Lions MD 35-I Monthly Newsletter
News & Updates
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District Governor Charles "Chuck" Carter
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Our message from DG Chuck Carter
Hello, Lions of 35-I,
Wow, this month sure did go by fast! I'm setting up my phone call schedule to reach all Clubs at the beginning of each month. If they have less than 20 members, I will be calling them weekly to assist them as they reach this goal and continue growing. Remember, the easiest way to gain new members is to ask people you know to join in the fun at one of your FUN activities: food distribution, pancake breakfast, ball game, drag bingo, fishing with kids, etc..
Once they see what we do to raise money to help prevent blindness, they will be more inclined to fill out an application to join your Club.
Our District Chaplain and new Lion, Daniel Rogers from the Arcadia Lions, announced in church last Sunday that he was offered a full-time lead pastor position at a church in Alabama close to his extended family. His wife was also offered a teaching position with a significant salary increase in the same town. He is moving this coming Sunday. Not to worry fellow Lions, as we have a newly appointed Chaplain who took the position. I think she was full of guilt from being in on the famous chicken-napping incident last year? Yes, former Tail Twister extraordinaire Patty Strong stepped up to the plate and now will lead us in prayer as the new District Chaplain. I am so proud of her for stepping up when we needed a good Lion.
Ask me about the FUN we had at a Beer Fest we volunteered for last weekend! We had 25 Lions and friends help us serve microbrewery brews for a few hours at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers while the Minnesota Twins minor league team, the Mighty Mussels, played a game. Lions from 6 different clubs came to help us out too! Special thanks to my Vice Governors for coming with their wives and some friends, Lions Penny and Vergne Gregrich, Lion Pat McNally and a friend from the Venice Club, etc... We had a blast and raised $1000 for the foundations of our respective Clubs! This is the "Power of FUN" my fellow Lions. Tell me what you have planned and please invite me to volunteer with you. I look forward to helping all Clubs where needed in your FUN activities.
We are off to a great start! The best is yet to come!
Cheers!
Lion District Governor Chuck Carter
239-322-7736
“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Power of Fun!
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WE CAN DO THIS!
As you read this, your District 35-I leadership team is busy putting into place the final touches for the 2021-2022 Lions year.
It is my distinct privilege to have been elected to the office of 1st Vice District Governor to support the vision and work of District Governor Charles “Chuck” Carter as we support our clubs in this post-pandemic year.
My goal for this Lions year is simple: to assist District Governor Lion Chuck with the goals and objectives he has set for our District. Furthermore I am looking to become better acquainted with the needs of our Lions, assist them with invigorating their members, and getting connected beyond the local club level.
One of the goals and objectives for our District this year is to charter at least one new Special Olympics Specialty Club in 2021-2022. We may not be able to charter a club in each community, but we should at a minimum, be able to sponsor branch clubs. We, as Lions, working together across our Multiple District 35, can “DO THIS”.
Last but not the least, WE SERVE is more than just a slogan. As Lions we feel a great sense of satisfaction from doing what is at the heart of all Lions Clubs – serving others. We feel a sense of belonging with the other members of our Club and with our District. We have the ability through the MyLion App to connect with other service-minded men and women locally, regionally and internationally.
The above is just some thoughts and pursuits I will be presenting as I visit our clubs this year to become better acquainted with the needs of our Lions and to assist with invigorating the great members of our District.
“WE SERVE”
In Lionism,
Lion Jimmy Gregory
1st Vice District Governor
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Are you a Leader or a Follower?
In Warren G. Bennis’s book Managing People is like Herding Cats, he states that “cats of course, won't be herded. And the most successful organizations in the 21st Century won't be managed -- they'll be led.”
My drill sergeants infused in me that I needed to be ready to lead at any time. If my squad or platoon leader was taken out of action somebody had to assume that role immediately. That somebody could possibly be me. Lives would be in my hands. I needed to be prepared by continuing to train in the required skills that were required. Regardless, no one really knows how they will react until they’re put in that position. That’s when leadership is said to be shaped under fire.
In Bob Dylan’s 1979 song Gotta Serve Somebody he mentioned many of life’s positions whether it was high or low. The song’s chorus states the obvious; “But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes, you're gonna have to serve somebody.Well, it may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody.”
Let’s call those in places of authority servant leaders.You see all are called to be a servant. Being a servant isn’t a lowly position or that you are unworthy to be a leader. We, as servants, work with the servant leader to help them succeed by making sure that the mission at hand is successful which in turn makes them successful. Mission success is the #1 priority - always.
You, as a Lion, should take available leadership courses whether or not you have aspirations for any Club or District position. It will give you a better perspective of what that position entails and how you can better serve. Follow this link Lions Resources Quick List for a list of free courses and other references. There will also be in person & Zoom courses this Lions year. You may find that you would like a chance at being a servant leader.
This brings us to mentoring. The District has mentors for most every club servant leadership position and can be found in the District Directory. If you are even slightly interested in servant leadership, talk to the person currently in that position. If you are a servant leader then you should be constantly looking for your replacement.
Are you a leader or a follower? Remember that neither is more important than the other.
More about finding your replacement and mentoring next month.
Gary Michael LaSpina
2nd Vice District Governor
863-617-5537
"If you see someone falling behind...walk beside them.
If you see someone ignored...find a way to include them.
Always remind people of their worth, one small act could mean the world to them."
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$ Treasurer’s Corner $
If you are a club treasurer – you should have received in your email an invoice from the District for your club’s semi-annual assessment for both the Multiple District and the District. . This invoice is due upon receipt as the Multiple District dues from our District are due immediately. If you have not received it – please check your junk folder and if you still do not have it, please contact me at tmavor@wclions.org I thought it would be good for you to know what this is all about.
The invoice is based on your membership on June 30th as recorded by LCI. In the past you were able to amend the numbers up to two weeks later, but that practice was halted two years ago – so if the secretary did not drop them before June 30th then your club owes the assessment. The District assesses $5 per member and the Multiple District assesses $11.00 per member semi-annually. There are two periods in a Lion year. July – December and January to June. If you are stuck paying for someone who did not pay their club assessment then you have until December to get the member back to pay up or drop them before the January assessment, just saying.
If a member joins your club in the middle of a period, you will be assessed a prorated amount for that member on the invoice for the next period. If a recruit joins in October, then you will be assessed for October, November, and December on the January invoice.
Remember to send your payment as soon as possible. To remain in good standing, clubs need to pay the invoice before the cabinet meeting on August 21st. Send checks to Lions of District 35-I, C/O Lion Tom Mavor, 7842 Land O Lakes Blvd Unit #302, Land O Lakes, FL, 34638 or pay through the new THE LIONS OF DISTRICT 35-I's client portal.
If you have questions, please email me and I will get back to you. Thank you for your service – doing the paperwork is not always fun but without it, we would not be able to do what we do.
Lion Tom Mavor
Treasurer, Lions of District 35-I
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FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CABINET SECRETARY..
ISN'T IT GREAT TO BE A LION!!
Wow, its exciting to be in yet another year of service to those
we can help!
For our 2021-2022 Lionistic year, please note the following:
UPCOMING DISTRICT CABINET MEETING
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, August 21, 2021
District 35-I Cabinet Meeting
Hosted by Hudson Bayonet Point Lions Club
WHERE:
LEITER Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research
1410 North 21st Street
Tampa, FL 33605
8:00 AM - Meet and Greet Breakfast
8:54 AM - District Cabinet Meeting Begins
Breakfast and Lunch will be served
LEITER Tour will be offered.
More Details to Follow
District Chairs, please provide an email report to the DG Team and to me by 8-14-21.
OFFICER CHANGES TO LCI:
Please review to ensure that your 2021-2022 Officers are Listed on the LCI - My Lion Website
so that information can be provided to your club in a timely manner. Please be sure to also include the information for your LCIF Chair and your Service Chair and your Club Marketing Communications Chair
as these positions will receive information from the District and from the MD Chair and from LCI directly.
LCI WEBSITE:
Please note that there is still a work-in-progress on some areas of the LCI website and replies to LCI requests. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
LCIF:
PCC Cindy Beardsley - LCIF South (daveandcindyb@yahoo.com) and PCC Suzy Stathas - LCIF North (susskatoon@aol.com are looking forward to serving with each of you this final year of Campaign 100. Watch for communication to your club from us!
DISTRICT GOVERNOR OFFICIAL VISITS:
Club Presidents, if your club has not received a call or email from First Lady Patty Jean Strong to schedule DG Chuck's official visit to your club, please call 239-292-5716 to provide a convenient time/date. This year, either our 1st or 2nd Vice District Governor will also be attending with DG Chuck. Please also note that it is customary that there not be other club business held during the Governor's Official Visit. Some clubs hold a regular meeting immediately following the DG visit to take care of important business.
USED EYEGLASS COLLECTION:
Project Right To Sight will have a trailer available at our 8-21-21 District Cabinet Meeting to collect used eyeglasses.
Yours in Lionism and Friendship,
CS Lion Suzy Stathas, PCC
813-767-7899
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If you have any questions feel free to contact Lion Kathy Woolston, District Chair
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District 35-I Sight Foundation
The District 35 I Sight Foundation is excited about the coming year. Under our new president, Lion Nancy Mavor, we hope to expand what we do and share with the district our success stories.
Representatives from the sight foundation will be visiting all of the zone meetings to educate our clubs about the sight foundation, our mission and how they can help. We look forward to our interaction and the opportunity to let the grassroots lions know about what the sight foundation can do for you.
I will be the spokesperson for the sight foundation. I will be writing a monthly article for the newsletter, letting our Lions know what is going on and how we are making an impact in our communities. Please feel free to share your eye screening success stories with me and I will do my best to include them in the article. We need to tell our story.
ALSO……. If your club has one of our vision screening devices, we are looking to update our inventory. Please let me know what equipment you have, the serial number and if you are sharing it with any other club.
The sight foundation looks forward to serving with you this year.
Lion Blair S. “Chip” Kunka
Immediate Past District Governor
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District 35-I Lions Sight Foundation Has A New Fundraiser
Dear Lions,
The District 35-I Lions Sight Foundation, with the permission of the District Governor, Lion Chuck Carter, and wholly backed by the Sight Foundation Board, will be conducting a fundraiser.
Our District 35-I Lions Sight Foundation is now ten years old and has provided help to many clubs within our District. In these past ten years we have helped clubs to begin a sight screening project in their communities by providing equipment to help them to conduct their own vision screening, provided training to use the equipment or have even sent screening teams into the communities to provide the screenings with your club members help, and even helped clubs to purchase their own vision screening equipment with our discounted buying power.
We need every club in our District to help us continue to help our communities with increasing the number of communities in which we screen children. We are offering an incentive at a very reasonable price and are willing to give something back for your 100% support. For just $2.00 per member, you can receive a banner patch to recognize your 100% support of the District 35-I Lions Sight Foundation. Example: you have 15 members in your club so you would become a 100% supporter when you send in a donation of $30.00
The District 35-I Lions Sight Foundation will continue to also provide the Sight Saver Pins in the amounts of $100, $250, $500 or $1000. Clubs can do both types of donations. Just let us know by writing in the memo if you want the 100% supporter patch.
Our goal within the next five years is to get every club screening for vision in it’s own community. We are currently screening preschoolers and Head-Start students in many communities, yet many communities allow their school districts to do the vision screening where some vision problems go undetected for years. This is not acceptable by our standards. We need to screen these children from 6 months old and before they reach kindergarten age.
Help us to help those clubs currently doing the vision screenings and to increase our screenings into other Lion Club’s communities. We look forward to your club supporting us financially and we will send your club a 100% Supporter patch. Please let us know if you are interested in starting a vision screening program in your community.
Please send all donations to:
Lion Vergne Gregrich, Treasurer
District 35-I Lions Sight Foundation
4163 Watova Ave
North Port, FL 34286
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Sunshine Committee
Hello fellow Lions,
The job of the Sunshine Committee is to reach out and spread a little Sunshine to our members. Sending a card to a fellow Lion can help them feel appreciated and not forgotten. This could also help in maintaining membership in your Club and our District.
Please send me the name and address of anyone that is celebrating a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary. We can also remember Lions with a sympathy card if they have lost a loved one.
Please contact me or your Club Sunshine chair if someone could use a little Sunshine added to their day.
Thank you
Lion Susie Smith
Multiple District/District Sunshine Chair
386-290-4397
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Can Tabs Collection For The Shriners
Hello Lions,
I have been a Shriner for over 25 years and have driven the kids from my area to the Shriners Hospital in Tampa. I have seen first hand what the Shriners Hospital does for these children. Lions can be a part of that miracle. When we take the can tabs that the Lions collect to the recycle center, the recycler doubles the amount of money we would normally receive and a check is written directly to the Shriners Hospital. The check is designated as a donation in the name of the District 35-I Lions and no monies ever pass through our hands.
The pull tab program has been a great success. Shriners Hospital does appreciate all that we do for them. Please continue to collect can tabs from all cans that have pull tab such as a soda, can food, cat food and dog food etc. and put them in a plastic bag or container and bring them to District Meetings.
No tabs will be collected at the August District meeting since I will still be up north, BUT please save them and bring your tabs to the November 13th District Meeting.
Thank you for your continued support,
Lion Glenn L. Smith, P2VDG
Shriners Can Tab Program Chair
352-400-2538
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Disaster Preparedness
Hurricane season started June 1st and we have had our first brush from Elsa. Now we need to understand we have a window of opportunity to build or enhance our own Preparedness kits. There are many sites you can go to find what you may want to include in your kit. FloridaDisaster.org and Ready.org are two good sites. Please do not say it is too expensive to prepare a kit, you can build up a supply during the year as you shop for what you and your family eat regularly just buy 1 extra can, box, or bag and set it aside. Store your supplies in a large plastic container, but if you do not have room use a smaller box that can slide under your bed. Most people forget their pet's needs so be sure to included their food too. The Office of the Attorney General has a great pamphlet that can be downloaded about all actions you should take. Remember everyone should plan for all disasters, not just Hurricanes. Just last year a minor earthquake rattled and confused many people in Miami, and now communities are dealing with flooding due to the rains. When a disaster strikes the District Governor can request an immediate $10,000 grant from LCIF, but he will need our help to describe the damage and set out a plan to use the money. The District Disaster Trailer has equipment to help with the cleanup and stands ready to respond when and where the District Governor deploys it.
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For more information, please contact Lion Dave Beardsley, District 35-I Disaster Chair at davecindyb@yahoo.com
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The Gulfport Lions are volunteering every fourth Thursday to help feed their community through the Mobile Pantry Program sponsored by
Feeding Tampa Bay.
If you would like more information about this great program, please contact
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DON'T MISS THE BOAT.....
ARE YOU READY TO SET SAIL WITH YOUR LIONS FAMILY?
Spring 2022 Lions Conference at Sea on the Norwegian Sky
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HERE ARE ALL THE DETAILS - BOOK ASAP
OCEAN VIEWS WILL BOOK OUT FAST
THERE ARE ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF CABINS AT THESE PRICES!
Deadlines and Requirements:
A $50.00 deposit per person ($100.00 per cabin) will lock in the discounted rate for your cabin
Each cabin must be paid in full by December 10, 2021, or it will be released back to the
cruise line to resell at a higher rate
All deposits are refundable up to December 10, 2021
Make sure your Passport is current
You must take lots of pictures to share all the FUN we have as Lions!
More details about the meetings, events, etc. during the cruise will be posted soon
Please call if you have any questions -
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Please contact our PERSONAL CRUISE CONSULTANT to pay deposits or totals ASAP!
Kaydene Wright-Sue | Personal Cruise Consultant
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CLUB EXCELLENCE AWARD DUE BY AUGUST 31, 2021 |
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Having FUN is just part of what the Sebring Lions Breakfast Club is all about. They recently met for dinner and discussed plans for future fundraisers.
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Having FUN serving Beer at the Beer-fest (Hammond Stadium) |
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How many Lions does it take to serve beer at the Mighty Mussels Beerfest ???
The Fort Myers Lions Club had lots of help from many wonderful Lions from Port Charlotte Centennial, Hudson Bayonet, Lake Placid and Venice.
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OUR LIONS FAMILY IS GETTING BIGGER..... |
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DG Chuck inducted new members into the Ft. Myers Lions Club.
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4 new members were inducted into the Naples Lions Club during District Governor Chuck's 1st Official Governors visit.
DG Chuck also welcomed in the new Officers for 2021-2022.
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DG Chuck inducted 2 new Lions during his official visit to the Gulfport Lions Club.
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CLUB ANNIVERSARIES
Cape Coral Lions Club - Serving for 59 years
Chartered 08/02/1962
Wauchula Lions Club - Serving for 94 years
Chartered 08/12/1927
Sanibel Captiva Lions Club - Serving for 54 years
Chartered 08/23/1967
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HAVE A QUESTION? IMPORTANT EMAIL ADDRESSES AND PHONE NUMBERS |
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District Governor
Lion: Charles "Chuck" Carter
Mobile: (239) 322-7736
Partner in Service: Lion Patty Strong
Home Club: Fort Myers
1st Vice District Governor
Lion: Jim Gregory
Mobile: (757) 713-1195
Partner in Service: Lion Linda Gregory
Home Club: Hudson Bayonet Point
2nd Vice District Governor
Lion: Gary LaSpina
Mobile: (863) 617-5537
Partner in Service: Diane (Lady Di) LaSpina
Home Club: Lake Placid
Immediate Past District Governor
Lion: Blair "Chip" Kunka
Home: (941) 713-7069
Partner in Service: Lion Jan Kunka
Home Club: Bradenton
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District Secretary
Lion: Suzy Stathas, PCC
Mobile: (813) 767-7899
Home Club: Brandon
District Treasurer
Lion: Tom Mavor
Mobile: (561) 350-5288
Home Club: Wesley Chapel Lions
Administrative District Coordinator
Lion: Suzy Stathas, PCC
Mobile: (813) 767-7899
Home Club: Brandon
President Mentoring Contact:
Lion Elaine Middelstaedt Cell: (305) 962-8136
Secretary Mentoring Contact:
Lion Bev Flynn Cell: (941) 773-5705
Treasurer Mentoring Contact:
Lion Bill Ringelstein, PCC Cell: (941) 637-9979
Email: biljeanr@embarqmail.com
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Does your club have an event, fundraiser or service you would like the rest of our Lions to know about, attend or help with?
Let us know by submitting your information to Lion Bev Flynn, Newsletter Editor!
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JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
This section will have the announcements made previously but are still current!
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