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1. Champaign Lion's Chatter (Click here to go to our website) 9 October 2013 Call to Order – President Weldon Garrelts called the meeting to order and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

2. Invocation – David Hunter: Lord, accept our thanks, we pray, for food like this and life today, for cooler breeze and skies like these, for drenching rain and sunny days, Lord of all, accept our praise. Amen. Vittles – Pork chop, creamed potatoes, mixed vegetables, salad and toppings, rolls and butter, strawberry layer cake, tea and coffee.

3. The Windsor also provided some very tasteful decorations

4. Attendance – 22 members, 2 visitors. Guests – Larry (above, guest of Fonda Bowden). 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.

5. Lottery – Kathy Struck won the $12 lottery.

6. Tom Yaxley had won on the second drawing so he was given…

7. some vegetables from Marvin’s gardens.

8. Announcements – Weldon Garrelts announced that Jay Hoeflinger wrote up a nice article about our help with the Women in Transition.

9. Tom Yaxley gave an update on the Football pool and noted our club is 4rd place now; that Paul Kunkel won with 9 right; Frank Duff is in the overall lead by 1.

10. David Lin announced that Candy Day is coming October 11-13. Herb Bail needs someone to pick him up. David now has extra signs and we are now collecting used eyeglasses at the same time.

11. Oct. 5th was the Lions Convention. Rich King reported over 100 in attendance. Van Stone gave a history of Illinois Lions Foundation and the Endowment fund is just over $9,000,000. Lady from the Low Vision Clinic also spoke. A nice acronym for Service was given: S-Supporting; E-Enthusiasm; R- Realistic; V- Values; I- Involving; C- Comforting; E- Encouragement. It was announced that Mike Thomas, UI Athletic Director would speak the day before Thanksgiving.

12. Program – Sam McGrew introduced the speaker, Mr. Nick Elder, Director of Education for Employment #330, a regional delivery system designed to administer the efficient delivery of Career and Technical Education. EFE is an educational cooperative, a not-for-profit entity that functions under the same guidelines as public school systems. Nick lives in Gibson City with his wife and 4 children (including twin 2.5 month old girls). He graduated from Eastern in 2013. The vocational areas of study they are involved in are Agriculture, Business, Family and Consumer Science and Industrial Technology. Their website is: http://www.efe330.org

13. Mr. Elder spoke about the problems within our current educational system, especially the fact that we try to fit everyone into the one size fits all system.

14. Another problem is that vocational area choices are not looked up as being intelligent, or just looked down on by many in society today.

15. He noted, “We are always going to need someone to fix our car.” There will be 55 million job openings; 65% will require post high school training; 35% only need a Bachelor’s degree; 30% need an Associates degree. So he suggested we “need to stop pushing everyone toward the college degree.”

16. He said there is now more student loan debt than credit card debt, which is a big problem because there is over 13% default. Often this is because many do not complete the college degree.

17. He noted that 25% of high school students do not graduate; probably due to lack of career options and being bored. Vocational programs would get these students engaged.

18. “Dirty Jobs” is a TV program that is interesting because it promotes skilled professions and vocational jobs. Unfortunately, getting our hands dirty is now looked down upon and that is a problem.

19. In 2011, $65.5 billion was spent on the lottery, why? Because people hope to win and stop work. Nick said this is wrong, because it is good to have a ‘work’ attitude.

20. However, our curriculum has been legislated to the point where there is no room to innovate and get students involved in vocational courses. His solutions are: 1. True career counselors; 2. Invest more money in vocational education; 3. Make math and reading more contextual.

21. Yogi Berra once said, “You got to know where you are going, otherwise you might not get there.”

22. Tail Twister – Omer Benn asked Pat Bryan to carry the bucket.

23. He fined Kathy Struck for having won the lottery;

24. Rex Hess for being born in Arkansas, whose football team stole the Wisconsin coach and have lost all their games;

25. himself for being so low on the Football guessing.

26. He also auctioned off the rest of Marvin Paulsen’s veggies.

27. fined Rex Hess for bragging about his son Ryan’s engagement to be married;

28. Rich King for bragging again;

29. Sam McGrew;

30. Dave Hunter and Ed Tichenor for comments that were very funny.

31. But since he had forgiven David a fine earlier, Dave forgave…

32. Coming up • Oct 16 - Andrew Wilk - Social problems amwilk01@comcast.net • Greeter: Pedro Heller • Oct 23 - Pork Board Farm and Food • Oct 23 - Pat Titus - Pork Board Farm and Food • 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.

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