Champaign Lion's Chatter

1. Champaign Lion's Chatter (Click here to go to our website) 5 March 2014 Call to Order – President Weldon Garrelts called the meeting to order and led in the Pledge of Allegiance.

2. Invocation – David Hunter: Dear Lord, we thank Thee for this food, these friends, and that our district is well governed. Amen. Vittles – Chicken Teriyaki. rice and brown colorful beans, mixed vegetables, salad and toppings, rolls and butter, Apple Dumplings, Pie, tea and coffee.

3. Attendance – 22 members, 2 visitors. Guests – Butch Guennewig (1-E District Governor) and his wife Connie. Birthdays – none. Lions Report – If you are ill or know a fellow Lion that is under the weather, please call Pat Bryan at 586-4535. And then… Weldon Garrelts won the $9 lottery.

4. Announcements – Weldon Garrelts announced Friday, April 4th is our lunch relay for Lions International and challenged us to bring a friend. Our Wednesday meeting will be moved to April 4 and we will still meet at the Windsor. We should all bring a guest.

5. Rich King spoke about the importance of this international meeting, with over 700 clubs signed up. Then he told us about a 3-legged dog that walked into a bar and asked, “who shot my paw?” (Just arful!!!)

6. President Weldon Garrelts held the latest Lions Magazine up saying that someone had asked if that was him pictured on the left. In any case, both of them seem to like Rich.

7. Secretary Fonda Bowden provided the minutes of the March Board Meeting, which were read by Sam McGrew.

8. CHAMPAIGN LIONS CLUB • BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING • Minutes, March 4, 2014 • Present: President Weldon Garrelts, 1st VP Charlie Osborne, 2nd VP Sam McGrew, • Past President Ted Gonsiorowski, Director Jay Hoeflinger, Director David • Hunter, Lion Tamer Floyd Gordon, and Secretary Fonda Bowden • Absent: Treasurer Karl Drake • Members Present: Rich King • Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting, February, 2014, were approved. • Treasurer Karl Drake provided reports, via email attachment, through February 28, 2014. The General Fund has $3,085.50, the Charities fund $7,398.55 and the endowment fund has $3,605.64. Board members discussed and agreed it is time to invest the money in the endowment fund. Charlie Osborne will follow up. We also noticed that the estimated budgeted amounts for candy day and tootsie pop day is well above the actual amount we have collected. That will be addressed when the treasurer, outgoing and incoming presidents (budget committee) meet to work up the budget for 2014-15 which begins in July. The Treasurers report was approved as presented. • Rich King has registered our club to participate in the Lions World Relay on Friday, April 4, 2014. It is a 24 hour international event that starts at noon in New Zealand. Clubs around the world will start their lunches at noon in their time zone.

9. Lunch relays will move from time zone to time zone as lions steadily pass the event around the world forming a Lions World lunch relay. Clubs with the most non-members (potential new members) wins. Our Club decided not to collect food items. Sam McGrew will invite Pat Bryan to work on the luncheon theme which will be about volunteering, our invited speaker will talk about volunteering and David Lin and David Hunter will work on pictures/presentations to add to the facebook page (Http://lionsclubs.org/lciworldlunch).Other forms of publicity will be used to get the invitations out to the community to participate. The meeting Friday, April 4 will replace the regular meeting Wednesday, April 2. Friday’s meeting will be at the Windsor of Savoy. Rich King, David Lin and Weldon Garrelts initially formed the committee to plan the event. The 97th International Convention will be in Toronto, Canada, July 4 – 8, 2014. Early registration fee is $110 if received before January 10, 2014. Regular fee is $150 through March 31. After that it is $170. The next Board meeting is April 1. The next business meeting is April 9. Tootsie Pop Days will be May 9 and 10, 2014. The meeting adjourned at 12:55 pm. Respectfully submitted by Fonda Bowden, Secretary March 4, 2014

10. After that, Sam introduced our speaker, 1-E District Governor, Butch Guennewig.

11. Butch never dreamed that as a Lions Governor he would be a Pin Salesman.

12. The Governor’s pin is free and large, so wear one and advertise the Arcola Lions. He was also selling the one advertising the International Convention in Canada.

13. He spoke about the Lions “LeaderDogs” program. Unfortunately, District 1-E has not been very generous, with only $100 donation last year.

14. It costs $35,000 to raise and train a Leader Dog. For someone in our club who might need a dog, it can be provided free.

15. They train with the dog for a couple of weeks.

16. He gave out a Quarters booklet that will hold $5, which is the way Lions will be collecting for LeaderDogs. Please visit the website: Leaderdog.org

17. The Candy Day Jamboree will be held in Arcola. At the State Convention 1-E and 1-L merger will be on the ballot.

18. All districts are expected to have 1,250 members and 35 clubs. We are now below that and are considered a transitional District. This is a problem for several reasons.

19. Governor Butch then presented our Chevron awards.

20. Herb Bail was given the 50 years attendance award. Other awardees were Pedro Heller and Robert Tuchel.

21. The Governor’s banner was then presented to our club.

22. Mister Twister, Tom Yaxley, was prepared to fine some of us but, fortunately we were out of time.

23. “Oh, what a pity!!!”

24. Coming up Mar 12 – Business Meeting, Gordy Hulten – Elections Greeter Tom Yaxley Mar 19 – Marne Fauser - Cebrim Goodwin Teen Institute Mar 26 – Kathleen Marie Spegal - Radio Readers Click here sammcgrew@att.net to email Sam McGrew and let him know what you would like to see in a Lions Club program some time.

25. Thank you for watching Editor Rex Hess Publisher David Hunter To email Dave with your suggestions, click here → hunter4000@comcast.net To go to our website, click here → http://www.champaignlions.org/