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August 2006 (Click Here for Newsletter Archives) Becky's Bits Dear Fellow Lions: Today, I was sitting at my desk reading the mail at work, when I came across an ad for a magazine called The Good Old Days. It spoke of “The Good Old Day’s” when life and things were simpler. When there was nothing to do on hot summer day except going fishin’, or swimming at the swimming hole (also known as the fishin’ hole.) Or a time when Grandma was home baking and or something was always on the stove cooking for dinner. A time when folks purchased war bonds (if they could afford them) and when a neighbor was always there helping each other. No matter how little you had, if someone else was in need, there was always enough for them. Neighbors knew each other and you watched out for each other. Now days we live in a “High Tech” world, cell phones, DVD players, MP3 players and IPods. We have computers, faxes, emails, fast cars, hundreds of TV channels to pick from (and nothing to watch). And, unless you and your neighbors have lived in your neighborhood for years, you may not even know the family next door. Yeah, those were to “Good Old Days”. When I was reading the part about knowing your neighbors and always helping each other, I got to thinking of what was it must have been like when Melvin Jones started Lions International. How they helped their neighbors and took care of each other. Times have changed alright. Some good and some not so good, but I think we have a chance to make a difference once again in our neighborhoods and in our community by getting back to our motto of serving. We need to take part in serving in our community, helping our neighbors, taking care of each other like they did in the good old days. Ok, maybe not quite like that but it could happen! We need to start thinking again outside the box and seeing how we can help each other. If you have suggestions and ideals that you would like to share with us, please email our newsletter editor, Lion April at aprilm128@aol.com or drop them in the mail to her at 1307 Rio Grande, Texarkana, Texas 75503. We would like to post them in our upcoming newsletters. Thank you in advance for your suggestions on how we can help our community and our neighbors. I would like to take this time to personally thank everyone who attended our first cabinet meeting of the year in Bonham. We had a good turn out and the Bonham Lions Club did a great job of hosting us. THANK YOU Bonham Lions Club for a job well done. More details regarding the cabinet meeting are located elsewhere in this newsletter. Again, thanks 2-X2 for all you do. We are, “The Knights of the Blind” and “We Serve”, for all the World to see. Special Points of Interest This Issue PDG Harvey and Lion Glenda Clements of Mineola will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on August 19, 2006. Region 1 Zone 1 will have a meeting on August 22nd at 6:30 at Smokey Joe's Resturant in Nash. For more information contact Region chairman PDG Happy Jack Wakin, 903-838-4495 or Zone chairman A.C. Ellis at 903-628-5198. To submit information email Lion April McCright at aprilm128@aol.com. From The Desk Of Vdg Jim Merritt Our hats are off to the Bonham Lions Club! Thank you for kicking off the first cabinet meeting on Friday, July 21st and Saturday, July 22nd. We had in excess of sixty Lions with their friends and family there to participate. It is great to have family members and friends at our meetings, and we would like for this trend to continue. We accomplished much business under Governor Becky’s leadership, and lunch was great. Later, some Lions went over the Homestead Winery in Bonham and learned some interesting facts about the history of wine in Fannin County. Some Lions went on to visit historic homes in that area. All in all, it was great. Would you like to have the power to change the world to benefit many? We Lions have that ability by being part of Campaign Sight First II. At our cabinet meeting, Lion Judge Rhita Koches from Canton presented a program regarding Campaign Sight First II. It outlined the process to get the ball rolling. The First Year’s emphasis is on programs and education. Now is the time to get to work on this program. This program will help our purpose, “We serve for all the world to see.” During the next several months, I plan to do some traveling and much listening to the Lions of 2X2. I want you to tell me what you see ahead for our District and how we can adapt to those needs. President Lion Jimmy Ross wants Lions to emphasis service to others and not just numbers. When people see we care and serve, then they will want to join us. Please let me know how you believe. We can proceed with this aim. We can’t survive as clubs without making some changes on local and District levels. Thank you for placing in this place of responsibility, and I look forward to serving with you this year. Please feel free to call me or contact me at any time. District 2X2 Kicks Off Campaign Sight First II Remember back to 1989? Just a few years shy of 20 years ago? George Bush (the dad) was President A first class stamp was a quarter, and gas was $1.12 a gallon Roseanne, The Cosby Show, L.A. Law The crash of the Exxon Valdez on the Alaskan coast. Troops opened fire in Tiananmem Square An earthquake hit San Francisco minutes before a World Series game Driving Miss Daisy, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Field of Dreams New Kids on the Block, Guns N’ Roses, Debbie Gibson Nolan Ryan set a record with his 5,000th strike out at age 42 And, the kickoff of LCIF’s original SightFirst campaign! By 1991, SightFirst had actually exceeded its original goals by raising $185 million and registering these accomplishments: Improved eye care for more than 100 million people Prevented vision loss and restored vision in 24 million people Created more than 250 eye-care clinics worldwide Trained nearly 68,000 health-care professionals Now that SightFirst-designated funds are nearly exhausted, it is time once again for Lions to respond as "Knights of the Blind." Funds raised through Campaign SightFirst II will be allocated based on the following three goals of the SightFirst Program: 1. Controlling and eliminating the major causes of avoidable blindness Fund 2 million cataract surgeries Increase the number of ophthalmologists trained in Lions-affiliated eye-care training institutions Train a minimum of 10,000 primary- and mid-level eye-care personnel Increase trachoma control activities from five countries to fifteen reat 12 - 15 million people with medicine to prevent river blindness - eliminating river blindness in Latin America 2. Combating emerging threats to sight Train hundreds of low-vision specialists at regional training courses in targeted locations Create 30 Lions' Low Vision Tertiary Clinics to provide low-vision care to 10 to 20 million people, and create 50 to 100 secondary-level Low-Vision Units at Lions-affiliated eye centers to provide access to low-vision care to millions. Establish 20 Lions' Centers of Excellence in Pediatric Eye Care.in 20 under-served countries Expand successful screening and eyeglass distribution programs to reach tens of millions worldwide, and create new programs where the need is greatest. Create 75 to 100 self-sustaining eyeglass recycling and distribution clinics in underserved regions Train several thousand vision technicians and refractionists over the next 15 years. TOTAL CSFII MINIMUM GOAL - $150 MILLION If the minimum goal is achieved, additional funds will be applied toward achieving a challenge goal of an additional $50 million providing “Vision For All” through research, rehabilitation and reaching out to vulnerable populations. 3.Providing "Vision for All" through research, rehabilitation, and reaching out to vulnerable populations Organize 400 programs to make thousands of families with blind children aware of the importance of early intervention and training. Strengthen and expand 20 regional education centers at universities in developing countries and equip them to produce Braille and large-print education materials to be used by tens of thousands of visually impaired children. Support of specific research initiatives at Lions' Eye Centers by matching funds raised to support the centers up to US$200,000 each year. Provide US$6 million to extend the Opening Eyes Program (in collaboration with Special Olympics) through 2012 and to expand the program to provide vision care to 100,000 people with mental disabilities per year. Support Lions' mobile-eye units in developed countries to expand their services to inner cities and the working poor. TOTAL CSFII CHALLENGE GOAL - $200 MILLION CSFII will be administered by LCIF and offers a comprehensive model for use by each local club in determining the level of participation. The program also offers a Comprehensive Method of Club fundraising: Personal gifts and pledges from Club members Personal gifts and pledges from community members and businesses Club fundraising activities and events Matching or outright gifts and/or pledges form the Club treasury It is recommended that Clubs use all four parts of the Comprehensive Method and follow the fundraising methods that work best in your local area. But, International has given us a plan and the more closely that plan is followed, the more successful our campaign against preventable blindness will be. This does not mean that all funds will come from members. It is a measurement tool for establishing recognition levels. Clubs will receive public recognition and special recognition, such as banner patches, commensurate with their Visionary Society per-member average level. Because CSFII is under the umbrella of LCIF, all CSFII gifts and/or pledges are eligible for the Melvin Jones and Progressive Melvin Jones Fellowship Program. Donor Recognition for CSFII will be carried out through two unique programs. The first program focuses specifically on recognition of Clubs and is named The Visionary Society. The second program focuses on individual, corporate, foundation, and government donors and is named The Helen Keller Knights of Sight. Club recognition will be based upon the per-member average raised, not the total amount raised. In this way, Clubs of even the smallest size can achieve the highest levels of Club recognition. Campaigns are not just single event projects and SightFirst II is a multi-year project. The 2005–06 fiscal year saw the groundwork to established with the formation of the International committee and the structure for the entire campaign. Fundraising will be the focus for 2006-07 and 2007-08 with a CSFII celebration at the International Convention in 2008. According to the Campaign Calendar, between June and August of 2006, Group Coordinators should be working with their Clubs to set fundraising goals for 2006-07 campaigns Group Coordinators were trained several months ago and have received CSFII packets to be shared with each Club. The District 2-X2 committee includes: District Coordinator Lion Leon VanAlstine martexlion_leon@yahoo.com Region 1 Group Coordinator Lion Kathy McCullough 903-856-0900 Region 2 Group Coordinator Lion Jackie Childress 903-583-9328 Region 3 Group Coordinator Lion Rhita Koches rkoches@excite.com Region 4 Group Coordinator Lion Lynn Nacol 903-657-9416 Region 5 Group Coordinator Lion Bill Hogan 903-935-7001 Contact your Coordinator today to get your Club’s campaign off and running! District 2X2 Obituary Lion Weldon McCord - New Boston Noon PDG H.L. Ashcroft - Longview Tyler Club To Celebrate 75 Years The Tyler Lions Club will celebrate its 75th Anniversary on August 26, 2006 at the Willow Brook Country Club. The social time will start at 6:30 with an opportunity to visit with our guest speaker, Past International President K. Kay Fukushima and his wife Lion Denise.  Dinner will be at 7.  Dinner is $23.00 per person. The Tyler Lions Club invites all the Lions of District 2-X2 to come help us celebrate. Checks should be made out Tyler Lions Club 75th and sent to Lion Joan Houser, 4801 Wendover Place, Tyler, TX  75703 and should be in by August 20 so we can give a count to the County Club. We look forward to seeing you on the 26th.  Detroit Lions Project According to oral history, the old historic Detroit Tabernacle was built in 1906 and was used in the early days by the churches in the community for revival meetings.  Over the years it has gradually deteriorated.  In 1996, the interested citizens under the leadership of the Detroit Lions raised enough money to put a concrete floor under the tabernacle.  Later the City of Detroit turned the upkeep of the old landmark over to the Lions Club. The old structure showed urgent need of repair, so in 2002, the Lions club voted to create a Detroit Tabernacle Restoration Fund, with new member Robert Morris, chairman of the project. Opportunity was given to the public to contribute and those contributing $100 or more in memory of a loved one or to honor someone would have the name engraved on a special place when the project was finished. In the last four years the Lions have contributed over $5,000 through memorials, garage sales, sale of aluminum cans, and the proceeds from the annual Lions sponsored homecoming in July.  Even though the renovation was not completed by Homecoming 2006, the structure was leveled, new timbers replaced old rotted wood and the new metal roof was in place making it possible to use the old landmark for the annual Detroit Cemetery Association Fish Fry, Friday night, June 30 and the annual quilt show, organized by the capable Lion Renate McCoin Saturday, July 1, in conjunction with the homecoming. Past president Lion Johnny McCoin is supervising the project acquiring donated lumber and the use of the Red River County Sheriff Work Crew for much of the labor.  Local roofers volunteered their time on Saturdays to get the roof on in time for homecoming. The Detroit Lions Club hopes to have the structure completed by homecoming 2007, but they will then be working on establishing a park just west of the tabernacle on the newly purchased lots.  Interest in the project has increased and most of the community wants to be a part of this community improvement.  They are ecstatic! August Birthdays Send birthdays to aprilm128@aol.com Aug 10 - John Buffington, Jr. Aug 12 - Don Hamilton Aug 12 - Mitchel Whitington Aug 13 - Delbert Johnson Aug 13 - Dennis Fowler Aug 15 - Betty Rodgers Aug 18 - Gladys Gibson Aug 18 - Jana Stewart Aug 19 - Kathy Yancey Aug 20 - Dick Gillis Aug 21 - Kathryn Burnett Aug 23 - Glenda Clements Aug 23 - Joe Stephens Aug 23 - Joel Harlow Aug 25 - Betty Hanna Aug 26 - Bill Dipprey Aug 27 - Van Hawes Aug 30 - Bob Reese, Sr. Aug 30 - Chub Milner Aug 30 - Nancy Smith Aug 31 - Linda Standley State Hall of Fame This year, District 2-X2 will be selecting a Lion to the Texas Lions Hall Of Fame. If you have a Lion who has served more than 15 years as a Lion and has been dedicated to Lionism and their community, we need your club to submit a bio on that Lion to District Governor Becky Whitenack by December 31, 2006. Watch upcoming newsletters for additional information. Texas Lions Camp The following clubs are 100% to Texas Lions Camp: Bogata Cypress Springs Daingerfield Dodd City Edgewood Gladewater Hallsville Henderson Judson Liberty City Longview Marshall Mineola Mt. Pleasant New Boston Evening New London Spring Hill Sulphur Springs White Oak Windom District Calendar Of Events August 26 - Tyler Lions 75th Anniversary January 20 - Midwinter Conference in Tyler May 4-5 - District Convention in Longview Have your events listed here by emailing Lion April McCright at aprilm128@aol.com A Special Thank You to IPDG Leon Van Alstine and PDG Brian Whitenack from PDG Happy Jack for all your help in raising money in memory of PDG Garvis Gilbert. ADS SALES FOR THE 2006-2007 NEWSLETTER Please contact PDG Brian Whitenack 12 issues & display on the online newsletter for one small price: Business card size - $25.00 Double business card size - $50.00 5X4 or 4X5 size - $75.00 1/2 page (8 1/2 X 11) - $150.00