Centennial Legacy Projects

We have a couple Clubs reporting on their Centennial Legacy Projects!

The Soldotna Lions report that they have completed all the Centennial service activities and decided to purchase and display a Soldotna Lions sign welcoming people entering the Soldotna city limits.  They are looking at other projects they can do as well.  Remember:  You can do as many Legacy Projects as you want!

The Anchorage Benton Bay Athletic Lions participated in Project Homeless Connect where they gave away four bags and two boxes of reading glasses to the homeless.  Great idea!

Remember to leave your legacy!

Let me know what YOUR Club is doing!  #Lions100

We Serve!
Lion Nancy Norton
49A Centennial Coordinator
mikennancy@gci.net 

#Lions100

#LIONS100.   It's all Greek to me, but I'm told that if we include this symbol on all our Centennial-related news articles, web and blog posts, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, that Lions everywhere will be able to see what we're doing!

Don't forget!
#LIONS100

Donate to LCIF

Did you know that if your club donates to Lions Club International Foundation, that can be counted towards any one of the Centennial Service Challenges?

Yes, according to LCI, "one unrestricted donation to LCIF per fiscal year will count toward CSC recognition."

Secretaries:  Be sure to choose "Donations to LCIF" in your Activity Type and then the CSC Campaign your club chooses for the donation.

#Lions100

Lunch at the Glory Hole

As part of the World Wide Week of Service, Fight Hunger and Poverty, the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions provided and served lunch at our local emergency shelter.

Lions Tom Dawson, Mukhya and Hari Dev Khalsa, and Donna Hurley

Lion Donna Hurley was the lead on this project and did a super job!  Our menu was simple but delicious:  baked King Salmon, balsamic rice, peas, Hawaiian rolls, and applesauce and peaches for dessert.  

Lion Tommy Dawson

A huge thank you to Jerry's Meats for giving us a good discount on fresh caught winter King!  

Lions Hari Dev Khalsa, Tom Dawson, and Mukhya Khalsa

We served about 30 men and women, some coming back for thirds!  And who could blame them!  We had planned for many more so had plenty to spare.  

Lions couldn't remember if we've ever served at this homeless/emergency shelter before so it is a good "first" and one I hope we consider doing over and over again.  

We Serve!

Lion Nancy Norton
#LIONS100

What Will Your Club's Legacy Be?

Clubs work hard at being Lions.  We take "We Serve" to heart, and seriously.  Where there's a need, there will be a Lion.

Lions Clubs International has a new Centennial Service Challenge--the Legacy Project.  This project will serve as a reminder to your community all that Lions do for them.

Your Club's Legacy Project can be anything, but here's some ideas to get you thinking:

LEVEL ONE:  Raise your community visibility

• Post new Lion signs
• Donate a park bench
• Install a bike rack

LEVEL TWO:  Provide a community gift

• Refurbish a park or playground
• Establish a community garden
• Provide medical equipment

LEVEL THREE:  Make a community impact

• Build a clinic
• Expand a library
• Develop a training center

Some Clubs are already moving forward with a Legacy Project like the Soldotna Lions Club who plan on purchasing and displaying a Soldotna Lions Club sign welcoming people entering the city limits.  Let me know what YOUR Club is planning!

All Legacy Projects should be identified with a sign or plaque indicating the project was donated by your Lions Club.  They can be purchased at the LCI Store.  

You can read all about the Legacy Project HERE.

#Lions100

No One Should Go to Bed Hungry....

No one should go to bed hungry....

The question to ask your club is, "are there people in our community who are going to bed hungry?"  If so, what can you do about it?

Feeding the hungry, ensuring children have enough to eat, isn't something we do one time a year. The needy aren't just hungry at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Children shouldn't leave school on Friday and spend the weekend hungry because there's no food in the house.

Most clubs are active in "feeding the needy" but can we do more?  Here's some ideas in case you want to pursue other projects:

1. Volunteer to deliver prepared meals to elderly citizens.
2. Organize a feeding program at a local school to provide healthy, nutritious meals.
3. Serve meals at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
4. "Adopt" a family that is struggling to put food on their table.  Take them shopping for fruit and vegetables.
5. Organize an event to benefit the food bank in your community; use cans of food as admission.
6. Hold a hunger walk and use proceeds to buy food for a children's shelter.
7. Create snack packages to be distributed to children in need.
8. Pick up donations of fresh food items for a women's or children's shelter.
9. Accompany and assist a person who is blind with food shopping.
10. Collect infant formula and baby food for an organization serving young mothers at risk.
11. Invite a local food bank representative to speak at a club meeting.

For more great ideas, click HERE. 

When you're done, remember to enter your service activity into MyLCI and select the appropriate category under Activity Type.  This way LCI will know what we're doing and how many people we are serving.  #Lions100

We Serve!

Relieving the Hunger

January is Relieving the Hunger Campaign.

Does your club have a project planned for this month?  If not, you might consider a project that fills the Relieving the Hunger Centennial Service Challenge.  Even though the month is half over, it doesn't take much to plan a food drive for your local food bank or pantry. Some other ideas are cooking at your local homeless shelter, checking with your local school district to see if they have a program where they feed the children, or distributing food baskets to the needy.  There's so many ways we can contribute to this service challenge.  Click HERE for more ideas.  And remember, feeding the hungry isn't something we do one time a year.  Consider expanding your Relieving the Hunger campaign to quarterly activities.

Remember to enter your activity into MyLCI Service Activities and designate it as a Relieving the Hunger signature activity!

For more information on how to participate in this campaign, click HERE.

We Serve!
#Lions100

Centennial Activities for MD49A: December 2015

Lions were busy in December!  The list below was taken from MyLCI and shows those activities clubs have identified as being a signature activity.  It's important that Clubs input their service activities, especially the four Centennial Challenge activities so your hard work can be recognized!  Thank you for all you do!

Relieving the Hunger Campaign

• Copper River Basin:  Donated and distributed 30 Holiday food baskets to the needy over Christmas.
• Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain:  Donated to the Elks to help purchase food for Christmas baskets; helped cook, serve, and clean up for annual Community Christmas dinner.
• Girdwood Turnagain Arm:  Sorted donated food and made food baskets for 15 needy families.  
• Palmer:  Food collection; prepared/sponsored 20 food baskets for the needy. 
• Willow:  Distributed food, clothing, and toys for Christmas.

Engaging our Youth Campaign

• Copper River Basin:  Christmas gifts for disadvantaged children; donated to the wrestling team.
• Palmer:  Toy collection; worked at wrestling tournament.
• Mt. View:  Food collection to feed children on weekend.
• Spenard:  Photo screened children.
• Sutton:  Youth snow-x race.

Sharing the Vision Campaign

• Palmer:  Vision screening.

Protecting Our Environment

• Palmer:  Recycling
• Soldotna:  Eyeglass collection since August to December has sent 9 boxes of recycled glasses to the North Pole.

#Lions100

WRapping Party (Sharing the Vision)

I spared you all....

I was going to write a Rapping song.... you know.... wrapping.... rapping....  

Zone Chair Edward Hotch at our service!

But the tune was only in MY head so I thought it best to just TELL you about our fantastic wrapping party today!

Lions Mike Norton, Janice and Eward Hotch, Ted Burke, Soapy Lingle and Donna Hurley

Eyeglass wrapping party that is!  This is what 1,466 pair eyeglasses and cases look like!  

Lions William Andrews, Ted Burke, Soapy Lingle, Donna Hurley, Sasha Soboleff, Mike Norton, Janice and Edward Hotch

Members from the two Juneau Lions Clubs, which comprise the Joint Sight Committee, gathered fairly early this morning for a special breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs, prepared and served by our Zone Chair Lion Edward Hotch.  What a great way to Serve!

We had been accumulating eyeglasses since about April and it was time to send them on their way!

Later this week they will be put on a barge to be shipped to their destination:  the Aurora Borealis Eyeglass Recycle Center in North Pole, Alaska.  

Once there, they will be sorted, cleaned, repaired, and categorized for re-distribution around the world.  Some might even be returned to our community to someone in need.  

The Joint Sight Committee has eyeglass collection boxes at all eyecare centers in Juneau.  We also collect from other locations around town, like the Moose Lodge, Gastineau School, and Surplus Property.  

We also have an annual Recycle for Sight collection drive in October where members of the community are invited to bring their unwanted eyeglasses for deposit.  We take single lens, bifocals, trifocals, reading glasses, sunglasses, etc.  We also collect lenses that are out of the frames as well as eyeglass cases.

Lion Ted Burke

If your place of business would like an eyeglass recycle box or have eyeglasses to donate, contact any member of either the Juneau Lions Club or the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club.

And finally..... 1,466 pair of eyeglasses/cases.... 15 boxes packed and ready to ship.... 9 Lions....  

Lions Edward and Janice Hotch, William Andrews, Sasha Soboleff, Ted Burke, Donna Hurley, Soapy Lingle, Mike Norton

A huge thank you to Lions William Andrews, Donna Hurley, Soapy Lingle, Ted Burke, Edward and Janice Hotch, Sasha Soboleff, Mike and Nancy Norton for their service today.

This story submitted by the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club
#Lions100

Welcome to MD49 Blog

As we move closer to the Lions Centennial celebration, this blog site will give you access to all the wonderful celebrations Multiple District 49 is doing!   

MD49 is a large district and encompasses all of Alaska and parts of Canada/Yukon Territory. This site will help bring everyone closer together as we all celebrate one thing....  Lionism.  

I welcome your input, your stories your centennial successes and failures.  This is YOUR blog.  Let the world hear our ROAR!

We Serve!
Lion Nancy Norton
49A Centennial Coordinator 

Recycle for Sight Drive 2015 (Sharing the Vision)

The Capital Area Lions Joint Sight Conservation Committee.... more commonly known and referred to as the Joint Sight Committee.... had their annual Recycle For Sight drive on Saturday, October 10, at the Nugget Mall.

We have eyeglass collection boxes set up in every eyecare center in Juneau but this is a time when we ask people to really search through their dressers, desks, glove boxes, drawers, purses, etc., and bring all their unused and unwanted eyeglasses to be recycled.

After all, they aren't doing anyone any good stuffed in a drawer somewhere when they can do so much good elsewhere.

For you see, after we collect all your unwanted eyeglasses, they are shipped to the Aurora Borealis Eyeglass Recycle Center in the North Pole.  This is a Lion-run project where they sort by type of eyeglass (i.e., prescription, single lens, double, triple lens, sunglasses, readers, etc.), clean, repair, categorize, AND ship approximately 40,000 pair of eyeglasses to Alaskans and others in need world wide.

So next time you get ready to throw an old pair of eyeglasses away because they are outdated, take them to any eyecare center in Juneau for recycling.  Or wait until our annual collection drive in October of each year.

By the way, this year we collected 245 pair of eyeglasses!  Thank you, Juneau!

This year we also took our PlusOptix vision screener to have available should anyone want their eyes screened.  We screened 7 with no referrals.  Not bad.

For more information on this program, contact Mike Norton, Chair, at mikennancy@gci.net.

Thank you for helping make this drive a success!

This story submitted by the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club.
#Lions100