HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY LION HARPER

On Tuesday, January 25, I had the opportunity to share in the celebration of Lion Harper Handshaw's 100th Birthday. The Harrisburg Noon Lions transformed their meeting into a wonderful party for one of their own. Cake , ice cream, balloons, and of course, singing. Lion Harper was born January 26, 1911. He grew up in Middle Springs, close to Shippensburg, the son of a farmer. Lion Harper shared with us a few stories of childhood and his work life. He became a Lion in 1943. For almost 7 decades, Lion Harper has given of his time for others. He sponsored his son, Lion Jim, in 1989. Lion Harper is an inspiration for all of us. His closing comments speak true. He felt that the Lions Club gave more to him than he gave to them. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. WE SERVE.

MARYSVILLE OPEN HOUSE

On Saturday, January 22, the Marysville Lions, Lioness, and Leos teamed up to showcase the many services and opportunities they provide in their community by holding at Open House. Lion James and I traveled up to check it out. The room was filled with many displays, Boy Scouts, Baseball, Carnival, etc. District Chairpersons also made themselves available for the occasion. LCIF, Leader Dog, Sight Conservation, Diabetes Bowlathon, to name a few. The KidSight Vision Screening team were setup to provide free screenings as well. Soup, cookies, drink were on the menu for refreshments. The room was a buzz with discussions, interaction, laughter. Thanks to all who organized, participated, cooked, helped in some way with this great event. From what I saw, everyone had a RROOAARRIINNGG GOOD TIME.

Webinar Training

You are never too old to learn a new thing or to find a new way to learn. Last night I paricipated in a webinar training developed by Lions Clubs International. THe topic was on Zone Chairpersons, their responsibilities and duties. I found out about the webinar on LCI website. This is a new approach to training, by having the information come to your home instead of you traveling to a training. Two presenters provided clear information on the role of Zone Chairperson. When I signed up, I received by email a work booklet to print off. The webinar followed along the booklet, filling in the general outline given. There was opportunity to participate, answer questions as well. Resources were noted as well as the Manual available for Zone chairs. It was an hour long that moved quickly. The next upcoming webinar is : Managing Service Projects. I would encourage you to check out this great way of learning from your own desk. it is available for anyone to sign up and there is no cost. You are provided clear direction in how to connect to the webinar and follow along with the class. Give it a try.

CEP Training

On January 8, Central Region (Districts c, D, G, L, T) held a training to learn about CEP (Club Excellence Process). it was facilitated by PID Gary Fry, from Iowa. 65 Lions were in attendance, including several from 14-T. Thanks to those Lions who dedicated a Saturday to this vital training. The Club Excellence Process (CEP) was developed by Lions Clubs International to help existing Clubs improve, strengthen, gain membership, and provide better service to their communities. The Process is divided into four steps: discussion of what makes an excellent Club, Community Needs Assessment, How Are Your ratings (survey taken by current members),, and finally a goal and action plan development. This information would be useful to every Club in our District. I have asked Club Presidents to share this information with the Board and Club Members. Contact me of your interest in having a trained facilitator guide you through the steps.

NE PA LIONES EYE BANK

Thanks to the 47 Lions, Lioness, family and friends that participated in the bus trip to Bethlehem on December 11. All were on time throughout the day which kept us on schedule for our many events. We departed Harrisburg around 8:45AM for the Eye Bank. When we arrived they were ready for us. We were divided into several groups for smaller tours. Every nook and cranny was explored in the 3 story 15,000 square foot facility. Questions were answered, a history of the Eye Bank explained, visual of the corneas arriving, the testing completed, and finally methods of shipping out were discussed. Staff were knowledgeable, friendly, and appreciative of our support. Tid bits of information we learned that day: the Eye Bank began in 1957 in the basement of a LION. It has been in various locations until moving to present address May 2009. The Eye Bank serves 9 Districts, 32 counties. It is open 24 hours a day/365 days a year. 56% of PA transplants come from this Eye Bank. They begin by supplying local hospitals within their service area, continue to other Eye Bank needs within the US and finally to needs outside of the US. Tissue is also used for research and training. Their belief is that no tissue is wasted. Last year 2100 individuals regained threir sight through a transplabt from this facility. Thanks to your generosity, we presented a check to the Executive director from 14-T (funds from District Projects). After a delicious lunch, we boarded the bus and headed to the Sands Casino for the afternoon. Most people came away a winner, even if it were a few bucks. We then picked up our tour guide who directed us through the city, admiring the beautiful lights and learning the history of the town. it was a long, fun filled, information learning, day. Thank you again for helping me to accomplish the goal of visiting the NE PA Eye Bank.

Harrisburg Holiday Parade

District 14-T Lions ROARED along the streets of Harrisburg as we participated in the Holiday Parade on November 20. Thanks to PDG Sam and Lion for suppling the means of transportation and seats (trailer with straw bales). Thanks to Lion John for organizing the event. We were small in numbers, but great in enthusiasm and spirit. It provided us an opportunity to get the word out about Lions, our mission as well as the fun we have together. Check out the parade Thanksgiving Day on WHTM-27 beginning at 10:00AM. WAHOO

ROAD TRIP TO NEW JERSEY

On Wednesday, November 17, Lion Jim and Lioness Becky Neidigh, Lion James and myself took a day road trip to the New Jersey Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center located in West Trenton, New Jersey. We arrived at Jim and Becky's home around 9:00AM. Jim was ready to empty his basement out of glasses. We filled the van full of boxed glasses; typed in our destination in the GPS and we were off. The majority of the way was on the PA and NJ Turnpike. We did have one detour, due to heavy wind damage at the local airport. A few small planes had overturned and there were metals pieces and insulation from roofs everywhere at the exit we were to get off. So taking the scenic route, we found the Katzenbach School for the Deaf with no problem. The Eyeglass Center is located on the school grounds in a large warehouse building. 1stVP Lion Al welcomed us, and along with a few other volunteers quickly unloaded our treasures. They were appreciative of the glasses as they were in need of "raw material" to work with in the coming days. Lion Al gave us the grand tour through the facility. Best to describe it is "Organized Chaos". Glasses to be sorted at one end, glasses to be washed, elsewhere, glasses to be categorized, glasses categorized, and finally glasses to be shipped out. The Center utilizes students from the school to help with some steps. They also take glasses to three prisons, for inmates to work on. This provides opportunity for many to gice back through community service. The Center is a state project of MD 16 New Jersey. Glasses are shipped primarily to Central America. They are in need of sunglasses because of the amount of sun in these countries. They also accept plain lens. They are matched up and placed in donated frames that companies no longer want. This was a great experience for all of us in learning the steps after glasses are collected. Thanks to Lion Jim for making the suggestion to me. It also provides Lions to continue to stay in control of the glasses. Each box shipped out is proudly stamped with the LIONS Logo. So continue to gather those glasses and perhaps, in the spring, another road trip, will be organized.