life, rustle in the wind, and give us…more...Club Delegate Formmore...