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District Cabinet Meeting

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Saturday is the second district cabinet meeting of the Lions year. Let’s discuss some facts about a cabinet meeting. Who Is the District Cabinet – Each club president and club secretary are automatically part of the District’s cabinet. Each zone chair is also a cabinet member. District committee and multiple district committee members are part of the cabinet. All that said, any Lion is more than welcome to attend. What Is the Purpose – The cabinet advises the District Governor on matters of importance. Each zone chair explains important matters within the four or five clubs in that zone. The cabinet gets a report on Lions Sight Foundation (LSF), including fund raising and expenses. LSF committees explain projects within their committee’s control. Why Have a Cabinet Meeting – It’s important to share information obtained during the cabinet meeting. Local clubs need to know the size of the Lions footprint worldwide, in Mississippi and within the district. Knowing the work of Lion
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Are You Serving?

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During the last two weeks, we presented different types of service projects for Lions Clubs. The good news is that many of the Lions Clubs in District 30-M are serving. Serving others accomplishes several objectives. Service Helps Others – Helping others is a basic tenant of Lions Clubs International. Lions founder Melvin Jones had a personal creed. “You can’t go very far until you start doing something for somebody else.” Jones was a successful insurance salesman in Chicago a hundred years ago. He didn’t wait until he made his fortune to start Lions either. He started it when he was under 40. He saw needs. He recognized that he and his fellow businessmen could help real people. Even today, people in our community still have needs. Service Helps Ourselves –Humans want to help others because it fulfils a basic natural need. Think about it for a minute. What is the natural reaction if someone is on the ground bleeding? Someone calls 911. Another tries to administer first aid. Anoth
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Where Are We?

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We are three months into the current Lions year. To achieve the North American Membership Initiative (NAMI) goal by June 30, 2021, each club should be one-fourth of the way to reaching that goal. One quarter is in the books. Three quarters remain. What are the membership results of your club at this point in time? There is a district goal to increase individual club membership by a net of one this current Lions year. That simply means, if the club had 20 members on June 30, 2020, then that club should have a membership of 21 on June 30, 2021. Simply adding a new Lion to the membership roll is not enough. What happens if a faithful Lion dies? What happens if a Lion transfers to another club? What happens if a Lion resigns for whatever reason? Each membership drop, without regard to the reason, means the club must find someone to join the club. That’s just to maintain membership at the status quo. Keeping pace is not the goal. Increasing net membership is the goal. Most club drop
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Vision Service Project Ideas

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The public associates Lions with providing aid to those with a vision problem. That association dates to the 1925 Lions International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio. Lions invited a 42-year old lady to speak. That lady was Helen Keller. She challenged Lions to be her “Knights for the blind in a crusade against darkness.” Social distancing makes some types of traditional service projects like sight screenings a challenge. Here are a few more ideas for the vision service project. Organize a braille, large print and audio book collection to benefit a library or senior center. Volunteer to create audio recordings of books & periodicals. Work with local eye care professionals to provide community vision screenings. Sponsor a World Sight Day event. Sponsor visually impaired students through camps, contests or other activities. Create a community arts program for children and adults who are blind or visually impaired. Collaborate with an eye bank to promote the importance of corneal do
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Childhood Cancer Service Project Ideas

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Life is not fair. That is best illustrated when doctors tell a parent that their child has cancer. That disease affects the child, the parents, siblings, and extended family. Lions have an opportunity to show real kindness to those children and adults directly impacted. That makes this type of service really appreciated. There are some ideas a club can use to tap into a tremendous service opportunity. Provide craft materials, puzzles, books & games to children receiving treatment. Prepare meals for families with children undergoing treatment. Donate gas, parking & food gift cards to families in need or a childhood cancer center. Provide cancer support books and magazines to your local school. Write cards full of well-wishes and share them with a local cancer center. Make or buy new hats, caps, head scarves and blankets to donate to children’s cancer centers. Coordinate travel arrangements to and from treatments for a family of a child with cancer. Provide tutoring services to
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Hunger Service Project Ideas

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During the coronavirus pandemic many Lions Clubs are finding exciting new service opportunities by participating in a Lions Club International service project. They are serving their community by feeding the hungry. Here are a few ideas for clubs to consider. Volunteer to deliver prepared meals to those who are elderly or visually impaired. Organize a program at a local school to provide healthy, nutritious meals. Prepare food baskets for families in need. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Take families in need shopping for fruits and vegetables. Organize an event to benefit a food bank in your community; use cans of food as admission. Hold a hunger walk and use proceeds to buy food for a children's center or a homeless shelter. Create a cookbook of inexpensive, easy recipes. Create healthy snack packages to be distributed to children in need. Partner with local restaurants or food markets to deliver donations to a shelter. Start a food co-operative to serve as a r
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Environmental Service Project Ideas

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Growing Lions Clubs want to do service. Many are also looking for an economical solution to serve. Many want younger members. Clubs that combine an active environmental service project with recruiting find tremendous success. Let’s look at a few suggestions to not only improve the environment but also grow new Lions in the process. Plant trees with the advice of a local environment organization on the best locations and varieties. Clean up a beach, community space or roadside area monthly as a club. Hold an environment-themed photo contest at a school. Plant a tree or another green form of recognition to honor the winner. Challenge all Lions in your club or district to add one green habit to their daily lives. Recognize a local organization or community leader for environmental conservation work. Volunteer with your local park service to maintain trails. Help more people access and enjoy nature! Commit to “Meatless Mondays” or not eating meat one day each week. Collect used cellphone
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