November Legacy Projects

Anchorage Mt. McKinley Lions completed and reported a Legacy Level 1 Project:   Lion Michelle worked on the Lions Logo Wrap on the Anchorage Senior Activities Center Van. This is a District 49A project

Chugiak Lions completed and reported a Legacy Level 1 Project:  vision screening

#Lions100
Legacy Projects

Holiday Activities

This time of year, clubs around the state get into action.  Here's where we are for the month of November:

Sharing the Vision

• Kodiak Lions 
• screened at local private schools and had 8 referrals
• purchased a white cane for a young blind man whose can was stolen
• Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions
• screened at seven different locations in Juneau and Southeast for 685 screened and 81 referrals
• Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain Lions
• Screened 93 children at St. John's Orthodox School with 6 screened.  Will follow up with a couple students to ensure they get further vision care.
• Girdwood Turnagain Arm Lions
• Screened at several different schools and events for a total of 957 screened with 168 referred.  
• Used the DMV screener at the Health Fair to screen participants.  
• Anchorage Mabuhay Lions
• Provided assistance during screening at Lake Otis and North Star Elementary.  
• Kachemak Bay Lions
• Screened 47 with 23 referrals at the Homer Health Fair
• Chugiak Lions
• Screened at the Chugiak Elementary School

Engaging Our Youth

• Kodiak
• Worked with three youth groups to assist Kiwanis unload and sell Christmas trees as a service project.  
• Donated to the Kodiak Youth Hockey Club for gear.
• Involved two other service groups, including youth, in the community Christmas Tree Lighting event.
• Kodiak Lions get referrals from schools and local housing projects for kids that may not have proper winter gear and take them shopping!!!  Along with support from Macks, they are able to outfit children with coats, hats, boots, and anything else they need to help them them through the winter.  
• Anchorage Mt. McKinley Lions
• Helped set up and work Family Night
• Donated to Camp K.
• Willow Lions
• Skate Night -- roller skating at local elementary for community.
• Girdwood Turnagain Arm Lions
• Peace Poster event
• Anchorage Mabuhay Lions
• Assisted Mabuhay Leos with their fundraising project -- Christmas ornament making.
• Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions
• Gun safety starts in elementary school in Juneau.  One Lion volunteered his time teaching students about gun safety.
• Soldotna Lions
• Replaced eyeglass collection boxes which the local high school students made.  

Relieving the Hunger

• Anchorage Mabuhay Lions
• Annual Thanksgiving dinner:  Served a scrumptious meal in honor of seniors in the community.  Mabuhay Leos assisted. 
• Kenai Lions
• Cooked and provided breakfast for the alternative high school students.
• Helped at the annual Christmas Comes to Kenai community event.  Gave away 50 gallons of hot chocolate and 700 cookies baked the night before.  Leftovers were given to the LeeShore Center.
• Willow Lions
• Assisted at the local food pantry and distributed food to the community.
• Kodiak Lions
• Donated a $100 Safeway gift card to a young adult
• Helped at a community food drive and accumulated 625 pounds of goods.
• Anchorage Mt. McKinley Lions
• Delivered food boxes to Anchorage residents.
• Girdwood Turnagain Arm Lions
• Worked with several local churches and other service organizations to prepare food for, serve, and bus tables at the community Thanksgiving dinner.  
• Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions
• Donated $400 to Helping Hands, a local food pantry.

Yes, WE SERVE!  Thank you Lions for all the hard work you do in your community all year long!

#Lions100

Centennial Service Activities

Vision Screening in Southeast Alaska

Our Lion year runs July 1 through June 30.  We start the year running, lining up schools, home schools, and pre-schools to offer free vision screening to children.

When we screen a child's eye, we let the PlusOptix screener do the work.  We aren't medical professionals and don't diagnose.  But the computer will identify any abnormalities in a child's eye and give a report of REFER if it found something wrong.

So far this year, the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions have screened at the following locations in Juneau and Southeast Alaska:

• Auke Bay Elementary School (preschoolers):  screened 107 children with 7 referrals
• Infant and Baby Fair:  screened 37 infants and toddlers with 4 referrals
• Faith Community Christian School:  screened 53 children with 14 referrals
• Gastineau Elementary School:  screened 120 preschool, kindergarten, first graders, and miscellaneous other children that had questionable eyesight with 19 referrals
• Glacier Valley Elementary School:  screened 213 children with 42 referrals
• Haines Elementary School, Haines, Alaska:  Screened 137 children with 9 referrals
• Harborview Elementary:  screened 121 preschool to kindergarten with 23 referrals
• Harborview Montesorri:   screened 51 preschool and 1st graders with 3 referrals
• Head Start Faith Lutheran:  screened 37 with 2 referrals
• Head Start Pioneers Home:  screened 15 with 4 referrals
• Head Start Mendenhall School:  screened 15 with 3 referrals
• Juneau Community Charter School:  screened 79 with 14 referrals
• Juneau Co-Op Preschool:  screened 37 with 1 referral
• Raven Home School:  screened 9 with 2 referrals
• Riverbend Elementary:  screened 260 children with 53 referrals
• KEET Elementary, Sitka, Alaska:  screened 354 children with 27 referrals
• Valley Baptist Academy:  screened 79 with 7 referrals
• Wrangell Elementary:  screened 73 children with 17 referrals

Total screened and referred the first half of the Lion year:  1,797 with 251 referrals.

Submitted by Lion Nancy Norton
Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions

#Lions100 Sharing the Vision

Legacy Project: Newtok Water Project

The POWER of Lions...

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Today as we give thanks wanted to pass on one of the things I give thanks for...Lions. And realizing that we as Lions do not do a good job of tooting our horn, am letting everyone know what the Lions of Multiple District 49 did within a few months.

A little background...the Alaskan village of Newtok will become a casualty of erosion within the next year or two and the population of 209 will have to move to higher ground about 9 miles away to a new village named Mertarvik (literally meaning "a place to get water"). What was interesting is that although millions of dollars had already been spent and budgeted for houses, roads, etc., no funding was forthcoming for a way to provide clean water. A water well for the village was drilled and an electric water pump installed but there was no electricity or filtration system in place.

This is where the Lions stepped in...

The Fairbanks Host Lions sponsored two of their members to go around to small villages in the Philippines to assemble and hand out small hand-operated drinking water plants after a typhoon knocked out the ability to get clean water. After returning the Host Lions wanted to do a similar project closer to home and they talked to Jon Dufendach of CampWater Industries who in turn talked to the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC). Although there are 35 villages without clean water, the recommendation was Mertarvik and the Host Lions started running.

The Host Lions presented it to the District 49B cabinet for adopting this as a major Lions Centennial project in March 2016. Next, District 49A was asked to help support and then both the District 49A and 49B Foundations (both 501(c)(3) organizations) tackled this as a joint project.

At the Multiple District 49 convention in April 2016 they started raising the $30,000 needed. Jon Dufendach volunteered his time and CCHRC provided two laborers, not charging us for it. Jon installed a hand pump (remember no electricity there yet), the filtration system, and built a wellhouse the last month of June 2016...this is the POWER of Lions.

We Serve!
Submitted by Ski Marcinkowski
#Lions100

Legacy Level 1: Eyeglass Collection Box

What is a Legacy Project?  

A Legacy Project is a VISIBLE gift to your community.  

A Level 1 project raises your visibility in the community.  

It shines all year long where passerbys can see it and be reminded of just how important your club is to the community.  

Examples of a Legacy Level 1:

donate a park bench where needed

post new Lion signs around town

maintain a town fountain

or, in this case, build some awesome collection boxes for eyeglasses!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Soldotna Lions Club collects used eyeglasses to send to the Lions recycling center in North Pole, Alaska, The eyeglasses collection boxes located at the various locations throughout the community were deteriorated and needed to be replaced. The club's Vision Chair, Jewel Lee Martin, asked the club for approval to have a local high school students in a woodworking shop class, under the direction of their teacher, make new collection boxes out of wood. The club agreed to pay $300.00 to cover material cost and to engage the seven students and their teacher in the project. It took the class a month to make eight beautiful wood collection boxes.

Jewel Lee Martin, Soldotna Lions Vision Chair asked the students and teacher how the club could express thanks for the excellent work that they did with making the collection boxes and the students replied that they would love some pizza which Jewel Lee provided for them.   #Lions100  Protecting Our Environment

We Serve!
Submitted by 
1st VDG Jeannine Morse
Soldotna Lions Club

Legacy Level 1: Flower Pots Down Main Street Seward

What is a Legacy Project?  

A Legacy Project is a VISIBLE gift to your community.  

A Level 1 project raises your visibility in the community.  

It shines all year long where passerbys can see it and be reminded of just how important your club is to the community.  

Examples of a Legacy Level 1:

donate a park bench where needed

post new Lion signs around town

maintain a town fountain

or, in this case, maintain flower pots in the heart of town.  

Lions Dave and Cindy Beardsley

"Seward Resurrection Bay Lions maintain 12 of these flower pots year round.  We plant new flowers in the spring and do weekly clean out, as some people use these for ashtrays and trash bins.  This Legacy Project was started in May 2016."

#Lions100
We Serve!
Submitted by PDG Cindy Beardsley
Seward Resurrection Bay Lions

2nd Quarter Centennial Report

Centennial service activity increased this quarter.  We still have five clubs who have completed all four categories with five other clubs right behind with three categories completed. 

Four Service Areas:

The following clubs have reported centennial service activities in MyLCI with five clubs having completed all four categories:

Engaging our Youth:

Sutton Racing

Wasilla

Palmer

Mountain View

Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions

Kodiak

Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mt.

Anchorage Mt. McKinley

Soldotna

Seward Resurrection Bay

Anchorage Benton Bay Athletics

Anchorage Muldoon

Spendard

Sharing the Vision:

Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mt

Soldotna

Wasilla

Anchorage Muldoon

Anchorage Mabuhay

Spenard

Mt. View

Girdwood Turnagain Arm

Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions

Anchorage Mt. McKinley

Kodiak

Chugiak

Kenai

Palmer

Seward Resurrection Bay

Relieving the Hungry:

Anchorage Mt. McKinley

Palmer

Wasilla

Anchorage Mabuhay

Anchorage Polynesian

Spenard

Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions

Copper River Basin

Kenai

Girdwood Turnagain Arm

Kodiak

Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mt.

Protecting Our Environment:

Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions

Anchorage

Seward Resurrection Bay

Anchorage 1st Hmong

Kodiak

Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mt.

Wasilla

Soldotna

Anchorage Mabuhay

Anchorage Polynesia

Spenard

Legacy Projects: 

A few clubs completed and reported new Legacy projects this quarter; we gained six Level 1 Legacy Projects.   Reminder:  Legacy projects are visible gifts to our community, not generally a gift given to one person, not an event, vision screening, or a financial contribution (unless your club name will go on a plaque to identify your contribution).   

Level 1:   17 completed projects      

Kodiak (7), Soldotna (1), Copper River Basin (2), Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions (1), Eagle River Sleeping

Lady Mt. (2), Sutton Racing (1), Anchorage Mt. McKinley (1), Chugiak (1), Seward Resurrection Bay (1)

Level 2:  4 completed projects

Seward Resurrection Bay, Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions, Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mt., Sutton Racing

Level 3:  1 completed project

Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mt.

 The Gold Rush of Lionism Blog

Continue to update the Centennial blog on a regular basis.  Lionsmd49ab.blogspot.com

People Served: 

So far this year 49A has served 78,996 people. 

  

We Serve!
Lion Nancy Norton

49A Centennial Coordinator

#Lions100

Sharing the Vision: One Pair Eyeglasses At A Time

Seventeen boxes..... two thousand two hundred and fifty four.... Eyeglasses, sunglasses, reading glasses, and cases that is.  That's what the Aurora Borealis Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center in North Pole, Alaska, will be receiving in the next few days.

The two Juneau Lions Clubs collect eyeglasses as a joint effort.  All eyecare centers in Juneau have a collection box and every year in October, we have a Recycle for Sight collection drive.  This effort is a year's worth of collecting.

Lions Mike Norton, Ted Quinn, Soapy Lingle

Once they are received at the North Pole recycle center, Lions and other volunteers will clean them, fix them, label their prescription, and file away until needed.  Every year this recycle center redistributed approximately 30,000 eyeglasses to needy people around the world.  Sharing the Vision.  #Lions100

We Serve!

Lion Nancy Norton
Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions

Centennial Projects September

Clubs are busy in their communities, constantly striving to serve more.  LCI's goal to serve 100 million people by June 30, 2018, has already been met!  Besides increasing membership, we have our four Centennial service activity challenges as well as Legacy Projects to complete.

The following clubs have completed one or more Centennial service activity:  

Engaging Our Youth:
Anchorage Mt. McKinley Lions
Palmer Lions
Mt. View Lions
Anchorage Benton Bay Athletic Lions
Anchorage Muldoon Lions
Sutton Racing Lions

Sharing the Vision:
Anchorage Mt. McKinley Lions
Kenai Lions
Palmer Lions
Mt. View Lions
Soldotna Lions
Anchorage Mabuhay Lions
Anchorage Muldoon Lions

Relieving the Hunger:
Anchorage Mt. McKinley Lions
Kenai Lions
Palmer Lions
Copper River Basin Lions
Anchorage Mabuhay Lions
Girdwood Turnagain Arm Lions
Anchorage Polynesia Lions

Protecting Our Environment:
Anchorage Lions
Soldotna Lions
Seward Resurrection Bay Lions
Anchorage Mabuhay Lions
Anchorage 1st Hmong Lions
Anchorage Polynesia Lions

The following clubs have completed all four of the Centennial Service Activities:

1. Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain Lions
2. Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions
3. Kodiak Lions
4. Wasilla Lions

Clubs that have not reported service activities OR Centennial service activities this year are shown below.  If you believe your Club IS participating in service activities and the Centennial challenges, please talk to your Club President and Secretary:  
Bethel Lions
Eagle River Lions
Juneau Lions
Spenard Lions
Kachemak Bay Lions
Big Lake Lions
Anchorage Latinos Lions
Ballyhoo Lions
Houston Lions
Willow Lions
Anchorage Captain Cook Lions
Kenai Peninsula Racing Lions
Anchorage Racing
Chugiak Lions
Anchorage Alaska Sports Car Lions
Alaska State Sno-X Lions
Bethel Winter House Lions
UAA Aurora Borealis Campus

Legacy Projects:
A Legacy Project is a VISIBLE gift we give our community.  It isn't a financial donation.  It isn't something we "do" every month or every year.  It isn't something we give to one person.  A Legacy Project is a VISIBLE gift we give to OUR COMMUNITY.  If you cannot affix a Centennial Plaque to it, you might want to reconsider if it's a legacy project at all:  

Level 1:
Anchorage Mt. McKinley Lions:  1 project
Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain:  2 projects
Kodiak Lions:  6 projects
Soldotna Lions:  1 project
Copper River Basin:  2 projects
Seward Resurrection Bay Lions:  1 project
Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions:  1 project
Sutton Racing:  1 project

Level 2:
Seward Resurrection Bay Lions:  1 project
Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions:  1 project
Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mt.:  1 project
Sutton Racing:  1 project

Level 3:
Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mt.:  1 project

If you're uncertain whether your projects qualify as a Legacy Project, check out LCI's webpage here.

We Serve!
#Lions100

Centennial Projects

Another month has come and gone and Clubs are busy with their Centennial service projects.  Listed below are the clubs that have completed Centennial service projects for the month of August.  I'd like to note that some clubs, have completed multiple projects for some of the categories.  Thank you!

Kodiak:
Engaging Our Youth
Sharing the Vision
Protecting Our Environment
Relieving the Hunger

Anchorage Mt. McKinley:
Relieving the Hunger
Sharing The Vision
Engaging Our Youth

Anchorage Mabuhay:
Relieving the Hunger

Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions:
Relieving the Hunger
Protecting Our Environment

Soldotna:
Protecting Our Environment

Palmer:
Engaging Our Youth

Anchorage 1st Hmong:
Protecting Our Environment

So far this year, the following clubs have completed all four of the Centennial Service Challenges:
Kodiak
Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions
Wasilla

Legacy Projects:
Kodiak -- Level 1 (dedication of a bench)
Anchorage Mt. McKinley -- Level 1 (donation to Newtok Water Project)
Seward Resurrection Bay -- Level 1 (maintain flower pots)

Club Secretary, please remember to enter your service activities by the end of each month so your club can be recognized.

Thank you for your dedication to serve!

Lion Nancy Norton
49A Centennial Coordinator
#Lions100

Centennial Presentation at 1st Cabinet Meeting

The following report was presented at the 1st Cabinet Meeting on August 13, 2016, in Big Lake, Alaska

Submitted by Lion Nancy Norton

49A Centennial Coordinator

Centennial Service Activities, Legacy Projects, and Reporting in MyLCI

I was asked to talk about our Centennial Service Activities and Legacy Projects today and how to input them into MyLCI. 

Clubs are doing GREAT!  TEN clubs have reported Centennial Service Activities for July and TWO clubs (Wasilla and the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions) have completed ALL FOUR of the challenges already in July!    

Your Club Secretary is responsible for reporting service activities into MyLCI.  But it is up to ALL members of the club to come up with project ideas that qualify for the Centennial challenges and designate them as Centennial Service Activities or Legacy Projects. 

CENTENNIAL SERVICE ACTIVITIES….

The four Centennial Service Challenges are:

1. Engaging Our Youth
2. Sharing the Vision
3. Relieving the Hunger
4. Protecting Our Environment

Even though Engaging Our Youth might be designated for the month of August or Sharing the Vision for October, clubs can do them any time of the year and get credit as a Centennial Service Activity.   Some times we report our event as Engaging Our Youth when it's actually US doing all the work AT a child's event.  Remember:  Engaging Our Youth is about ENGAGING our youth, not DOING FOR OUR YOUTH.  We want our youth to join us on projects, help with the decisions, lead, getting them involved.  They are our next leaders.  

Some times an activity might fall under two different categories.  Each Club can choose the category that best suits them.  For instance, some clubs designate eyeglass recycle as Protecting Our Environment because they're keeping eyeglasses out of the landfill; others as Sharing the Vision because they're giving the gift of sight.  Neither is wrong; both are correct.  

As your Centennial Coordinator, I have the ability to go into your club accounts and see what you’re doing.   Most are doing a great job of reporting your activities and especially your Centennial Service Activities.  A few might report, but then forget to designate that it’s a Centennial Service Activity.  And some haven’t input any service activities for years…  For those Clubs, I'm here to help.  

How are service activities different from Centennial Service Activities?  Not all service activities qualify as a Centennial Service Challenge.  For instance, the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions collects Boxtops logos.  Although these clipped logos are going to be turned into a school, they don't have anything to do with children or any of the four categories so it will be reported as a regular service activity.

If your service activity qualifies as a Centennial activity, you have to DESIGNATE it as one.  Click on Select Type (as shown in the picture below) to get a drop down menu of your activity options:  

The next screen shows different Activity Types to choose from as you scroll down.  Note that some options have changed recently.   

Again, a project might fall under one or two different categories; pick the one that best suits your club.  

The next step in reporting your Centennial project is to make the selection in the Centennial Challenge Box at the bottom of the picture.  By designating one of these options, you're notifying LCI of your project:  

Legacy Projects -- What qualifies and how to report them in MyLCI. 

A Legacy Project is a VISIBLE GIFT to your community that commemorates our Centennial and creates a lasting legacy of your service contributions. 

and

Also, that all Legacy Projects should be identified with a sign or plaque indicating the project was donated by your Lions Club. 

Note:  The LCI store has plaques specific for the Centennial that you can purchase. 

There’s a couple key words there -- VISIBLE GIFT and IDENTIFYING YOUR PROJECT WITH A SIGN. 

I will venture to guess that a Legacy Project will be:

• A NEW project, not something you do over and over again.
• It will be a project that your club has given great thought and consideration to before agreeing that it, indeed will have great impact on your community.
• It most likely will not be a financial donation.
• It won't benefit just one person.
• It will be something tangible, that others will see, use, and enjoy for years to come.
• It might be something so incredible that when others see it, they will be reminded just how much your Lions Club does for your community.  

Three Levels of Legacy Projects:

LEVEL 1 is very simple to accomplish and one all clubs should have no problem doing.  These projects Raise your community visibility:

• If your down does not have a "Lions" sign at your city limits, get one!  
• Provide a park bench in memory of a local Lion that has passed on.
• If nothing else, plant a tree at a local senior center.  

Level one projects are simple to do.  They're quick and cost will be minimal.  All Clubs should be able to accomplish a Level 1.  

LEVEL 2 Legacy Project Provide a community gift:

• Refurbish a city park or playground.
• Donate a vehicle to a community organization.
• Build a footbridge or construct bleachers at a ball park.  
• The Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions brought the USS Juneau Presentation Silver back home where it resides in the City Museum.  

These projects will be more INVOLVED, may take more time to coordinate with government agencies to complete, and have a larger cost.  

LEVEL 3 Legacy Projects will make a community impact:

• Build a clinic.
• Develop a training center.
• Equip an area of a hospital

Our Newtok Water Project will be a Level 3 as will the Blond Bank if they get reported into MyLCI as such.  These projects are HUGE.  The impact is HUGE.  And the cost is HUGE.  These projects don't happen overnight or during one meeting.  

As you can see, Legacy Projects are visible gifts to your community.  

You're making an impact on your community.

You've given this great consideration.

Your Club has agreed that this would be a great legacy to your community.

You've planned and budgeted.

You've contacted all the parties that will help this project go forward.

You've created a timeline to get the project done.

You've got your volunteers.

You've notified your local newspaper that you're doing this incredible legacy project.

You've advertised on Facebook and other social media.

You've submitted a PSA to your paper.  

You have your work party.

You have your finished product.

Now what....?

You report your project in MyLCI.  

As mentioned, this is the job of your secretary, but if she is unable to report your activities, the President should designate someone else to do the reporting.  It's that important.

Remember that when you enter your Legacy Project, you can also qualify for one of the four Centennial Service Challenges.  For instance, if you PLANT A TREE, it qualifies for PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT and a LEGACY LEVEL 1 project.

You can select the service activity in the Activity Type drop down menu as well as your Legacy Level.   SEE EXAMPLE  below.   But you can only select one.  I’d select the Legacy Project in this step and then go to the next example to enter Centennial Service Activity Challenge (in the box in the bottom of the screen -- Protecting Our Environment.  You’ve covered them both.

So, to reiterate. . . .  Your Secretary is responsible for entering your Centennial Service Activities and Legacy Projects into MyLCI on a monthly basis.  In order for us to achieve the Centennial Challenge of serving 100 million people, it's important that we report "people served" as well as our Centennial challenge and legacy activities.

It's that simple.  A couple reminders:

1. July 1 we started over with our Challenge for activities.  So even if you did challenges, starting July 1, starts a new year.
2. You can do as many Centennial service activities as you want!
3. You can do as many Legacy Projects as you want!  
4. If your Club is a 100% Contributing Member, you can report your contribution in MyLCI and select one of the four challenges to cover it.  If you don't think you'll get a Protecting Our Environment challenge done this year and if your club donates to the 100% Contribution Member, select Protecting Our Environment.  

For any questions, please contact me at mikennancy@gci.net.

#Lions100

Mertarvik Well Project Committee Report

The following was presented at the District 49A 1st Cabinet Meeting
August 13, 2016
Big Lake, Alaska

You Lions did it again.  There was a need that could not be solved by any other organization.  As background, the land at the village of Newtok is slowly getting eroded away.  They have selected a new site, have funds allocated to help move families to the new site, but have not been able to release those funds because there was not a suitable water supply.  Lions Bennie Benievento and Yvonne Temple of the Fairbanks Host Lions started working the issue and asked 49A for assistance since Newtok (Mertarvik) is in our area.  Roughly $30,000 was requested to put in a suitable pump at Mertarvik.  By the Multiple District Convention, over $25,000 of that goal had been raised and the project was a go.

In June, the pump was installed at a cost of $29,489.11 by Jon Dufendock, Camp Water Industries, and Aaron Cook, Cold Climate Housing Research Center and their crews.  The well is now functional and with the new pump can produce up to 5 gallons a minute.  Based on field test data, the water appears to meet the water quality standards to be a community well.  The water quality still needs to be confirmed with laboratory tests.  As of my last accounting, District 49A has raised $13,106; District 49B, including Host Lions, has raised $14,003.73; leaving $2,379.27 that still needs to be raised to cover the costs currently being carried by Jon Dufendock.  District 49B has identified a little over $1,000 that may be available but there still are funds that need to be raised.

Lion Andrea Meeks, Benton Bay Lions, is personally following the project and working with Newtok, the Denali Commission, and Dowl Engineering to make sure certification of the water system is approved for community use.  This will allow FEMA to release their appropriated funds to assist the village in their move.

We are currently looking into requesting an LCIF grant along with District 49B to help other villages that need to move with water issues that they may encounter during the process.

Respectfully Submitted,
Lion Larry Helgeson
Chairperson Mertarvik Water Project
#Lions100 -- Protecting Our Environment -- Legacy Level III

New Mountains to Climb, Part II... Leadership

In Part I of New Mountains to Climb, we compared mountains with challenges and needs of our community. The more mountains we climb, the more people we serve.

But most of us don't wake up in the morning and decide to climb a mountain range!  So how do so many people get served?

Good leadership.

According to International President Bob Corlew's theme paper, "Leadership is vision, knowledge, drive, confidence, optimism, openness, humanity, and caring.  It is direction and guidance that inspires dedication, confidence, and achievement.  Leadership is required to inspire and bring out the best in people.....  A leader must inspire others, and instill passion and direction to an individual or group of individuals."  

As we lead, we inspire others to learn and become leaders.  The more leaders, the more mountains we can climb.  "One key to our future is succession planning -- ensuring an adequate pool of knowledgeable, capable, enthusiastic, forward-thinking Lions leaders who will guide and support us for years to come."

"To climb to the top of a mountain, you need the right tools.  You also need the right tools to become an effective leader."  

LCI has many different training programs and resources to help us get the training we need to be that leader to take members over the next summit.   If you haven't already, check out the list of Webinars LCI has to offer or the Lions Learning Center.  Our District also offers training and attending the Mid-Winter Conference or Multiple District Convention might be just what you need to climb the next mountain.  Remember, the more mountains we climb, the more people we can serve.  #Lions100

New Mountains to Climb, Part I

Have you read the July/August issue of the Lion Magazine?  Or read International President Chancellor Bob Corlew's theme on-line?  If not, you must.

According to International President Corlew, "Climbing a mountain is used as a metaphor for many daily situations people confront.  It represents something that is difficult and arduous and that takes maximum effort to scale.  But it is only by climbing those mountains that we ever excel to our fullest. Each mountain represents a new challenge--a new opportunity."

We all face challenges, some times daily, some more than others.  But one thing Lions have in common is our ability to see past our own struggles and challenges to help others in need.  We must continue to climb these mountains, finding new ways to serve not only our community but others around the world.  "Every mountain represents a new opportunity for Lions, and scaling each mountain provides each of us a chance to make the world better for another person."  And here, in Alaska, we aren't lacking for mountains to climb!

Have you ever considered what your town would be like if not for the Lions' presence?  Probably not. But take a minute to think about it or discuss at your next Club meeting.  What club projects have had the most impact in your community?

As part of our Centennial Celebration, we've been asked to do three simple things:

1. Participate in the four centennial service activity areas:  Engaging our Youth, Sharing the Vision, Relieving the Hunger, Protecting Our Environment.
2. Create Legacy Projects.
3. Increase Membership.

Clubs are doing an awesome job participating in these areas, but now is not the time to stop.  The four centennial service activity areas are easy to do but clubs are struggling with Legacy projects.  

Legacy projects are visible and permanent gifts that will remind your community of all the great work your club performs every time they walk by the object or use it.  For instance, a park bench, a fountain, a new playground park for the children, a medical center, a sports field, a library for our children or senior citizens, or a Lions sign that welcomes visitors to your town and lets them know that mountains are being climbed.  You can plant one tree or a forest of trees; provide bus stop shelters; bike racks; or statues.  

Climb that mountain!  Connect with your community in a way you never have before!  

In International President Corlew's story, he writes, "We know from focus group surveys of non-Lions that our Lions logo is one of the most widely recognized among non-profit groups."  Knowing this, let's be sure that our Lions logo is prominently displayed as a permanent part of your Legacy project.

It is Lions Clubs International goal to serve 100 million people by June 30, 2018.  How will they know if we meet that goal?  By monitoring what individual clubs enter into MyLCI.  The four centennial service activities NEED TO BE SELECTED for each activity.  If you do a new Legacy project, that, too, NEEDS TO BE SELECTED in MyLCI.  

It's time for all Clubs to consider what you want your Legacy to be in your home town.....  What will your's be?  #Lions100   Presidential Theme 2016-2017.

July Centennial Service Activities

Can we say AWESOME??!!  Clubs in 49A started the new Lion year out busy!

• Soldotna
• Sharing the Vision:  Picked up 62 pair of used eyeglasses from collection boxes around town and shipped them to the recycle center in North Pole.
• Palmer
• Engaging our Youth:   In the planning stages for their Special Santa Project.
• Engaging Our Youth:  Play 60 with the Seahawks, an event designed to encourage children to get out and play 60 minutes a day.  
• Relieving the Hunger:  Helped at a food bank.  
• Engaging Our Youth:  Big Brothers and Big Sisters golf outing and fundraiser.  
• Wasilla
• Sharing the Vision:   Vision screening at the Ptarmigan Health Fair.
• Engaging Our Youth:  Play 60 with the Seahawks, an event designed to encourage children to get out and play 60 minutes a day.  
• Relieving the Hunger:  Senior Meals on Wheels
• Protecting Our Environment:  Collected 200 inkjet cartridges.  Funds raised will support the PET scooter project.  
• Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions
• Relieving the Hunger:  Donated food items to a local food pantry.  
• Sharing the Vision:  Collected used eyeglasses from collection sites.  Provided $189 in financial assistance for an eye exam.  
• Protecting Our Environment:  Set up collection boxes around town and collected 25 cartridges.  
• Relieving the Hunger:  Weekly help at the local food bank.  
• Protecting Our Environment:  Litter pick up.
• Engaging Our Youth:  Assisted the Boy Scout Troop that the club sponsors at the annual concession booth for those in the parade staging area.  
• Sutton Racing
• Engaging Our Youth:  Motocross Race where members and youth of Sutton put on a race for all to compete in and the community to enjoy.  
• Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain
• Engaging Our Youth:  Hair and face painting booth at the 3rd of July booth. 
• Sharing the Vision:  Bear Paw Parade.  We pulled our Vision Trailer in the Bear Paw parade, pulled small wagons filled with candy and passed out treats along the parade route. Thousands of bystanders along the 3 mile walk cheered us on and thanked us for all we do in the community!  
• Engaging Our Youth:  Chamber Luncheon.  Start of Bear Paw we attended Chamber luncheon and donated 2 community scholarships for outstanding community service! We reviewed 13 portfolio's and essays to choose 2 outstanding students for their volunteering in our community. This is done annually during our Bear Paw festival.  
• Sharing the Vision:  Vision screening at the 3rd of July event.  
• Anchorage Mt. McKinley
• Relieving the Hunger:  FISH Golf tournament.  Four members participated in a golf tournament to support FISH.  
• Relieving the Hunger:  Donated $1,000 to Food Bank of Alaska.
• Relieving the Hunger:  Delivered food boxes to the needy.  
• Sharing the Vision:  Members volunteered at Campabilities, a camp for the blind.
• Mountain View
• Engaging our Youth:  East High School Football Players volunteer at the Mt View Lions Community Park.  59 East High School students participating in the football program plus a dozen coaches and parents volunteered with 13 Mt View Lions in various improvement projects at Mt View Lions Community Park. The boys and girls replaced boards on the bleachers surrounding the baseball fields, painted park equipment, cleaned bear-resistant trash containers, mowed & trimmed the park. Activities lasted over five hour including a lunch break of hamburgers & hot dog with lots of delicious & festive picnic fixings. The East High School students totally enjoyed working around the park and the Mt View Lions loved the help! 

Two clubs have already completed all four Centennial Service Challenges in the first month!  

#Lions100

We Serve!

Our Centennial Service challenge of serving 100 million people has almost been met!  We Serve!

This shows that only 59% percent of clubs worldwide are engaged in this project....  I suspect many are doing the projects, serving their community, but NOT entering their service activities in MyLCI OR they are entering them but not selecting the challenge.  You have to select which challenge you've completed in order for it to count.

We, too, have some clubs that haven't input centennial service projects since we started in 2014-2015; nine clubs to be exact.  Why is that?  I know they're busy, some of our busiest clubs!  By not ensuring their service activities are entered into MyLCI as a centennial service challenge, they are denying "people served" to our centennial efforts.  

If you need help with MyLCI, please contact me at mikennancy@gci.net.

We Serve
Lion Nancy Norton
49A Centennial Coordinator

Golden Days Parade in Fairbanks

2016 Golden Days Parade in Fairbanks, Alaska

The float will have vision screening, feeding the hungry, serving youth, and protecting our environment.

 Almost all 16 Fairbanks area Lions Clubs showed up for the parade.  

Thanks to Fairbanks Host Lions for setting this up. 

#Lions100

Centennial Convention in Chicago

It’s time to start thinking about our 100 Year Centennial Celebration!   I wanted to share that LCI has the registration on-line now for our Centennial Celebration in Chicago June 30 thru July 4, 2017. 

 

Early Registration through January 13, 2017 will be $130.  From January 13 thru March 31, 2017, registration is $180, so you’ll save quite a bit by registering early.  Too, there’s over 20 states whose delegate hotel is the same as ours (MD49) so you’ll want to register early in order to be in the same hotel as the rest of us! 

 

You can click here to access the LCI Centennial Celebration page INCLUDING THE REGISTRATION LINK:  http://lcicon.lionsclubs.org/EN/about-lcicon/index.php

 

If you are a Facebook user, the link to the host club is:  https://www.facebook.com/lions2017chicago/  They are posting convention brochures and other information. #Lions100

 

Lion Nancy Norton

49A Centennial Coordinator

Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions

Centennial End Of Year Report

Our 2015-2016 Centennial Challenge is about over.  A big THANKS to Anchorage Mt. McKinley, Kenai, Kodiak, Palmer, Soldotna, Spenard, Copper River Basin, Kachemak Bay, Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions, Anchorage Mabuhay, Anchorage Benton Bay Athletic, Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain, and Willow for completing all 4 of the Centennial Service Challenges! 

 

And with recent entries into MyLCI, MD49A has reported 13 Legacy Projects! 

• Kodiak:  5 Level 1 projects
• Soldotna:  1 Level 1 project
• Copper River Basin:  2 Level 1 projects
• Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions:  1 Level 1 and 1 Level 2 projects
• Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain:  1 Level 1, 1 Level 2, and 1 Level 3 projects

For those clubs who haven’t completed all four service areas, it’s not too late to report Legacy Projects or Centennial Service Projects and get recognition this year!  Your deadline is July 15, however, so please share with your club secretary and make sure any Centennial Service Challenge projects or Legacy projects your club has done this year have been entered into MyLCI!  Remember that a Legacy Project is a “visible gift” to your community.  Click HERE for more on Legacy Projects that was written on June 22. 

 

Also, a reminder to share the Centennial Blog, The Gold Rush of Lionism, with your members.  Click here for the address:  http://lionsmd49ab.blogspot.com/  I try to update regularly and appreciate any input and articles you care to share with me regarding your Centennial activities. 

 

Thank you for all your club does to serve your communities! #Lions100

 

Lion Nancy Norton

49A Centennial Coordinator

Getting Our Youth Involved

August is Engaging Our Youth month.  More specific, August 8-14 is Worldwide Week of Service to Youth.  This week is dedicated to mentoring, empowering, and engaging youth through community service and is designed to inspire the next generation of volunteers.

Most clubs are involved in youth programs throughout the year from helping at a youth event to teaching bicycle safety to cleaning gardens.

August is a time to host a project that engages youth in your community.  It's not too late to sponsor a Peace Poster contest or organize a new Leo Club or just invite youth to serve alongside you in a hands-on project.  The Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions club offers free coffee and pastries as parade participants wait in the staging area.  The Boy Scouts take the thermos of coffee and pastries around to them.

Here's some more ideas:

1. Organize a youth forum to highlight topics that youth have identified as critical community issues.
2. Designate a portion of club funds to be used for youth-led service projects.
3. Implement the Youth Camp & Exchange Program in your district.
4. Establish a mentor project with tech-savvy youth to teach older adults technology skills.
5. Organize a job fair to help young people identify their career goals.

We Serve!

#Lions100

Getting Your Fingernails Dirty

Ballyhoo Lions Club recently finished a project with the school children (Engaging Our Youth). They cleaned and graded their oriental garden.  This was an 8-hour community service project.

#Lions100

We Serve!

Legacy Projects in MD49A

It's exciting to see what legacy projects clubs are coming up with in MD49!   So far the following clubs have reported legacy projects:

Level 1:  Raising your Community Visibility

• Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain Lions has selected their annual Easter Egg Hunt that the town looks forward to each year.  
• Copper River Basin Lions has selected two situations where they provided financial assistance for eye exams and eyeglasses to two individuals.  
• Soldotna planted a tree.
• Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions planted a tree.

Level 2:  Provide a Community Gift

• Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions brought back the USS Juneau Presentation Silver where it resides at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum.
• Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain Lions selected their annual Valentine Dinner Scholarship event.  

Level 3:  Make a Community Impact

• Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain Lions selected their Tree of Giving over Christmas.  

As you can see, Legacy projects come in all forms.  What you need to remember when making your selection is that Legacy projects are visible gifts you make to your community that commemorate our Centennial and create a lasting legacy of your service contributions.  Your Legacy project will serve as a reminder of just how important your club is to the community.

Promote Your Legacy Project: Your Legacy Project is an opportunity to showcase your project and club to the community. These tips can help you maximize this great PR opportunity:

• Dedication Ceremony:  Host a dedication or ribboncutting ceremony and invite your community and media to attend. 
• Social Media:  Share your project on social media and ask your community to share photos at the site of your Legacy Project. Use the hashtag #Lions100 on all your Centennial posts. 
• Local Media:  Send out a press release or ask a reporter to help tell your story. 

Report Your Legacy Project:  Be sure to report your Legacy Project using the MyLCI Service Activity Report, under the Community and Culture activity type. Clubs can earn a special banner patch, and select projects will be featured on the LCI website, social media and LION Magazine.

Here's some ideas for each level to get you started:

Level 1:
Raise Your Community Visibility 

• Post new Lions signs 
• Donate a park bench 
• Dedicate a statue 
• Sponsor a fountain in a local park 

Level 2:
Provide a Community Gift

• Refurbish a park or playground 
• Build a footbridge over a busy road 
• Fund resources for the visually impaired 
• Donate a vehicle to a community organization

Level 3:
Make a Community Impact

• Build a clinic 
• Expand a library or school 
• Develop a training center 
• Equip an area hospital

#Lions100

We Serve!

A Crimson King for the VFW

Gardening is good for what ails you.  Dirt under the fingernails.  A sore back.  It's all good.

Today a few of us gathered for some laughs, a good time, and planted a tree at the local VFW/American Legion Post while at it!  

Glacier Gardens donated this exceptional 8' Crimson King Maple tree so we could honor our veterans.  

Lion Donna Hurley spearheaded this project along with Lion Tom Dawson who's a member of the Post.

This is a Centennial Legacy Project, Level 1!  #Lions100

#Lions100, Protecting our Environment

We Serve!

Lion Nancy Norton

Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club

Fish Fish and More Fish!

The Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.... The rainbow being the Alaska Seafood Company in Juneau and the pot of gold being fish and wild game that had been processed but never claimed.

Pastor Tari receiving a week's supply.

Every year tourists come to Juneau and fish and hunt but often leave their sport-caught fish and wild game behind.

Their loss is the Mendenhall Flying Lions gain.

This season we received 40 cases of canned fish and approximately 1,500 pounds of frozen fish and wild game that was re-distributed to food pantries around town.

Recipients of our distribution included Southeast Alaska Food Bank, Helping Hands food pantry, The Glory Hole (kitchen for the homeless), and Shepherd of the Valley Church food pantry.

For the past eight weeks, two Lions would load up frozen fish and deliver it in time for that week's pantry hours.

Thank you Lions Tom Dawson and Hari Dev Khalsa for your dedication and efforts to feed the hungry.  #Lions100, Feeding the Hungry

We Serve!
Lion Nancy Norton
Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions