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February 2007
(Click Here for Newsletter Archives)
Becky's Bits
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Dear Fellow Lions:
I want to thank everyone who attended our Mid-Winter Conference on Saturday, January 20th. We had a good turn out for the seminars and luncheon, but due to several conflicts and the weather turning bad, our attendance dropped for the afternoon cabinet meeting. A big thank you goes to the Tyler Lions Club, especially Lions Alice and Jim Chewning, Lion Celia Cotton, Lions John and Mary Samples and of course our MC for the day, Lion Trey Casper. Your hard work and dedication to this convention showed in everyway. Thanks again, for making us feel welcomed and taking care of our needs.
For those of you who are unaware, it is an honor to announce that we have formed a new club in Lindale, thanks to the hard work from several Lions in our district and PDG's Ed & Beverly Stebbins, from 2-E2 (who trained us on how to work a community). After only one informational meeting we had 20 join. By the time you get this the third meeting will have occurred with officers being selected. The paperwork for this club will go into International after the 1st of February. Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard in getting this club stated. We will keep you informed as to a Charter date so that everyone can come and show their support as we welcome them into the District.
As few things (and dates) you will need to keep in mind:
- Feb 25-28- President Jimmy Ross will be in our district helping to put together a couple of new clubs. Contact Governor Becky, 903-758-5058, if you would like to assist in this process. (This will help you on working your community and rebuilding your Lions Club)
- Feb 26- Canton Lions Club 75th Anniversary, Guest Speaker President Jimmy Ross contact Lion Andy Reese 903-479-3324 for details
- March- Nominate and elect club officers for 2007-2008, March 31- All outstanding balances paid to International, District and State.
- April 15- Deadlines for submitting PU101, (2007-2008 Club Officers report), April 15- Deadline for reserving your room for the District Convention
- June 16 & 23- Club Officers Training School – Mt. Pleasant area
Thanks for all you do in your community, remember we are the "Knights of the Blind" and "We Serve" for all the World to see!
Yours In Lionism,
DG Becky
From The Desk Of VDG Jim Merritt
Dear Fellow Lions:
I hope each one of you reading this newsletter had a Wonderful Christmas season and a Happy New Year. Now! We must get ready to continue on the good work we have all begun into 2006 on into 2007. One of the resolutions I hope you and your club have made is to bring in at least one new member or possibly more into your club. All it takes is to invite a prospective member to a meeting & then they can see what Lionism is about. What better way could you demonstrate that you make a difference in your community?
By the time you read this, our Mid-Winter Convention in Tyler will have just ended. Hopefully most of you will have attended and had the opportunity to see what is going on in our District. Now is the time for us to renew our enthusiasm for the last half of the year and get going on building new clubs and strengthening those that need a boost.
Along with working on our existing clubs, we need to keep in mind some important dates that are up-coming. There is the Seventh Annual Texas Lions Leadership Forum scheduled in Austin March 10th & 11th and Of course, there is the District 2X2 convention in Longview May 4th and 5th with the State Convention in Arlington on June 7 through the 9th. Please mark your calendars to attend – Convention time is also voting time. Anyone who seeks a position must turn in their resolution to be published in the newsletter. And to have a voice in the District, you must vote!
It is time to be planning for campers for the Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville and Camper applications will be out shortly. Let's have our District 2X2 PACK the camp with deserving kids! As Lions "We SERVE" – what this means: we think more of the needs of OTHERS than ourselves. Let us focus on the needs of those deserving kids who are going to camp. And let us be good Stewards of the camp – it is not owned by an individual Lion- it is all Lions working for the betterment of those who cannot help themselves.
What a privilege to serve with You all!!!
VDG Jim Merritt
Wanted: VDG Lion Jim Merritt is starting to fill his cabinet position. If you would be willing to serve and help out VDG Jim next year, please contact him at 903-832-3681 or email him at jimmerritt@team-national.com
Campaign Sightfirst II
Dear Club Officer:
A year of opportunity for your club. Last year was an exciting year, especially for our service in Campaign SightFirst II (CSFII). When I think of what lies ahead for Lions in 2007, all I see is opportunity and countless ways our service will touch lives.
http://www.lions-csfii.org/live/content/index.shtml
This January, as welook to the New Year, one full of possibility, I ask for your personal support for CSFII. Saving sight is personal to Lions, and we have no better way to do it than through SightFirst. It is how we, as individuals and as an organization, have saved or restored the sight of tens of millions of people. "We serve" through our SightFirst program.
SightFirst is Lions' calling card. I have seen firsthand the value and gratitude people feel when they receive the gift of sight. Among our many contributions and services to the world, SightFirst is the one that makes the largest impact.
We enter 2007 with a healthy to-do list for CSFII. We have raised more than US$60 million for CSFII to continue our SightFirst program, but we need to raise another US$90 million to reach our minimum goal of US$150 million and save the sight of 37 million people.
http://www.lions-csfii.org/live/content/pdfs/club_news_v2_i5_en.pdf
To keep our focus on CSFII, I want to suggest we use our collective Lion Power for an ambitious goal. I challenge you to join me in the pursuit of more than US$90 million raised by our 90th Anniversary at the International Convention, in Chicago (USA), this July.
We reached many milestones in our first year of fund raising for CSFII, but reaching more than US$90 million by our 90th anniversary will be a true homecoming for our association. Rallying all Lions around this target will put us in a prime position to soar past our minimum goal and even reach our challenge goal of US$200 million, Lions' "Vision for All."
As Lions, we give the gift of sight and a world of opportunity by continuing SightFirst, our very best program. CSFII is an opportunity that starts with you and your club this month, so shoot for the stars. Remember, it is you and your fellow club members who will make the difference.
The stakes are very high. The sight of 37 million people can be saved through your service as "Knights of the Blind." This year, you and your Lions club determine how we will fulfill our ultimate New Year's resolution, to save sight and achieve success for CSFII in 2007. President Ross' Rally: "US$90 million by our 90th Anniversary." Become a Model Club
http://www.lions-csfii.org/live/content/model_clubs.shtml
Make saving sight personal through a personal gift to CSFII
http://www.lions-csfii.org/live/content/sightfirst_stories.shtml
http://www.lions-csfii.org/live/content/donations.shtml
Individuals and clubs can designate Melvin Jones Fellowships for CSFII
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/lcif_don_melvin.shtml
http://www.lions-csfii.org/live/content/donations.shtml
Send funds to LCIF that have already been raised for CSFII
http://www.lions-csfii.org/live/content/donations.shtml
Recognize the members of your club for service and personal gifts to CSFII
http://www.lions-csfii.org/assets/downloads/brochures/Recognition_Brochure.pdf
Sincerely,
Jimmy M. Ross
International President
International Association of Lions Clubs
District 2-X2 New Members
Rosalie Catania - Canton
Kenneth Yancey - Canton
Jane Campbell - Canton
Brandie Duncan - Canton
Rona Watson - Canton
Prissy Sweat - Canton
Cody Crawford - Chapel Hill
Doug Wicks - Cooper
Larry Vandiver - Cooper
Harold Watkins, Jr. - Cooper
William Ray - Cooper
James McDowell - Cooper
John Cleveland - Cooper
Shey Stegall - Cooper
Mavin Tennon - Cypress Springs
Tina Tennon - Cypress Springs
Gary Jones, Jr. - Cypress Springs
Robert Steeber - Daingerfield
Scott Pollan - Daingerfield
Morris Lyon - Detroit
Robin Money - Dodd City
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Stuart Salchow - Edgewood
Shirley Chase - Edgewood
Jason Jones - Emory
Pamela Moss - Gilmer
Karin Tackett - Gilmer
Cody Bouknight - Gilmer
Brenda Brown - Gladewater
Rodger Garbs - Gladewater
Dennis Jones - Gladewater
Trevor Rogers - Grand Saline
Paul Donaldson - Hallsville
Shelley Vaughn - Henderson
Michael Duncan - Henderson
Frank Polley - Henderson
Melanie Poland - Kilgore
Mark Rosen - Kilgore
Bobby Bustin - Kilgore
Kerry Wells - Linden
Eucline Richardson - Linden
Lisa La Caze - Linden
Calvin Love - Linden
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Danny Duncan - Linden
Bryan Hodge - Marshall
Bob Cole - Marshall
Charles Cobb - Marshall
Carey Heaster, Jr. - Marshall
Ed Perkins - Marshall
Edith Phelps - Mar - Tex
Dennis Dugan - Mar - Tex
Larry Petty - Mt Pleasant
Daniel Souza - Mt. Pleasant
Mark Alexander - Mt. Pleasant
Glenn Barfield - New Boston
John Harrington - Paris
Dia Dodson - Pittsburg
Sara Totherow - Pittsburg
Russell Brown - Quitman
Lee Roy Gilbreath - Quitman
Matt Brown - Sulphur Springs
John McCullough - Sulphur Springs
Donna McDaniel - Wake Village
Jimmy Richards - Yantis Lake Fork
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District 2X2 Obituary
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Lion Weldon McCord - New Boston Noon
PDG H.L. Ashcroft - Longview
Lion Jack Pedersen - Hughes Springs
Lion Howard Gipson - Winnsboro
Lion Clyde Bowling - Mineola
Lion Earl Roundtree, IV - Linden
Lion Glenn Bevill - Yantis-Lake Fork
Lion Ed Brinson - Longview
Lion Paul Atkinson - New Boston
Wilson Godfrey - Gladewater
Vernon Alexander - Kilgore
Thomas Kinney - Kilgore
Sight Awareness And Glaucoma
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, according to the World Health Organization. The Lions Eye Health Program (LEHP) is a public awareness program that empowers communities to save sight through early detection and timely treatment of eye diseases, such as glaucoma. Your club can help raise awareness of eye health through various activities. To learn how, read and download the LEHP brochure, "How You Can Help Save Sight." The LEHP Community Education Kit is all you need to start an eye health activity in your community. Further information is available at www.lehp.org. Lions can also e-mail the Health and Children's Services Department for the brochure, "Blindness: Are You At Risk?" (IAD 182).
A Word From President Jimmy Ross
Lions clubs must continually grow, to never cease reassessing the manner in which they relate to their communities. Consequently, it is vital that every club engage in a periodic renewal, a time to revitalize itself. In doing so, the club will be energized to both provide services that are relevant to the community and meet the personal needs of not only the current membership, but men and women who are considering an opportunity to give of their time and talents in voluntary service.
Let us make 2006-2007 the Year of Club Renewal and, in a word, "reinvent" ourselves through new ways of thinking and conducting business. If we are to move forward and enhance our image as the community's premier service club organization, we must, when necessary, replace old assumptions and attitudes that have outlived their usefulness and develop new ideas and approaches to community service that do, indeed, promise success. I encourage every Lions club at its very first meeting to closely examine everything that it does…service projects, membership growth, relationships with other community leaders and organizations, the way meetings are conducted…anything that relates to the strength and future of the club. There are, in fact, three precise steps to identify how to most effectively meet the needs of both current and prospective members.
First, determine which of your activities are successful and create enthusiasm within the club. These should obviously be continued and, whenever possible, expanded. Also, I know that Lions dislike the thought of abandoning a project, especially one that has been a part of the club's calendar for many years. However, if, on serious examination, it no longer answers community needs and is unsuccessful, it simply must be dropped and replaced with a new program. All this is essential to what I call the Paradigm Shift.
We cannot maintain activities and practices that are outdated and of little value. It is our responsibility as Lions and as community leaders to continually develop and implement innovative service projects and workable strategies to bring in new members. The best strategy for growth, I assure you, is to implement activities that members, and potential members, consider serious and important. In this way, and only this way, will we strengthen our clubs through membership growth. However, it demands a rigorous self-evaluation of where our clubs are and where we want to go.
Let us permanently leave behind the concept of "but that's the way we've always done it!" This absolutely has to be stricken from our method of operation. New ideas must replace those that no longer work, and this can only occur when club members participate in open and constructive discussion. This is the open path to club renewal and development, and it will happen when Lions come together to honestly evaluate their situation and determine a course of action for tomorrow. This can only be achieved at the club level; it cannot be established from above. Each club must set its own targets for success, in both activities and membership growth. Analyze what is best for your community and for your fellow Lions, and then judge how you can go about reaching these objectives.
A serious evaluation of your club is the key. Employ the three-step approach for club renewal and there is no question that you will be able to look forward to a bright and positive future.
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Texas Lions Camp
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The following clubs are 100% to Texas Lions Camp:
Bogata
Canton
Chapel Hill
Cypress Springs
Daingerfield
Detroit
Dodd City
Edgewood
Gilmer
Gladewater
Grand Saline
Hallsville
Hawkins
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Henderson
Jefferson (200%)
Judson
Kilgore
Liberty City
Linden
Longview
Marshall
Matrix-Evening
Mineola
Mt. Pleasant
Nash
New Boston Noon
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New Boston Evening
Ore City
New London
Pittsburg
Quitman
Spring Hill
Sulphur Springs
Tyler
Wake Village
White Oak
Windom
Yantis-Lake Fork
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Leader Dogs
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The following clubs are 100% to Leader Dogs for the Blind:
Bogota
Canton
Chapel Hill
Cypress Spring
Dangerfield
Detroit
Dodd City
Edgewood
Gilmer
Gladewater
Hallsville
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Hawkins 200%
Henderson
Jefferson 200%
Judson
Kilgore
Marshall
Mar-Tex Evening
Mineola
Mt. Pleasant
Nash
Ore City
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New Boston Evening
New Boston Noon
Pittsburg
Quitman
Spring Hill
Tyler
Wake Village
White Oak
Windom
Yantis-Lake Fork
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Texas Eyeglass Recycling Center
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The following clubs are 100% to the Texas Eyeglass Recycling Center:
Dodd City
Sulphur Springs
Cypress Springs
New Boston
Bogota
Mineola
Marshall
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Windom
Daingerfield
Mt. Pleasant
Jefferson (200%)
Pittsburg
Canton
Ore City
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Gilmer
Gladewater
Wake Village
Quitman
Nash
Detroit
Chapel Hill
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Lions World Services for the Blind
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The following clubs are 100% to the Lions World Services for the Blind:
Edgewood
Dodd City
Mineola
Cypress Springs
Mt. Pleasant
New Boston Evening
Sulphur Springs
Windom
Marshall
Daingerfield
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Bogata
Jefferson
Ore City
Pittsburg
Canton
Gladewater
Wake Village
Gilmer
Quitman
Mar-Tex Evening
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Nash
Detroit
Yantis-Lake Fork
Tyler
Chapel Hill
New Boston Noon
White Oak
Grand Saline
Judson
Kilgore
Chapel Hill
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District Calendar Of Events
February 25-28 - President Jimmy Ross' visit
February 26 - Canton Lions Club 75th Anniversary - Guest Speaker International President Jimmy Ross. Tickets $20 each contact Lion President Andy Reese 214-538-6105
March - Elect cub officers for 2007-2008
March 17 - Mt. Pleasant Lions Club Annual Talk-A-Thon - Contact Lion Barbara Duncan 903-572-2566 to donate items, buy an ad, or a list of items you can bid on.
March 24 - East Texas Lions Annual BBQ - Maude Cobb Convention 4:00 - 7:30, $5 donation. All Proceeds to benefit the Texas Lions Camp.
March 31 - All outstanding balances paid to International, District and State
April 2 - Deadline for Queen's Contest
April 15 - Deadlines for submitting PU101, (2007-2008 Club Officers report)
April 15 - Deadline for reserving your room for the District Convention
May 4-5 District Convention in Longview, Exhibit Building; Mark Your Calendars; More Info to come
May 5 - District 2-X2 Annual PDG Garvis Gilbert Texas Lions Camp Walk A Thon, Contact Lion Barbara Duncan for pledge forms 903 - 572-2566.
June 10 - Texas Lions Camp
June 16 & 23 - Club Officers Training School – Mt. Pleasant
July 22-August 3 - Diabetic Camp
Have your events listed here by emailing Lion April McCright at aprilm128@aol.com
The Governor's Calendar
Feb 1-4 - Council of Governor's and Texas Lions Camp meetings in Kerrville
Feb 5 - Daingerfield
Feb 12 - Dodd City
Feb 19 - Pittsburg
Feb 19 - Detriot
Feb 22 - Kilgore
Feb 25-28 - Extension work with President Ross
Feb 26 - Canton's 75 Anniversary
Feb 27 - Judson
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