MD1 Lions of Illinois State Monthly November e-Magazine

The Illinois Lion, Lioness, Leo MD1 e-Magazine (Lite) Vol. 4 - Issue 5, November 2016

1 Lion Dianne & Chancellor Bob Corlew With Their US President’s Life Time Achievement Awards

earlier in the year. A special “Shout Out” goes to DG Ernie Lapid and District 1-A who are UP 41 members for the year as I write this article. Good job!! The more members we gain, the more hands we have, and the easier and more efficient the work we do.

From MD1 Council Chair: Lions of Illinois, “My way of thinking is to create a situation where we rally everyone together and create peace and pardon people, to not forget about the past - because we need to learn from it - but to mainly think about the future.” Michel Martelly

October is almost done, the Fall Festivals will be coming to a close and the Holidays will be on us.

Be sure to “make a difference” with your club in your community before the year ends. It will give you the “warm glow” to get you through the impending winter.

When this is read the Fall Rally will be “in the books” so to speak and I hope everyone in attendance had a great time, learned something and had a chance to volunteer to assist the Lions of Illinois and the 2017 Host Committee, as together we bring in the 100th annual Lions Clubs International Convention to Illinois!!!

Thank you for your time! Thank you for your Service! Thank you for being an Illinois Lion!!!! And remember “1917-It All Started Here”, in Illinois.

Best Regards, Lion Mark Williams Lions of Illinois “With You in Service”

“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” Jiddu Krishnamurti

md1lionsmark@gmail.com

Editorial: Giving, Caring and Sharing Love Thanksgiving!

A celebration to share our love by giving, caring and sharing with less fortunate and needy citizens in our communities. Turkeys, food baskets, serving hot food to show our concern and love towards mankind is coming soon this month and continues to next month - December. Of course, we do not have to wait for November and December to give something or do something to less fortunate; however, not only Lions, many humanitarian organizations run food drives during these special holiday celebrations.

Another forum “the Fall Rally” makes me reflect on the constant need and ability of us to all learn. It is the very process of life as quoted above that assists us down that path and at the same time, makes us better Lions. We learn, we apply, we serve.

My wife and I have thought a lot about education; recently we had to pleasure to visit the home of a distinguished self-educated man, Mount Vernon in Virginia.

Yes, George Washington was self educated, amassed a considerable library and was constantly reading and learning until his death. A good example for us all, he two served his community and the country. I somehow think he would have approved of the Lions Clubs if they existed during his time and if some one “just asked” would have joined up.

Every religion in this world have festive days in fall – Hindus celebrate Diwali – Festival of Lights; Muslims celebrated Eid; most all Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, Jews celebrate Hanukah; then it comes Christmas for Christians and New Year for all.

A LOT is going on, and in Illinois Lions Districts we have much great and good being done for our communities. State wide our numbers are still declining but showing great improvement over 2

Lions are candles in our communities; just the way candle sacrifices it’s wax by burning, it supplies light around and makes things look brighter. We too Lions sacrifice our time and money to serve needy people in our communities and make their life brighter and bring happiness in their hearts.

Topics covered included: Personal Mission Statement, Lion Fundamentals, Public Speaking, Working in Teams, Member Motivation, Local Issues and Opportunities, and Goal Setting.

More specific details of the Regional Lions Leadership Institute can be gleaned from

We do not have to help the entire world; we can just start with one of our neighbors who is less fortunate or a needy person. This is the time to open our closets and look around at those hanging clothes which we never wore for years. Let us remove these decorative items from our closets and donate them to someone who is in need during these festive days of celebrations. There are people without coats during coming winter, let us sacrifice one of our coats and help a needy person.

http://members.lionsclubs.org/EN/resources/le adership-resource-center/developmentprograms/regional-leadership-institutes.php Many Lions who have attended the MD1 RLLI have become club officers, joined the district cabinet, or started the journey to become District Governor. If you are interested in being a participant in the future, please contact Jama Wahl, 815-822-3014 or jamawahl@yahoo.com

-PDG Austin D’Souza, Your e-Magazine Editor ILStateEditor@gmail.com

-Jama Wahl, MD1 GLT Coordinator

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP CORNER: Jama Wahl

jamawahl@yahoo.com

This is the first in a series of articles about Leadership Institutes offered by Lions Clubs International.

The series will identify the various institutes available to all Lions. The theory would be that Lions with a strong knowledge base have a greater potential to provide exemplary service to their communities.

Dear Lion,

President's Message

Lions do inspiring things. For 100 years, we have joined together to change the lives of neighbors next door and underserved populations around the world. Now that's reason to celebrate.

The MD1 Regional Lions Leadership Institute (RLLI) is offered through a cooperative effort of LCI and the Lions of Illinois. Per information from the Leadership Division of LCI, the RLLI was designed to encourage and support leadership development at the multiple district level.

Your club's Centennial celebration is the perfect opportunity to share your achievements and spread the word about what Lions do in your community. When people learn about the difference you're making as a Lion, I know they'll be inspired to join you in service. And there are so many ways to include your community in the celebration.

For MD1, each district has the opportunity to send three up and coming leaders to this training for a total of 30 participants state wide.

Typically, for the last three years, the MD1 RLLI has been held in August, beginning on a Friday evening and ending on Sunday midday. This is a powerful weekend of Lions’ sharing and learning.

Invite family and friends to serve with you on your next Centennial Service Challenge project so they can experience the power of service. Plan a Legacy Project to showcase your club and connect with community. Host a special Centennial celebration that highlights your achievements, your projects 3

dedication ceremony to unveil it to your community. Invite members of your community and the local press to attend, and be sure to wear Lions branded gear like hats and shirts to show your Lions pride. Visit the Legacy Projects webpage to learn more, and start planning you project today!

and the opportunities to serve with you.

Let's make the most of our Centennial. So keep serving, keep celebrating and keep inspiring your community!

Plan Your Celebration

Very truly yours,

Lions have 100 years of service, but every club has its own history of success. Plan a special club celebration to engage your club members and community in the Centennial. Give your community an opportunity to learn, serve and celebrate. Visit the new Ways to Celebrate webpage for great ideas to make your Centennial celebration the event of the century.

Chancellor Bob Corlew Your International President Very truly yours, Chancellor Bob Corlew Your International President

Promote Your Legacy Project Over 6,000 Legacy Projects have already been completed. Build your Lion legacy by planning a Legacy Project and hosting a

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

FILING e-Postcard is MUST for all Lions Clubs. Read entire document and take immediate action to save your club. It is very simple to use and user friendly.

-Lion Judy Toft, PCST 13

MEMBERSHIP CORNER: Ralph Zarada In order to find out why there is this shift in member engagement to that of a lightly engaged one, we should take the following steps.

In last month’s newsletter Lion Jama talked about Mentorship and its importance to building a positive Lions experience for new members as well as current members. Members leave for many reasons such unproductive meetings, lack of service, clubs, etc. In fact over 200,000 members leave Lions Clubs worldwide each year. The majority of them because their experience did not match their expectations.

In this month’s article I would like to expand on the importance of mentorship and sponsorship and its role in the retention and positive Lions experience of members.

 Find out why their engagement level has dropped. In order to accomplish this, we need to “Start a conversation”. Talk to the member and ask them about their level of involvement. What’s happening in their lives? Are there other obligations that are taking priority? Or are they just unhappy with the direction of the club is running.

Find out what direction they would like to see the club going.  Determine what actions should be taken to turn around the member’s experience.

What would they as well as you like to see?

Who will be responsible for these actions?

When will they be completed? The level of success being a more positive experience and the retention of that member.

A Mentor is defined as: An experienced Lion who helps another club member develop his or her knowledge and competence by completing specific tasks. The goal of a mentor is to develop a newer Lions club member into a quality, effective Lion.

As Lions clubs we want to foster a positive experience for all Lions. But we need to recognize how engaged our members are as well as understand their expectations and aspirations throughout their career as a Lions. There are tools that are available to us in the GMT Toolbox that will help us with that. Some of these tools are the CEP, Blueprint for a Stronger Club, Mentorship programs, How are your ratings? When we know and understand these expectations and aspirations. We can work with them to develop and continue their positive Lions experience and keep them. But whether you are a mentor, sponsor, a club officer or a member. It’s everybody’s responsibility to reach out and be part of making a member’s experience a positive one.

The sponsor’s role is defined as: A member who attests that a Lions club candidate is morally, socially, and financially responsible and that he or she believes that the new Lion will become an active member and will support the Lions’ Objects and Ethics while also pledging personal interest in this Lion’s development Both have similar roles and play an important part in the development as well the retention of a member. And because of the way the roles are defined they are the people who have been given the responsibility for looking after the new or current member. They can observe and note his or hers level of engagement as they move through their career as a Lion. One that may have started as being a heavily engaged member and drifted to being a lightly engaged one or just becoming noticeably absent at any club functions.

Lion Ralph Zarada, PDG GMT State Coordinator

ralph.zarada.1a@gmail.com

14

15

MEMBERSHIP CORNER: Ralph Zarada Lions of Illinois: We are fast approaching our first cycle of GMT Report Days. But before I get into the details of the cycle, I would like to summarize the purpose of the Report days.

The GMT Report Days support the success of the Global Membership Team by establishing accountability among GMT coordinators, reinforcing messaging related to membership, sustaining motivation and momentum through the fiscal year.

The first part of the reporting cycle starts on October 5. On this date the district GMT coordinators will gather the reports from the clubs in their respective districts. The district coordinators will then submit an electronic report of the results to the MD or Single District coordinator.

The cycle then moves up the GMT chain of command where I will be reporting to the Area Coordinator our results. Here's how the reporting process works and the due dates for each part of the process:    

District Report Days District GMT Coordinators (DCs) due 10/5/16 Multiple District Report Days MD GMT Coordinators (MDCs) due 10/19/16 Area Report Days Area Leaders and Special Area Advisors due 11/2/16 Worldwide Report Day GMT International Coordinator International Family and Women’s Coordinator due 11/48/2016 There will be two other report cycles during this leadership year where the same cycle will happen. This is part of the strategy to raise accountability so we can achieve the desired results of bringing in 47,000 new members to new and existing clubs. . It is my hope that the results of the first report cycle will be positive and our multiple district will be showing positive growth in membership, clubs and retention. And that we are doing our part in helping meet the goals of IP Lion Bob Corlew to “Invite for Impact.”

In Service, Ralph Zarada,

PDG, MD-1 GMT Coordinator ralph.zarada.1a@gmail.com

-PDG Austin D’Souza, 1A Centennial Coordinator

16

17

MD1 State Monthly e-Magazine Edited & Published by PDG Austin D’Souza for Lions, Lionesses and Leos of Illinois. e-Mail Address: ILStateEditor@gmail.com Mail your articles, pictures and news items to above e-mail address.

18

MD1 State Monthly e-Magazine Edited & Published by PDG Austin D’Souza for Lions, Lionesses and Leos of Illinois. e-Mail 19 Address: ILStateEditor@gmail.com Mail your articles, pictures and news items to above e-mail address.