5%

On one our club visits a couple of extremely seasoned Lions were  struggling with the amount of dues their club paid upward to Multiple District 19 and Lions Club International. They asked two extremely pointed questions. One went something like, "There's children and poor people in our town who could really use the $1,000 bucks we pay for dues. How can we justify sending money like that away from our town?" The other went more along the lines, "What does the dues money we pay actually go for?"

The Lions in this club were not parsimonious. Quite the contrary, they contributed generously to the four Lions charities for which we collected. They had Melvin Jones Fellows among their membership and in their history.

Your Lions pin, the sign that announces club meeting times at the edge of town, the painted logo that adorns your clubhouse and the medallion on your podium have something in common. Each have the picture of a Lion and then the words Lions Club International. There are 46,000+ Lions clubs in the Lions International World. All across the world, Lions clubs like yours work hard to be salt of the earth, youth supporting, environmentally caring, vision enhancing and hunger abating leaders of their communities. It is a great thing to think about!  You are not alone in your efforts to do good! 1.4 million individual Lions in the next town, the next county, the next state, the next country and on the next continent are doing just what you are doing! Wow!

Yet, members each of these clubs, by right of membership in Lions International, have the privilege and opportunity to extend their humanitarian reach beyond the borders of their own town. Dues and contributions see to that. Dues provide the organizational structure that our Lions charities and good works hang on.

When VDG Governor Crystal and I visited our 46 Clubs we passed around 4 cookie jars labeled Lions Club International Foundation, Leader Dogs & Guide Dogs for the Blind, Northwest Lions Foundation and CARE. Club members in all our clubs contributed to all the charities and it was wonderful to watch pocket change, bills and checks turn into more than $5,000 dollars.



Donations from District 19F's 46 clubs get combined with Pacific Northwest clubs from MD 19's District 19A through 19I clubs (that's about 430 Clubs) to where serious money is applied to alleviate suffering, blindness and to the support of youth and the world's environment.


I quoted myself a few times at different clubs with my 95 to 5% maxim. "Of course, 90 to 95% of your fund raising should benefit your town's local activities. But when you give the extra 5-10% to benefit your zone, region and world then you truly are part of Lions International."

At the end of the visit where the two seasoned Lions had asked their pointed questions, one 30ish Lion in a vest and a ball cap put a cherry on top on the discussion by saying, "I am proud to be a part of an International organization that does good all over the world."

Well said.

You Guys are Great!

Home!

Woody's is Craigmont’s night life, bar, restaurant, historical mural gallery and the meeting hall for the Craigmont's Lions Club.

What a great place for a club to call home!

Typical of rural Idaho clubs, the Craigmont Lions are the heartbeat of their town, the champions of their youth and caregivers to those in need. Their passion for service and their generosity is inspiring.

You Guys are Great!

Day Trippers!

In the eight years that we've been Lions, VDG Crystal and I have attended our fair share of Conferences as Day Trippers. Face it, there are just so many $25-$40 meals a a family group of Lions can afford. That's why there is only one of those fancy meals scheduled for the March 10-11 19F Spring Conference in Walla Walla. Friday's Generation of Fun Night is just $15 which includes the meal. Breakfast is free if you stay at the hotel and lunch is on your own in the town. 

 

Tip: La Cocina De La Abuela (GrandMa's Kitchen) on 36 S. Colville Street is run by Lion Manny Perez and features Mexico City style cooking which is excellent and way different from Tex Mex cuisine.

19F 1VDG Crystal Walk

Consider Day Tripping on Friday or Saturday. You still have to spend the twenty bucks to register but picking and choosing what you will or won't do based on your pocketbook is smart and exactly why Crystal set up the Conference Registration the way she has. 

Download it here and check it out.

If you're from the drive-able area please consider joining your fellow Lions for as many activities as your time and pocketbook can manage. Conferences can be great fun whether you are a two day participant, lend a hand putting on the conference, or pick and choose as a Day Tripper.

We want to see you there. If you're coming to the Saturday Banquet your cut off for Registration is officially  February 19th which is Sunday. If you can't make the Sunday Deadline call Vice District Governor at (509)200-0109 and she'll work on it with you personally.

Party!!

At our 19F Spring Conference on March 10th the Generations of Fun Party starts at 4 pm, and ends at 9pm. Gaming is the thing from 4 until 6 with Bunco, Darts, Horseshoes, Pokemon Cards, a Cookie Baking Contest (3 dozen entries) and Croquet. Non performance District Contest and awards like Club Brochures, Club Bulletin or Newsletter, Club Business Card, Traditional & Non Traditional Scrapbook, Zone Chairman Newsletter and Club Website should be turned in to Contest Chairwoman Carol Butterfield during this time period. 

Here's a link to the judging criteria for all the contests.

At 6 the Hamburgers, Floats, Dancing and Performance Contests begin. DJ Jon Loney does digital tunes for dancing and listening on request. Your DG Dave Walk will attend attired in jeans, tee shirt, head band and love beads in keeping with the dress of the era when he started dancing.  Interspersed between the recorded music will be entrants for the District's traditional Performance Contests which include the 5 Minute Speech on a current year achievement of your club, a 3 Minute humorous story, a Musical Comedy Performance, and a regular Musical number. You may enter as many categories as you wish and I wish you would. I don't want to be the only old folkie embarrassing myself with my singing and guitar playing. 

The Chevron Dinner (a.k.a Purple Polo Poobah Party) starts at 7 on Saturday Night. I promised you no long formal speeches during my club visits and you get to help deliver on my promise. Here's how it will work. A trumpet fanfare will get the audience's attention. Let's say your club is to receive an award for Best Club Service Project or you are called forward to receive your Chevron for years of loyal service as a Lion. Amid resounding cheers and applause you stride to the platform to accept your award and pose for the picture! Next, it becomes your privilege to don a Flintstones style Horned Poobah Helmet and a Royal Ermine Robe and be ushered to the Throne Chair for fun pictures. Should you then wish to share a short speech of thanks or encouragement the microphone will be yours. The awards (Chevron, Achievements, Contests, etc.) will be given out between inspiring speeches by dignitaries such as Past International Director Anne Smarsh, Northwest Lions Foundation Chairman Bill Lundin and retiring MD19 Executive Secretary/Treasurer Patty Allen.

We look forward to seeing you and your participation at our Annual Conference. 

Registration is here! 

Registrations are due by Sunday February 19th. Book your hotel room at the Marcus Whitman by Friday to get the special $109 rate. For reservations at The Marcus Whitman Hotel call 1-866-826-9422 ask for the Lions District F Spring Conference discount rate.


Party On!

Get Your Program Here!

          

Lion Derence Walk's program for our March 10th & 11th 19F District Conference looks really good! 

You can download it here  https://tinyurl.com/jv8yyah

See the entire program in the download. The resolution in the pdf is much sharper there. This blog only shows three of it's pages plus the front cover. 


The program is designed with room enough for restaurants, clubs, members or Lions with businesses to take out $25 business card, $40 half page or $75 full page ads in our Conference Program.  

Inside front and back cover ads are $150. The ad content can be promoting club events, honoring departed Lions, praising accomplishments of club members, highlighting projects, advertising businesses, Lions charities, Celebrating 100 years of Lionism or wishing us well at the Conference while you vacation in Arizona or the Bahamas. 

Call me (509) 200-1114 or VDG Crystal at (509) 200-0109 for more details.

You can make an ad to the specs listed in the program, scan an ad or business card you already use or just send us an email and we’ll make the ad for you.

Cutoff for program ads will be February 25 although we’d appreciate them sooner.  

Lion Derence Walk has been the driving force behind the professional look to the District 19 Blog, Newsletter Facebook Page and Webpage. Derence is a professional graphic designer and internet marketer. He is also the District Information Technology Chairperson.

Peace!

Cruising in for our second visit to Selah Valley Lions, the VDG and I arrived in the nick of time to assist with the judging of over 120 entries to the Selah Valley Lions Clubs Peace Poster Contest. Those entries were laid out flat on the cafetorium tables and were a riot of fun, color, whimsy and youthful creative expression. 

Ashley Burmaster, Secretary of the Selah Valley Lions and the primary contest organizer, was positively beaming as the judging came to a close. Her two years of work organizing the contest had really paid off and there were a lot of excited children and parents lingering about waiting to find out who the winners would be. 

On the back of her award winning poster Tessa Fresco had written, "To Celebrate Peace you must share it, and try to "bring" more people to peace. To celebrate peace is to make a effort to spread it."  You can see a great art teacher's influence in Tessa's work as two wooden figure drawing models are depicted on a crest above a waterfall beneath a flower of peace offering laurel branches across an infinite river to hand holding paper doll citizens of the world who stretch unseen around the globe. Music, doves, rolled parchments of wisdom, and other symbols of peace and justice spiral off from nations of the world and feed the flower which is pushing back against lurking evil. Wow! All this from the creative mind of a middle schooler!

The Yakima West Valley Lions Club conducted Peace Poster Contests in two of their schools.

Kiana Giffiths, from Yakima's West Valley Junior High, said of her magnificent and spiritually inspired poster, "I feel balloons are a symbol of Celebration. Hands release the balloons to the dove who spreads them across the world." Her work is artistically mature, balanced, vibrant and well composed. Amazing!


Jacquelyn from West Valley Middle School's entry was pleasing for its distinctive use of the dove, national flags and fireworks. The bright iconic images work well together to emphasize her quote and theme.

As you can see all of the three local winners are wonderful. 

The Selah Valley entry was selected as the 19F winner since her entry closely encompassed the theme of this year's contest in a spectacular way.

It will be on display at the District Conference March 10th & 11th in Walla Walla! 

Ray Fujiura, the District Peace Poster Chairman, has this message for those clubs interested in sponsoring a Peace Poster Contest in their schools next fall, "Happy New Years, or Akemashite Omedato! It is now 2017 and the new Peace Poster Kits are available from LCI. This year is the 30th year for this fantastic youth project. Zone Chairs and Lions Clubs please begin making plans now to participate.  The first deadline will be upon us before we know it so it is important that we start preparing now. "

Ray

 

 

Ask!

New Lion Roy McKenzie and Sponsor Rod Kinch

When we pinned the new member Centennial pin on to the vest of Roy McKenzie he nodded his head toward his Washtuchna Lions sponsor Rod Kinch and said with a bit of laughter in his eyes, "I've been having coffee with him for 32 years. He just about asked me to join the Lions everyday."

Kidding and exaggeration aside, you've got to admire Rod Kinch's dedication to the Lions and to his friend. "Just Ask" is a great motto.

Washtuchna's new Lions include Wayne Miller,  Marcia Gulley,  Kris Bottino, Roy McKenzie and Darrell Gulley.

Wastuchna's Lions added 6 new members to their club in January so a whole bunch of Just Asking has been going on. Our return trip to Washtuchna for the swearing in ceremonies was a highlight of the month for me and VDG Crystal.

Lions International recently put out the number 50 as the number of local people served by each Lion each year. What a cool way to look at membership! With six new members Washntucha will extend their service reach to three hundred more people.

The census says there are 208 people in Washtuchna. Looks like some people will get served several times. Excellent!

We Serve!

You Guys are Great!