February 2000 Newsletter
The President's Corner
Greetings
Fellow Lions. January is upon us, and as usual, the Spenard Lions Club is
busy. Busy, that is, cleaning up the squirrel that Lion John has about
given up on. I understand that the next move is to put ultra-sound up
there to root out the varmint. When we hear sweet music coming from the
attic, we all will know that the squirrel went to electronics school.
Last night, I had the pleasure of advising the Leos of Spenard. That is their new name. The Club voted to do a Fur Rondy ice carving, design their letterhead, their Friendship Banner and Club pin. Three new Leos are committed to come to the next meeting, and the Club may have 20 members before Charter Night. Leo Director John Kelly attended the meeting by order of the Governor.
On Saturday, January 22, the Spenard Liann's (Lions Ann Regan, Joanne Koss, Kathleen Ann Conley, (Honorary Title), and Lion Larry Williams from Mt. McKinley, stuffed envelopes for the first Convention 2000 mail-out. All of the Lions brought food and a Pot Luck was held.
Lion Shawn Welch has been busy constructing storage shelves in the Club house basement to be used to store computers used in the Spenard Lion Club program to provide computers to the blind and disabled. Four pallets of computers will be moved out of storage, and into the basement. Lions Shawn, Michael, and David Olaska will be working on the computers from our new home. Thanks Lion John Regan for your help.
I am happy to report that Lion President Skippy has been released by the Vet. He had to wear a cone on his head for the last six weeks, have ointment put on his feet twice a day, and eat four anti-biotic pills per day. He did a guide dog demonstration at the last Leo meeting, and he did not miss a beat. With Skippy back, I will now have time to eat my lunch at meetings, and to sleep at Board Meetings.
On January 19th, the Spenard Lions were visited by a single Girdwood Lion. Lion John Trautner, Council Chairman and candidate for International Director visited Spenard both for a great luncheon and to pay Spenard a ransom for Girdwood's Bell and Gavel. It seems that both these items hitch-hiked to the Spenard Club on the night of the Girdwood Lions Christmas party. Somehow, two ransom notes were found at the Spenard Club, and we felt that it was our obligation to forward them to Girdwood. The ransom demand told the Girdwood Lions to produce a chicken. or the bell would melt. Lion John brought us a stuffed chicken, a rubber chicken, an egg, and a wonderful poem that had been composed by Lions John and Kathy Trautner. The poem was so well done, that it will hang on the wall of the Spenard Lion Club forever. Thank you Lion John for the chicken and the guilt-written prose. However, we will not subject ourselves to strip searches at future Girdwood Lions Christmas parties.
Thanks go out to each and every Lion for the effort being displayed at all events held this last month. Your service to the community is greatly appreciated.
Lion Michael Curley, President
Ooops We Goofed
Well, it happens to the best of us! Sometimes our brains are just not in “sync” with reality. Or sometimes we can blame our goofs on some external force that made us act out of the ordinary. Oh well, no excuses...we made a newsletter error.
At least one interested reader of the newsletter (some guy who thinks chasing after small defenseless squirrels is sport) noticed that the February issue was really early making it to the news stands in a neighborhood near you. Funny thing, the last issue was really the January issu
You may have noticed, we changed the format of this newsletter with a new front page design but kept the President’s letter. We will maintain The President’s Corner and accompanying “mug shot” in its past and present location. Some things never change! As always, Lion members and non-Lion members are encouraged to submit articles, recipes, travel tips, funny jokes, lies about fellow Lion members or anything else that strikes your fancy.
If you have not yet noticed, all of the newsletters that go to print, eventually make their way to the World Wide Web.
(www.oocities.org/Heartland/Forest/9291)
Fund Raising Ideas
Make custom printed Wooden Nickels and/or Wooden Dollars to commemorate
local events, historic places, festivals and sell them as souvenirs.
Use as "50 cent Booth Tokens" at your next festival. People will
save many of them as souvenirs and not redeem them, therefore you are
effectively selling them for 50 cents each.
Same as above, but make 3 different Wooden Nickels in 3 different colors.
Price them at 25 cents, 50 cents, and $1.00. People will collect all
three.
Contract with local businesses to have a "Wooden Nickel Special",
then sell the Wooden Nickels for $1.00 to $5.00, and the purchasers will
get the "specials" for a year. Good for the businesses and good
for your organization.
Make a "Christmas" Wooden Nickel and /or Wooden Dollar. Drill a
small hole at the top and sell as annual commemorative tree ornaments.
Sell "serial-numbered" Wooden Nickels as tickets for a raffle.
Since the Wooden Nickels will be kept as souvenirs, sales will be better
than selling "movie" tickets.
From The
Editor 
by
Mady Burnett
I am sometimes asked “Why did you join the LIONS?” I am sure that most all of you must have been asked the same question. After I had lost my sight, I relocated because of medical reasons, and looked for employment. I wanted to somehow return all of the kindness given to me by the community. I had learned about the LIONS as I was learning blindness skills. I met a couple of people who had just joined the LIONS and was invited to become a member. I was a little hesitant at first, however, I decided to give it a try.
When I was inducted, I felt privileged and honored. I then started to go into the community and work at several of the activities our club does. It is sometimes hard to get up off the couch and go, but once I get to the project, I am revived and energized. I enjoy meeting the people we are serving and then becoming a friend. It excites me to know that I can return the kindness given to me over these past years. I also enjoy meeting fellow LIONS members. It is fun to be among those who are participating in the mission “We serve”.
A new year has started as well as a new century. Our work has just begun. Someday there will be little if no blindness in the world. Everyone will have enough food on their table and all diseases will be minimal. Until that time, the LIONS have a lot of work to accomplish. I will again be asked “Why did you join the LIONS?” I will always be proud to answer “Because I love serving!!”
Web Stuff
The Spenard Lions Livewire Club web site is into full swing, but the club has a long way to go. There are many things that can be added to your web site to enhance its appeal to fellow Lion members from around the globe.
What about giving some hunting and fishing tips? Maybe some of those photographs of trophy size salmon or black bear. Then, there is a the casual moose who inhabit our local neighborhoods. Anyone good at written prose...wanna share some of your work? The possibilities are endless and the web site needs your help.
If you have photographs that would be suitable for the web site, please submit them via e-mail to Doyle Burnett (ckayaker@gci.net) or give them to Mady at one of the clubhouse meetings.
We will gladly scan the pictures and put them up on the web site. Let us know if you desire a credit or by line for your submission.
Let's Go Fishing...Blue Silk Pajamas
A man phones home from his office and tells his wife: "Something has just come up. I have a chance to go fishing for a week. It's the opportunity of a lifetime. We leave right away.
So pack my clothes, my fishing equipment, and especially my blue silk pajamas. I'll be home in an hour to pick them up." He goes home in a hurry and grabs everything and rushes off.
A week later he returns. His wife asks: "Did you have a good trip, dear?" He says: " Oh yes, great! But you forgot to pack my blue silk pajamas." His wife smiles and says, "Oh no I didn't. I put them in your tackle box!"
John's Time Capsule
Tudor bingo work party on Jan 27.Spenard Lions presented a floral display and cake to recognize the 7th anniversary of Tudor Road Bingo.
Participated in the Great Beer Festival on Jan 14 and 15.
The Girdwood Lions recovered their bell and gravel by offering a chicken as demanded by two very pointed ransom notes.
A check from the Spenard Lions along with checks from the other Zone 4 Lions clubs were presented to the Alaska Children's Services for financing the purchase of an audiometer were presented on Jan 25th.
The Convention 2000 committee held a stuff-it party on 22 Jan to send information on the May 2000 MD convention….6 Spenard Lions participated.
Added more money to the building fund and rolled funds into new cd's.
A Spenard Lion, to be unnamed was a guest on the Herb Shandlin talk show to talk about the The Alaska Center for Blind and programs available. She mentioned she was a Lion. Is this worth a visit from the Tailtwister???
Four Spenard Lions attended the memorial service for the late senior center Lion Richard Ploure.
Its time to start the nominations process for club officer positions for the 2000-2001 year. If you are interested in serving in any position let a current officer know. With out leadership we can go nowhere. Elections must be held not later than 12 Apr 2000. Candidate for international director, pcc Lion Jack Doyle presented his position and reasons for seeking this office. Vdg Lion Dennis Cummings did the same in seeking election as the 2000-2001 D-49a District Governor.
The newly elected president of the Spenard Leos is Leo Carlos Chausta Nad the vice president Chris Hilton attended the 18 Jan board meeting.
The board approved providing funds for the Leos admin and projects funds.
We are waiting on a certificate of insurance from LCI so we can hopefully complete the special use permit for the Ure Park property.
Less than 9 Spenard Lions have yet to pay their dues for this year. Two new Lions joined the Spenard club this month, Lion Shawn Welch and Lion Jim Minton. Lion Shawn is building computer storage racks and a work table in the clubhouse. Lion Jim immediately left the country? He is headed for Vietnam to do volunteer work at a Vietnamese hospital.