HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2021! - January 2021 - District 31L Lions Clubs
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January 2021
HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2021!
I suspect that all of us are glad to be able to say that! This past year was one like
none other in our lifetimes. Ringing in the New Year is a cause for celebration, for
spending time with friends and family, and for looking back. However, I don’t think that
a lot of us want to look back at 2020. It is definitely time to have a big front window
and a small rear view mirror!
A lot can happen in a year and between the good, the bad, and the ugly, this may
seem like an understatement for most. As glasses are raised and fireworks explode
into the sky, it’s important to recognize the special symbolism that the New Year
brings. As Auld Lang Syne teaches us, Happy New Year messages should speak to
new beginnings and fresh starts, as well as a time of reflection. Whether your New
Year resolutions consist of keeping your hands out of the cookie jar or giving your
heartfelt word to work on relationships with loved ones, it can take a lot of effort. So,
see if any of these help:
A New Year is like a blank book, and the pen is in your hands. It is your chance to
write a beautiful story for yourself.
Every end marks a new beginning. Keep your spirits and determination unshaken,
and you shall always walk the glory road. With courage, faith and great effort,
you shall achieve everything you desire.
On the road to success, the rule is always to look ahead. May you reach your
destination and may your journey be wonderful.
No one can go back in time to change what has happened, so work on your
present to make yourself a wonderful future.
You’re supposed to let go of the past and start off new. You’re supposed to forgive
all those who have hurt you and be open to new relationships, with open arms.
That is why it is called the ‘New’ Year.
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them
ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s
Day.
While we know that things may start slowly due to the Coronavirus, let’s get ready
when we are able to go. As Lions, we have work to do. Let’s plan to bring new
members in; serve our communities; and served the Visually Impaired, the hungry,
and any one that needs our help, any where we can.
2
Governor's Message
By the time this newsletter is published we will have celebrated Christmas, some with
in person family visits, while others have visited virtual. We also have celebrated New
Years!! New Year’s 2021 was celebrated differently this year by many folks, however
the one thing most everyone is wishing, hoping & praying for is a world situation very
different than 2020!! With the huge spike in Covid-19 cases after Thanksgiving the
North Carolina Governor has tightened some of the guidelines concerning what we
can do, where we can do things, how many can assemble together, inside and
outside. At this time we do not know how this will affect how Lions Clubs will or will not
be meeting. The District membership continues to gradually go downhill. We have
gained 16 new members; however we have lost 57 members bringing the total
membership to 966 members. I would encourage all Clubs to “think outside the box”
to find ways to recruit new members. I would like to thank all clubs that were able
make their Brighter Visions and Camp Dogwood contributions at this time. If your club
has previously pledged an amount, for either, please send it in as soon as possible.
The District Goals for Brighter Visions is $80 per member; hopefully some clubs are
able to do more, with the total District goal of $ 85,200. The Camp Dogwood tickets
sales is at least 3 books per member, again hopefully some can do more. Regardless
of you and your clubs ability to give, each and every dollar is very much appreciated
and goes to assist those we serve and the upkeep of our beautiful camp. 1st VDG
Kenneth Beach held the December Fall Convention Planning Meeting and the
decision was made to hold the District Convention on March 6, 2021. The Convention
will be held Virtual. More details on the March Convention coming later. I have a
District Cabinet Meeting scheduled for January 10, the second Sunday in January.
The meeting will be via Zoom, starting at 2pm. All Region, Zone Chairs and
Committee Chairs are encouraged to submit a report. Let us join together, pray, show
patience and kindness and this too shall pass. Stay safe. Be kind.
REMINDER: IF YOUR CLUB IS DOING A BULLETIN/NEWSLETTER AND YOU
WANT TO BE CONSIDERED FOR AN AWARD, PLEASE SEND A COPY TO THE
DISTRICT GOVERNOR!!
3
Membership Changes
District Beginning Added Dropped Ending Change
31 L 1007 17 58 966 -41
31 I 1073 37 77 1033 -40
31 O 1097 72 60 1109 +12
31 N 1046 32 49 1029 -17
31 S 1016 29 66 979 -37
Total 5239 187 310 5116 -123
4
January 2021 NAMI Update
Hello District 31L Lions! I hope everyone has been able to stay safe and had
a fantastic holiday season! In December we had NAMI meeting and did a SWOT
analysis and discussed many of the things that our district well and not so well. It
involved looking at opportunities that we have, along with threat’s to Lionism in our
district. We know that we can build new clubs, but we have some trouble keeping
those new clubs. We have great support from leaders in NC. We have plenty of
opportunities here also. We have number of communities that could benefit from
starting a new Lions Club there. While Covid has been a threat to Lions by the
possibility of causing illness and restricting ways that we would normally conduct our
business. It also providing an opportunity by forcing us to try new things and do things
differently. Many of us are now using virtual meetings to meet and we can now use
that as an opportunity to recruit members that might not be able to attend meeting or
even start a whole new club the meets over the internet.
We will now focus on planning ways that we move forward and increase our
membership in the district. WE NEED YOUR INPUT!!!!!! These are your communities
and your clubs you know them better than the district leadership. The more people
that get involved the better! Look for news on more meetings soon.
2nd Vice President Brian Sheehan of Lions Clubs International has announced
that NAMI has started 39 new clubs this year so far. That is a 209% increase over last
year! That’s great news considering the pandemic situation we have been in. WE can
do this! We can grow!
One of the best things that our Lions can do now is get busy and find ways to
serve our communities. Serving Lions are much more likely to stay Lions if the are
engaged in their clubs. All of our Lions would benefit by looking at the Facebook
Group Page How Lions are Serving During Covid 19 for lots of great ideas on serving
our communities. You can click on this link to view the page you do not have to have a
Facebook account to view it. https://www.facebook.com/groups/224256642017523
Please keep your eyes out for news of any upcoming meetings! Please stay safe and
get busy serving your communities!
PDG Alan Lake District 31L NAMI Chair.
5
From the 1st VDG
Welcome to 2021. 2020 was a rough year for all of us. Thanks to the pandemic, all of
our clubs were not able to meet. Now it is the job of each of us, to try to make contact
with clubs to encourage these clubs, to use the tools of the 21st century to encourage
them to meet.
By “tools” I mean telephone and computers. The telephone, for most Lion’s is an
easy way to make contact . As our past year progressed , many of us have learned
about Zoom. This platform allows members of a club to meet, discuss projects and to
vote when a vote is needed. With Zoom, we are able to break out into “rooms” for
discussions , votes can be made with only the host knowing who voted and how. In
the past month I have been introduced to several different platforms that can allow a
full convention, all by virtual means.
But with the best tools at hand, they will not be used unless we continue to maintain
contact with our clubs. We currently have the finest Region and Zone Chairs that we
ask for. I have been told by some Zone Chairs that when they call Club Presidents,
they have left messages on home phones, but that they do not get any calls returned.
As part of my Governor training, it has been suggested that we reach back in our past
and modify a solution used when trying to set up news clubs. What was suggested
was that a team of two Lions, work as a team with the Zone Chair to tackle one club
at a time. They would tackle one club at a time. The “ Club Squad” w0ould arrange a
visit with each club President , to find out all the reasons for that club not currently
meeting, and to try to use our “tools” to assist them in meeting.
With our 2021-2022 Lions year coming in July, we need Lions to step up and
volunteer for Zone Chairs, Region Chairs as well as Guiding Lions .If you would like
to volunteer for one of these posts, please let me know at Red2Beach@Gmail.com.
6
From the 2nd VDG
It is my hope that you all had a wonderful holiday. A new year is upon us, and there is
a light at the end of the COVID tunnel with the new vaccines.
I am grateful that some of our clubs were able to modify their VIP Christmas celebra-
tions due to COVID. Instead of a Christmas luncheon or dinner, clubs came up with
ingenious gift giving ideas for their VIP’s.
I am also aware of Lions Clubs in our district who provided generous food, money
and toy donations for the holidays to their local community shelters and ministries.
There are Lions clubs taking full advantage of the VSP “Eyes of Hope” gift certificates
making sure individual adults and children who qualify receive eye exams and
glasses. This is an outstanding program which should be utilized by every club in our
district. I had a conference call with VSP corporate not too long ago. They assured
me that if any of our clubs are experiencing issues with the preferred eye care
providers understanding the program, let me know and I can relay this information to
the right people at VSP. They will reach out to the provider to educate them further
regarding the program.
I know it has been a challenging 2020 for all of our district Lions clubs, but I am made
aware every day of your enthusiasm and determination to continue serving, and I
can’t think of a better way to welcome in the New Year!
7
GST Report – Lion Fred Huscher / GST Coordinator
Lions Clubs International Service Programs:
Lions Clubs International has united our global services around five areas of need.
These five Global Causes that present significant challenges to humanity are:
Diabetes
Vision
Hunger
Environment
Childhood Cancer
This month let’s look at some Hunger Project Ideas:
Collaborate with a food bank to organize a community food drive, focusing on col-
lecting items most needed in your area
Support your local food bank by donating time, equipment or food.
Create a resource list of hunger related volunteer opportunities in your region.
Serve meals at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
Use social media to raise awareness about childhood hunger in your community
and to inspire others to become involved.
Deliver nutritious, prepared meals to elderly, disabled or ill community members.
Work with your local school to provide weekend take-home bags of nutritious
snacks for children in need.
Remember:
Complete at least one diabetes project during this Lions year.
Make sure your club has a GST Club Service Chairperson.
Use the service activity reporting through MyLCI/MyLion.
8
LCIF Report – Lion Fred Huscher / LCIF Coordinator
LCIF COVID-19 Frontline Relief Support has awarded has increased to 350 LCIF
Grants totaling $5,226,791 including 71 Frontline Relief Grants totaling
$861,802 in the United States.
Thru November, District 31-L LCIF Donations were $2070.00, down from $8270.40
last year.
MD 31 LCIF Donations thru November were $18,910.00 compared to $51,232.35
last year.
We understand every club is facing fund raising challenges caused by Covid-19.
Please consider making a personal donation to LCIF. Would you consider making a
personal donation to LCIF using some money from the next round of stimulus
checks we will be receiving?
https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/donate
DISTRICT 31-L
LCIF 2020-2021 DONATIONS
CANTON $50.00
ETOWAH $1,000.00
HENDERSONVILLE $1,000.00
LINCOLNTON $20.00
TOTAL $2,070.0
2019/2020 to 2020/2021 Comparison
District 31-L 2020-2021 $2,070.00
District 31-L 2019-2020 $8,270.40
9
Lincolnton Lions Club News
Taken from an articles in the Denver News by Evan Moore and the Lincolnton Times
News by Michelle Bernard.
On a chilly morning in December, with Christmas music playing on a car stereo, more
than a dozen members of the Lincolnton Lions Club held a drive-thru event for their
VIP’s at Boger City United Methodist Church, where they gave out gift bags stuffed
with goodies including gift cards and talking smart watches.
The club usually hosts a Christmas luncheon for the blind and visually impaired at the
same church, but because of COVID, members had to find another way to spread
holiday cheer for their VIP’s.
In addition, Christian Ministries of Lincoln County received a donation of $500 and
some great Christmas toys from the Lincolnton Lions Club for the needy families in
the community.
We would also like to extend our thanks to Lion Charles Stevens for his participation
in the inter-district service project which delivered over 9500 lbs. of food to local food
pantries and shelters.
10Long View Lions Club News
Thanks to Lion Robert Tomlinson and Wayne Houser for their contributions to this
article.
When it comes to feeding the hungry, under Lion Wayne Houser, Past President of
the Long View Lions Club, served as coordinator for an inter-district service project by
partnership with four District 31- L Lions Clubs, one District 31-I Lions Club, and an
insurance agency. The District 31-L Lions Clubs included Claremont, Long View, St
Stephens in Catawba County, and Lincolnton in Lincoln County. Also, Bethlehem
Lions Club in District 31-I in Alexander County.
Wayne would like to thank all the clubs and community partners who helped
make their food project possible. With financial assistance, they were able to deliver
over 9500 lbs. of food to local food pantries and shelters in an especially challenging
year for some of our most afflicted families and individuals. Below are the clubs and
partners who provided the funds along with the place the food was donated to.
Lincolnton Lions Club, Lincoln CCCM
CC Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers, ECCCM
Claremont Lions, Highways & Hedges Ministries
St Stephens Lions, Salvation Army
Long View Lions, East Burke CCM
Bethlehem Lions, Trinity Food Pantry-Alexander CCCM-Hiddenite
Community Helpers
11Long View Lions Volunteer At 2020 Great Hickory Red Kettle Campaign
During the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, you have seen bell ringers
throughout our states and USA raising funds for the Salvation Army. On Friday,
November 13th. The Salvation Army of Greater Hickory & the High Country kicked off
their 2020 Red Kettle Campaign at Union Square in Downtown Hickory. Bell ringers
have been challenged to collect much needed funds to help The Salvation Army
of Greater Hickory & the High Country continue meeting the needs of men, women,
boys and girls in their communities. Throughout the holiday season, The Salvation
Army of Greater Hickory & the High Country will track funds collected toward
achieving their 2020 Red Kettle Campaign goal of $400,000.00.
In the keeping with the Long View Lions Club annual tradition and support of
Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, the following Lions David Bolick, Scott Bolick,
Dawson Hart, Elizabeth Hart, Cathy Killian, Eric Killian, Al Koehler, Jerry Rhoney, and
Robert Tomlinson volunteered between 1 to 4 hours on Saturday, November 28th and
Saturday, December 5th in front of Galaxy Food Store in Long View.
On Saturday, December 19th, the Long View Lions in District 31-L and
Bethlehem Lions in District 31-I in District 31-I participated in an inter-district service
project to benefit Salvation Army of Great Hickory’s homeless clients. The Long View
Lions and The Bethlehem Lions Club purchased and distributed 40 tarps and
blankets, respectively.
12We, at the McCune Community, would like to say a huge Thank You to everyone that
helped us during this Christmas season: Andrews, Black Mountain Lions, Black
Mountain McCune Lions, Candler, Chase, Claremont, Davidson River, Erwin, Etowah,
Greater Asheville, Haw Creek, Lake Lure, Longview, Mills River, Pisgah Forest,
Rutherfordton, Swannanoa, Valdese, and Weaverville .
The Families of the residents: Deanna Russell (Pat), Lynn Webb (George), Mary
Corley (Sam), Deborah Palmer (Oran), Andy Burnam (John), Chad Haldeman (Mary
Ann), Pat Malick (Rick), Shelly Kloesel (Doris), Clara Holler (Greg), Clara Hare (Bob),
Tony Yaccarino (David), Joy Miller, Linda Knipple, Wanda and Dennis Gorges (Billy),
Linda Briggs (Betty), Mickael and Martha Baldwin (LaVerne) and Danny, Frank and
Glenn from Ingles.
We hope everyone has a wonderful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank You,
Lion Deniece Ogle
13CALENDAR OF EVENTS
February 12-14 Council of Governors & NCLI Board Meetings,
Virtual Meeting
April 23-25 NC Lions State Convention, DoubleTree Hotel,
Asheville, NC
April 30, May 1-2 Council of Governors & NCLI Board Meetings,
Camp Dogwood
14Etowah Lions Club
District Cabinet REGION CHAIR
REGION 1
Frances Coates ZONE CHAIRS
DISTRICT GOVERNOR
Black Mountain McCune Lions Zone 6
GLOBAL ACTION TEAM
Sara Laughter
PDG Larry Gasperson
ZONE CHAIRS Davidson River Lions Club
Pisgah Forest Lions Club
Clubs: Brevard, Davidson River,
Zone 1 Edneyville, Etowah, Hendersonville,
1ST VICE DISTRICT GOVERNOR Ed Nelson Mills River, Mountain Home, Pisgah
Kenneth R. Beach, II Bryson City Lions Club Forest
Weaverville Lions Club Clubs: Andrews, Bryson City,
Cherokee, Clay County, Franklin Zone 7
2ND VICE DISTRICT GOVERNOR Joey Buchanan
Marilyn Wunderler Zone 2 Rutherfordton Lions Club
Lincolnton Lions Club Sharon Ryan Clubs: Chase, Columbus, Lake Lure,
Canton Lions Club Rutherfordton, Shelby
CABINET SEC/TREASURER Clubs: Canton, Clyde, Maggie Valley,
William Barnwell Sylva/Cullowhee, Waynesville Zone 8
Pisgah Forest Lions Club Tammy Thomas
Zone 3 Sherrills Ford Lions Club
GLOBAL MEMBERSHIP TEAM Cecelia Evans/ PDG George Suggs Clubs: Bessemer City, East Gastonia,
PCC Paulette Gasperson Sand Hill Lions Club Gastonia Evening, Mount Holly,
Pisgah Forest Lions Club Clubs: Asheville Professional Women, Sherrills Ford
Candler, Erwin District, Fletcher/South
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP TEAM Asheville, Greater Asheville, Sand Hill Zone 9
PDG Neal Alexander Eric Killian
Lincolnton Lions Club Zone 4 Long View Lions Club
Romona Fox Clubs: Balls Creek, Claremont,
GLOBAL SERVICE TEAM Weaverville Lions Club Conover, Long View, Newton,
Fred Huscher Clubs: Burnsville, Hot Springs, St. Stephens, West Hickory
Hendersonville Lions Club Mars Hill, Spruce Pin Weaverville
Zone 10
NAMI CHAMPION Zone 5 2nd VDG Marilyn Wunderler
PDG Alan Lake Deniece Ogle Lincolnton Lions Club
Black Mountain Lions Club Black Mountain McCune Lions Club Clubs: Granite Falls, Hildebran,
Clubs: Black Mountain, Hudson, Lincolnton, Rutherford
Black Mountain McCune, Haw Creek, College, Valdese
Marion, Swannanoa Valley,
Valley Springs
REGION CHAIR
REGION 2
Susan Fernandez
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