Governors Newsletter May, 2016

May, 2016

Governors

Monthly

Newsletter.

District 1A,

Lions Clubs

International

GOVERNOR RALPH ZARADA SPEAKS:

Fellow Lions:

Because of your

dedication to building new

clubs, recruiting new

members, and retaining

our Lions, we are close to

reaching the 100 member

milestone. This was the goal I set as when I began

my leadership year. And we are getting there. But

the one thing that can prevent us from finishing the

year above 100 lion member milestone is year-end

drops.

That's why I am asking you as Lions to join me in a

pledge and helping me finish the year above the

100 member mark. More members mean more

service and more lives impacted, and each Lion

plays a role in strengthening local communities and

achieving our Centennial goal of 100 million lives

served.

Now is the time to keep our momentum going so

we can finish the year strong. Let's continue to

focus on strengthening our clubs. Let's reach out to

our members and encourage them to add new

members while doing everything in their power to

help reduce the member drops. And let's utilize our

GMT and GLT Area Leaders in any way needed to

support our efforts.

With your commitment to membership and club

growth, I know we will achieve our goal of ending

the year above 100 members. Reaching this

milestone is critical to helping achieve our LCI

Centennial goal of 1,425,311 members by the end

of the 2017-18 fiscal year, which would surpass our

largest membership total ever and allow us to

serve the communities we serve and millions more

who need us.

Here is a story from the Lions Touchstone Series

that I found on the LCI website that I thought was a

nostalgic view of past fundraising. It talks about

how successful Lions fundraising efforts have

included pancake breakfasts and mop and broom

sales.

Touchstone Story #25

Jim Ervin was just a few weeks into his career as a

Lion in 1977 when fellow members of the Albany

Lions Club in Georgia, USA, tapped him for an

important job: selling brooms and mops to raise

funds for the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation.

“We'd go around knocking on doors,” recalled

Ervin, who became international president in 1999.

“It was advertised through the radio and TV when

the Lions were coming. So many people would wait

until that time to buy their brooms and mops.”

Community spirit flourishes as neighbors come

together at Lions fundraisers from pancake

breakfasts and barbecues to fish fries and sausage

roasts. Some local Lions projects have developed

into full-scale national programs that raise millions

of dollars annually. Consider the humble fruitcake,

which entrepreneurial Lions in Australia, Canada

and South Africa have turned into gold.

Selling Lions fruitcakes during the Christmas season

began in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1951.

Initially baked at home and sold to family, friends

and neighbors, Canadian Lion fruitcakes are now

produced by large commercial bakeries, packaged

with holiday colors and the Lions emblem, and

marketed over the Internet.

Starting in 1965 with the Lions Save-Sight

Christmas Cake, Australia’s program has become a

cherished holiday tradition. Under the direction of

the National Cake Committee, the product line has

expanded to include Christmas puddings, and

annual sales have grown to more than 6 million

Australian dollars.

From raffles to rubber duck races, Lions have also

shown a flair for special events that bring

communities together and keep the fun in

fundraising. Lions held a benefit elephant soccer

tournament in Nepal and dressed up as Smurfs—

donning blue face paint and fuzzy blue coveralls—

for a canoe race in Epping, New Hampshire, USA.

Selling items that people need, such as brooms,

mops and light bulbs, not to mention items that

people crave, such as mints and candy bars, has

been a staple of Lions’ local fundraising efforts for

decades.

“Like they say,” said Ervin, “where there's a need,

there's a Lion.”

April shower bring May Flowers. For us as the Lions

in Illinois, it time for the MD-1 State convention.

The Lions of Illinois are converging in Springfield for

the annual event. First International President Lion

Bob Corlew and his wife Diane will be joining us to

kick off the upcoming 2017 Centennial Convention

in Chicago. Lion Bob is the incoming President of

our association. He will be formally elected in

Fukuoka Japan. The MD-1 convention is a great

event for Lions to network and exchange their

experiences as Lions. Please come and join Lion Sue

and me at the MD-1 Convention May 20th through

May 22nd. Let’s show First Vice President Lion Bob

our ROAR as we start the final year towards the

Centennial Celebration convention that is being

held in our District.

See you there,

Lion Ralph Zarada, DG

Editorial:

NEW DISTRICT LEADERSHIP

As always every year around this time changing of guards in lionism takes place around the world. From International offices to club

officers we elect new leaders to lead. New slogans, new ideas and new faces to lead lionism further.

In District 1A, DGE Ernie Lapid will take over the leadership from Governor Ralph Zarada for the next Lionistic Year – 2016-2017. He will be the governor in the Mother District of Lionism during Lions Centennial Celebrations in Chicago. He will be the second Filipino Governor in our District 1A

as Late PDG Reynaldo V. Pascua has decorated this position as Governor of District 1A in 1987-1988.

District 1A will hold it’s “Incoming Officers’ Briefing and Membership Rally” will be held on June 4, 2016 at the Willow Springs School, 8345 South Archer Avenue, Willow Springs. Event will start at 8:30 a.m. with continental breakfast and the session will start at 9:00 a.m. Registration deadline is May 27, 2016 to District GLT Chairperson Lion Janice Wiggins at [email protected] .

There will be six sessions – 1 Presidents & Vice Presidents; 2 Secretaries; 3 Treasurers; 4 Directors; 5 Membership Chairs and 6 Tail Twisters. These sessions are very important to all club officers no matter how many times you were decorating that chair for your club as there will be more to learn and more to focus on especially when we celebrate LCI’s Centennial Celebrations right here in Chicago.

If any chance I get, I would also like to speak to the officers regarding our Centennial Celebrations as your District Centennial Coordinator. Many clubs in our district failed to report their service activities while reporting their membership numbers on MyLCI every month. This is extremely important as our supporters look at the numbers – how many people we serve and how many dollars we spend. These activities and dollars report strengthen us further and make us one of the best service organizations in this beautiful world.

District 1A’s favorite Lion, Chancellor Bob Corlew will be our International President during forthcoming Lionistic Year. His theme for his term is – New Mountains to Climb. As we step up to the next 100 years, we have new mountains to climb, new targets to reach and new celebrations to celebrate.

I would like to have the names of all Club Centennial Celebration Coordinators – you can easily remember to nominate this position in your club by remembering CCCC. When you elect your club officers, do not forget CCCC. If you have already held your elections, appoint this position immediately and report to me ASAP.

Let us make our District 1A proud with leadership, participation and celebration.

-Austin D’Souza, PDG, Your Editor

MARCHING BANDS NEEDED:

Greetings 1A Readers,

We have a very special celebration coming up; Lions will be celebrating 100 years of service to the world. Part of this celebration will be our Convention in Chicago in the summer of 2017. Part of the convention will be a parade featuring Lions, Lioness and Leos from all over the world. What makes a parade? Marching bands, not one or two but many. My task is to acquire marching bands. Our committee is concentrating on Chicago area but not limiting it to any border. We have sent out numerous emails and are starting to make phone calls. We have some response but not where we would like to be at this point. I am reaching out to you to see if you have any contacts or know of someone who has to help get the word out. My info is below and thank you for any help you can provide. -Lion Jim Kiser Marching Band Acquisition Chair Lions International Parade 2017 533 73rd St Darien, IL 60561 630-660-7944 [email protected]

PDG King Pye from District 1A passed away on April 8, 2016 at the age of 86. He was the governor of 1A in 1991-1992 lionistic year. He had a wonderful life. He was born on October 19, 1929 in Greenville, Mississippi. He was the fifth of nine children born to Truman and Lillie Ann Goffman Pye, both of whom preceded him in death as well as his sister Rachel. LaCree, Little Mae and Merlene, and his brother Albert affectionately known as A.C. As a child, King was full of life and energy. He loved helping his father, who was a painter and Pastor. He attended elementary school and his freshman year of high school in Greenville and was known as a very intelligent child. His intelligence made him acutely aware of the discrimination that the ‘colored’ children faced in Greenville. Instead of encouraging the bright students to pursue courses of their choosing, he and many of his classmates were encouraged to pursue strictly vocational training. He told his parents that Greenville would not allow him to pursue his dreams, so he was permitted to travel to Chicago when he was fifteen years old. When King arrived in Chicago he stayed with his sister Rachel. He attended Wendell Phillips High School. It was also during this period that he converted to Catholicism and was re-baptized at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church. His uncle, Johnson Pye, was a practicing Catholic who King attended Church with on Sunday. His parents didn’t care where he went to church as long as he ’went’ to church. After graduating from Wendell Phillips High School, King attended the University of Illinois at Navy Pier. He majored in political science. He later worked for the grocery store National Tea, where he encountered prejudice from its leadership. Like so many qualified African Americans, National Tea was not interested in promoting him regardless of his qualifications. This all changed when he met and forged a wonderful business relationship with Ernest ‘Stu’ Collins. King became the general manager of the Food Basket on 49th and St. Lawrence and later the general manager and owner of Collins Certified on 79th and Calumet in Chicago.

While working at Certified, he was selected by the Food Marketing Institute to attend Executive Leadership courses at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. It was at the Food Basket where King met his wife of 57 years, Magnolia. Their love was a beautiful love, full of laughter, travel and children. Their union produced four children – Kevin Joel, Eric Maurice, Keith Sherwin, and Ingrid LaCree Pye. King read extensively, had an amazing jazz collection, loved opera,Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “If” and he could tell jokes with the best of them. King’s civic activities were numerous. He was one of the principal organizers of Seaway National Bank. He actively participated in politics, community development and business activities. He held various leadership roles with the Chatham Business Association. The Chatham Lions. The International Lions – becoming District 1A Governor. He has traveled the world with his wife and family, including Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. Every summer he would load up his car and take his family on wonderful family vacations. He has received many awards and achieved much in life, but his greatest achievement was watching his children become upstanding adults. He always told his children, “You all have never disappointed me.” Besides his civic and business interest, King loved his church family. He was an active member of the St. Ailbe Men Club, The Horizon Ministry, The Eucharistic Ministry; and before his health began to fall, The St. Ailbe Food Pantry. It is only fitting that his last activity reflected his life long career of feeding people. Helping others is how he lived his life. Family could count on him. Family loved when he came to visit, because he loved sharing whatever he had with them. He did not have a selfish bone in his body when it came to his family or someone who needed his help. He was quick to smile, but quicker to defend himself and others when he had to. You could count on him to stand by your side. His was a wonderful life. King’s journey was slowed by cancer. Throughout his treatments he never gave up. He faced his challenge with courage, dignity, grace and an abiding faith that God had never forsaken him. His mind was sharp to the end. The day before he died, he was quietly singing, “The Lord is Blessing Me.” While in hospice his wife asked him, “Do you know who I am?” He loudly proclaimed, “The Love of my Life.” His journey ended quietly on April 8, 2016, he is free. King leaves his beloved wife, Magnolia; his children, his older brother, sister and his grand children, host of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

VISIT TODAY: http://lions100.lionsclubs.org/EN/toolbox/club-centennial-resources.php for more information Select your club chairperson and send his name to your District Coordinator – PDG Austin D’Souza – e-Mail address: [email protected] immediately. Invite me to your club meeting for a powerful centennial presentation.

Click below link to Read:- https://issuu.com/austinprabhu/docs/full_state_magazine_-may__2016_721da5e73e449b

District 1A Governor’s Monthly e-Magazine Edited & Published by PDG Austin D’Souza for Lions, Lionesses and Leos of District 1A. e-Mail Address: [email protected]

Mail your articles, pictures and news items to above e-mail address.