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2008 LION PRESIDENT LEO KUNTZ
LION PRESIDENT LEO'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS
First, I want to address, what I think is a general concerned
in our club that our membership isn't nearly as large as it used
to be. Now a lot of people have been wringing their hands (including
myself and maybe many of you) lamenting the fact that people
don't join clubs like they used to. Experts state many reasons
for this, but I'm not going to dwell on that. I don't think it's
productive to dwell on that.
What, in my opinion is more productive to dwell on is the
fact that it takes only one person to make a difference. You
don't need a 100 member club to accomplish great things. Take
for example our founder, Melvin Jones. One person who started
a club that grew into thousands of clubs in hundreds of countries,
with millions of members over the years. It took just one person.
There are hundreds of examples of one person making a difference.
Dr Martin Luther King - one person who changed the course of
history in our country. Many consider him the greatest American
of our time. But, do you know what he said? He said "Everyone
can be great because everyone can serve" Boy, that's right
down our alley, isn't it, since our motto is "We Serve"
That means as Lions we can all be great. As I look around this
room I see lots of potential for greatness! Mohandas Gandhi is
another example one person who made a spectacular difference.
He said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself
in the service of others" I could go on and on, Mother Theresa
and even a contempory, Jimmy Carter. I put Jimmy Carter in this
category of one person making a difference for, among other things,
his effort to eradicate the scourge of the Ginny Worm in Asia
and the Continent of Africa . When he started this work in 1986,
there were 3.5 million cases in 20 countries in Africa and Asia.
Today there are fewer than 10,000 in five countries in Africa.
He has totally eradicated the Ginny Worm horror from the continent
of Asia! Amazing what one person can do! I came across a quote
by Jimmy Carter the other day that I thought was funny. You don't
usually think of Jimmy Carter being funny. But, this is what
he said, "sometimes I just want to drown my troubles, but
my wife won't go swimming with me". I'm not so sure Roselyn
thought it was so funny.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy said, "Everyone can make a difference,
and everyone should try". So my point in all this is let's
stop focusing on the size of the club and focus on each of us
making a difference. The paradox of this is when we stop focusing
on the fact that our membership is shrinking and instead focus
on making a difference we will have a more motivated, energized,
inspired membership which will produce a more successful club
which will attract new members.
With that idea in mind, I'm proposing a renewed focus this
year on Lion actives and functions that will help our members
and our wonderful club to make a difference. During the new year
I will be surveying individual members to determine which Lion
project/activity interest each of them, be it the Leader Dog
Program, The Lions Camp, Sight First, the Eye Bank, the Eye Institute,
etc., And then we will be asking that member to become an expert
on that activity. Get to know the leaders involved, maybe even
volunteer to be on their board, have speakers come in and speak
to us about the efforts of the activity, advocate for funds for
that activity if and when the need should arise. I feel this
additional focus on Lion activities will help our club to make
a difference and maintain it's reputation one of the premier
clubs in Colorado.
So in conclusion, I'm going to make my first proclamation
as your new president: I proclaim that our mantra for the new
year will be, "The Englewood Lions Club thru it's members
will make a difference"!
Thank you. |
Lions Clubs International History
The International Association of Lions clubs began as
the dream of Chicago businessman Melvin Jones. He
believed that local business clubs should expand their
horizons from purely professional concerns to the
betterment of their communities and the world at large.
Jones' group, the Business Circle of Chicago, agreed.
After contacting similar groups around the United
States, an organizational meeting was held on June 7,
1917 in Chicago, Illinois. The new group took the name of
one of the invited groups, the "Association of Lions Clubs,"
and a national convention was held in Dallas, Texas in Oct
of that year. A constitution, by-laws, objects and code of
ethics were approved.
Among the objects adopted in those early years was one that
read, "No club shall hold out the financial betterment of
its members as its object." This call for unselfish service
to others remains one of the association's main tenets.
Just three years after its formation, the assocation became
international when the first club in Canada was established
in 1920. Major international expansion continued as clubs
were established, particularly throughout Europe. Asia and
Africa during the 1950s and '60s.
In 1925, Helen Keller addressed the Lions international con-
vention in Cedar Point, Ohio. She challenged Lions to become
"knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness."
From this time, Lions clubs have been actively involved in
service to the blind and visually impaired.
Broadening its international role, Lions Clubs Internation-
al helped the United Nations form the Non-Governmental
Organizations sections in 1945 and continues to hold con-
sultative status with the U.N.
In 1990, Lions launched its most aggressive sight preserva-
tion effort, SightFirst. The US $143.5 million program
strives to rid the world of preventable and reversible
blindness by supporting desperately needed health care
services.
In addition to sight programs, Lions Clubs international is
committed to providing services for youth. Lions clubs
also work to improve the environment, build homes for the
disabled, support diabetes education, conduct hearing
programs and, through their foundation, provide disaster
relief around the world.
Lions Clubs international has grown to include 1.4 million
men and women in 46,000 clubs located in 193 countries and
geographic areas
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