Hello District 29HI Lions & Lionesses!

March is upon us and Spring is just around the corner when Mother Nature will soon breathe new lifeinto all the world around us. Hallelujah! Spring3me is also a season of renewal, regrowth and newbeginnings. I hope you are looking forward to warmer weather and all it brings.

During January and February, Lions ac3vi3es seem to slow down and things are kind of put on pause.During that 3me, due to possible inclement weather, I had very few requests for District Governorvisits. It is also dues billing 3me when we find out how many members we have lost for variousreasons. As of March 1st we are down 31 members in our district and we have some work to do toget back to a posi3ve number by the end of June. Don’t get discouraged; we were down about thesame number of members at this 3me last year and PDG Doug Long recovered nicely. Thanks to theefforts of clubs in our district, we ended the year with a net gain of 10 members. The challenge isbefore us and now is the 3me to meet the challenge. It won’t happen if we don’t Seize the Momentto keep members in the Lions family and just ask some folks to join with us. We can do it!

Don’t forget to appoint your nomina3ng commi4ee and hold your club officer elec3on in April. It’svery important to complete the PU 101s a$er the elec3on to let Lions Interna3onal know who will beleading your club next year.

Remember to plan a special project for “Lions Eyes Across WV” to be held Saturday, March 19th.We are joining other clubs throughout the US and the world in collec3ng eye glasses, canned &nonHperishable foods and doing eye screenings, etc. Please send photos and report to me your ac3vity.

The WV Lions State Conven3on will be held at Pipestem Resort on April 8, 9 & 10 and delegates will beelec3ng our new District Governor and Vice District Governors. It is always a fun event and a great3me to meet and share with other Lions from throughout our state. I’ve enclosed a reserva3on form inthis newsle4er.

I want to thank you for all you do to serve your club and your community. If I canhelp in any way, please contact me.

Un3l next month…DG Al

District 29-I NewsletterMarch 2016

“Seize the Moment”District Governor’s Message

DG Al Cox 2015-16 Calendar

March3 Adamston Lions, Christ Methodist Church, Adamston 6 pm5 Special 29-I Cabinet Mee-ng, Ft. Ashby Community Building 11 am10 Mt. Clare Lions, Sweet Tees, Sunnycro� Country Club, Clarksburg 7 pm11-12 District 29-L Conference, Parkersburg, Blennerhasse. Hotel15 Inwood – Bunker Hill Lions 6:30 pmApril7 Hedgesville-Pikeside Lions, Hedgesville United Methodist Church 6 pm8-10 WV Lions State Conven-on, Pipestem Resort8 WV Lions Sight Conserva-on Founda-on, Pipestem TBD10 4th District 29-I Cabinet Mee-ng, Pipestem TBD10 WVMD 29 Council of Governors, Pipestem TBD10 WV Lions Sight Conserva-on Founda-on, Pipestem TBD26 Wilsonburg Lions 6:30 pm

Club: NewMember: Sponsor:Clarksburg Brooks Gilliam Al CoxClarksburg Marc Jackson Al CoxParsons Terry Moore Debbie Moore

Frank Ango5 Clarksburg Lions ClubJimmie Woody Kesling Mill Lions ClubAnne Hearn Mar3nsburg Lions ClubCharles Horner III Mar3nsburg Lions ClubThaddeus Pri4 Tygart Valley Lions Club

PIT BEEF DINNERMarch 13 - 11 am - 2 pm

$12 adults/$5 Children under 10Take Out Available

Jane Lew Community BuldigMain Street, Jane Lew

Menu includes: Pit Beef,Mashed Potatoes & Gravy,

Green Beans, Salad, HomemadeRolls, Desserts, Drinks

Proceeds to benefit the rebuildingof Jane Lew Sign Wall

EAT A BITE FOR SIGHTHodgesville Lions Club

Saturday March 12 - 7 am - 2 pmWarren District Community Center

in HodgesvilleMenu: Pancakes and Sausage

Regular or BuckwheatSausage Gravy & Biscuits

Adults - $6.00Children under 12 - $3.00

Children under 6 - FreeBrooms for Sale

Please Bring Your Old Eyeglassesfor Recycling!

PANCAKE BREAKFASTSaturday

March 12 - 8 am - 12 pm

West Milford Lions Club is

sponsoring a pancake and

sausage breakfast

at the West Milford

Community Center

Highland Dam Road

Cost $5.00

BETWEEN US LIONSSVDG Ken Shahan

This March’s le4er is about the new site at LCI, it’s called Lions Touchstone Stories.It’s a way to get in touch with our Lions Clubs history and the impact throughout100 years of service.

There are hundreds of short stories under four headings:

“Story of Global Expansion.” “The Power of Service.” “Moving Forward in a Changing World”and “Maintaining a Culture of Fun.”

The story below is one of the many topics. Each story is very interes3ng and informa3ve and is a great learning toolfor new as well as vintage Lions. I know you will enjoy the read.

Lions Have Both a Slogan and a Mo4o:

The slogan reflects the organiza3on’s forma3ve years in America during and a$er World War I. The mo4o declaresits common purpose in two short words.

In the early 1920s, the slogan “Liberty, Intelligence, Our Na3on’s Safety”—an acronym for the word Lions—appeared widely on club sta3onary, billboards and other promo3onal materials. Who said it first? Perhapsit was a young a4orney named Halsted Ri4er who rose to speak at the 1919 Interna3onal Conven3on in Chicago.

“The name Lions stands not only for fraternity, good fellowship, strength of character and purpose,” Ri4er declared,“but, above all, the combina3on of L-I-O-N-S heralds to the country the true meaning of ci3zenship.”

The words suited the patrio3sm that swept the U.S. following WWI, and Lions adopted the acronym as its slogan.

As the Lions movement grew across na3onal borders, cultures, and languages, Lions began looking for other wordsto describe their mission and work. In 1954, the board announced an Interna3onal Mo4o Contest and invited sug-ges3ons from all 522,000 worldwide members.

According to the entry form, the mo4o had to be “enduring,” “interna3onal in character,” and “easily translatable.”There was also a strict contest rule to discourage wordiness. Lions could submit as many mo4oes as they liked, buteach entry could be no more than five words in length.

To get Lions thinking, the organizers gave out a few five-word examples: “Men of Ac3on in Ac3on.” “Working withOthers for Others.” “Worldwide Service to Humanity.”

Thankfully, 11 of the 6,000 Lion contestants had be4er ideas. They each submi4ed iden3cal entries. But CanadianLion D. A. Stevenson from Font Hill, Ontario, was declared the winner as his submission had the earliest postmark.His mo4o contained two simple words: “We Serve.”

“Where there’s a need,there’s a Lion”

Till next month,Lion Ken

CHARLES TOWN LIONS CLUB

Shown (l-r): VDG Ken Shahan, Charles Town Lions RuthQuinn & PDG George Quinn and Fort Ashby Lions CCDoug Long & Lion Sue Long.

DG Al addresses the Lions who were present to celebrateCharles Town Lions 85th anniversary.

As part of their Reading Ac3on Programs, The Clarksburg andNu4er Fort Lions Clubs are providing Weekly Readers to about200 First Grade Students at Nu4er Fort Primary/ElementarySchool. Nu4er Fort is the largest grade school in West Virginia.

On February 4th, TheHarrison CountyCommissionproclaimed February5th as Jack RollinsSuperhero Day tocelebrate his birthday.Jack Rollins is a 5-year old boy wholives in Bridgeportand has been

bravely ba4ling Stage 4, High Risk, Neuroblastoma Cancer since hewas two. People from all over the state and beyond have respondedto help raise money and plan events to help Jack and his family.Members of the County Commission and other county officials got inthe spirit of the celebra3on by donning superhero costumes. All ofthe Harrison County Commissioners are also members of Lions Clubs.The Commission’s president, Ron Watson is a member of the LostCreek Lions and Bernie Fazzini belongs to the Adamston Lions. On asad note, their fellow commissioner, Frank Ango5 passed away onFebruary 4th. He would have really enjoyed being part of the event.Frank was a member of the Clarksburg Lions Club. If you would liketo learn more about Jack and his amazing determina3on to win thisba4le, please go on-line and search Jack Rollins Journey.

JACK ROLLINS SUPER HERO

READINGACTION

PROGRAM

Students made posters to thank the Lions Clubs. Backrow (l-r) Clarksburg Lions: DG Al Cox, President NickLambernedis, Jean Grant and Nu4er Fort Lions: VDGKen Shahan, Anthony Oliverio, Bill Benincosa, RonVannoy & Lyndon Auvil.

Commissioner LionBernie Fazzini,DG Al Cox &CommissionPresident Lion RonWatson

Superheroes:County officials& staff

BLIND STUDENTS TIMBERLINE SKI TRIP

Students gearing up with their skis, poles andhelmets.

Ge5ng ready to "hit the slopes" with their skiguides. The morning started off in a heavyfog, and later gave way to a sunny day.

In February, students from the WV School for the Blind in Romney were treated to a skiing trip tothe Timberline Four Seasons Resort in Tucker County. The Lions of Mul3ple District 29 sponsor thisannual event. The students enjoyed lunch and at the end of the day, a pizza party. They were also

provided some spending money courtesy of the Lions.

The Clarksburg and Nu4er Fort Lions Clubspresented 200 American flags to First Gradestudents at Nu4er Fort Primary School. LionsDistrict Governor Al Cox of the Clarksburg Clubtold the children about the Flag and the Pledge ofAllegiance. Vice District Governor Ken Shahan,Ron Vannoy & Bill Benincosa from the Nu4er FortLions along with teachers & staff passed out theflags and brochures. Flag Day is always observedon June 14th, but because school is not openduring that 3me Lions clubs hold Flag Days inFebruary close to Presidents Day.

LIONS FLAG DAY

GRAFTON LIONS DISTRICTGOVERNOR NIGHT

PHILIPPI AND JUNIOR LIONS CLUBS

Lion Sue Edwards, of the Junior Lions Club, can be seencapturing an image of Lions President and PDG MarshallReed using the SPOT vision screening system at theirFebruary 23 mee3ng. Looking on are Zone Chairman LionJohn Simons and the rest of the Junior Club. Philippi LionsClub members Millard & Valerie Minor, Doug Haller andMichael White conducted the training session.

Grafton Lions Charter Members Woody Stout(l) & Leonard Lucas (r) with VDG Ken & DG Al.

2016 Lions of West Virginia Leadership Retreat Final ReportBy PID Steve Glass, Chairperson

Based upon the comments, both wri4en and verbal, of many, many of the a4endees, our Retreat held onJanuary 29-31, 2016 was an overwhelming success. Those a4ending enjoyed delicious meals as well as fouroutstanding keynote speakers, President Gordon Gee of WVU, Steve Smith, PID Jim Cavallaro, and Chris Worth,brother of Lion Wayne Worth. Each inspired the leader within us in his own unique way. A4endees evaluatedour twelve seminar presenters very highly and indicated that the seminars were relevant to their work andfamily lives as well as our Lions involvement. The staff of the Charleston Marrio4 Town Center went above andbeyond in providing outstanding wait service as well as taking care of our every need.

A total of 120 Lions and guests a4ended one or all of the ac3vi3es during the weekend. Of those, 36 Lionswere from District L, 26 Lions were from District C, 41 Lions from District I, and we had 6 Ohio Lions,5 Pennsylvania Lions, and 2 Lions from Tennessee. We were especially pleased that we had thirty six first3me a4endees!

Thank you and kudos are in order for several individuals. First let me express my eternal gra3tude to thePlanning Commi4ee for all of your efforts in insuring that we had a highly successful Retreat. I want toespecially recognize and thank our long-3me secretary Lion Linda Kibble for all of the efforts that she putsforth to insure success. The Alum Creek Lions Club served as our host club, and in addi3on to taking care ofregistra3ons, collec3ng meal 3ckets, and serving in the Retreat Office, they prepared and hosted anoutstanding hospitality room, which we all enjoyed very much! Please express your apprecia3on to themwhen you see them. We had two vendors, Dee’s Beau Ties and Sew Simple Embroidery, who traveled fromCharlo4e, NC and Waco, GA, respec3vely, to provide us Lions apparel to purchase. They each expressed adesire to a4end future Lion events in West Virginia. To our presenters and moderators, you all performed inan outstanding fashion, which is evidenced in your evalua3ons.

Our Lions Cafeteria concept provided an opportunity for a4endees to gather informa3on on Lion-specifictopics and was well received. Lions Pa4y Aus3n, Ale4a Moffe4, and Lorie Krautwurst shared experienceswith Reading Ac3on Program ac3vi3es along with West Virginia Read Aloud ac3vi3es. PDG John Pinkermanconducted an extension workshop orienta3on. PID Bob Browning provided an excellent orienta3on programfor new and seasoned Lions, and IPID Cindy Gregg held a round table discussion with district leadership teams,GMT coordinators and club membership chairpersons. Thank you to each one of you for your excellentcontribu3ons.

Thank you to the following donors and supporters whose financial contribu3ons helped us so much:Former District 29-O (PDG Karen Hall-Dundas) District 29-L (IPDG Gene Saunders)District 29-I (IPDG Doug Long) District 29-N (DG Ken Valko)District 29-I (DG Al Cox and Cabinet) Cava & Banko, CPS (Lion Jim Cava)Alum Creek Lions Club Berkeley Springs Lions ClubClarksburg Lions Club

Finally, to every Lion and guest who a4ended the Retreat, thank you for being there and offering yourenergy and enthusiasm! It is each of you who made it all possible.

During the Saturday evening banquet, we were also able to honor the memory of PID Fred D. Cole, whose vi-sion and energy were responsible for crea3ng the West Virginia Lions Leadership School. Thank you, Lion Fred!

The 2017 Retreat will be held on January 27-29, 2017 at Lakeview Resort & Conference Center withPCC Gary Van Horn as the Chairperson. I pledge my full support to Lion Gary.

Registra-on for 94th Annual West Virginia State Conven-on

at Pipestem Resort State Park

April 8, 9, and 10, 2016

Registra3on is $105 per person.

Price includes: Friday Dinner, Saturday Lunch & Dinner, Sunday Lunch

_____________________________________________________________

Name:_______________________ Club Name:__________________

District: L C I State/Club Title:____________________

Phone Number______________ Email:__________________________

Amount Paid $____________ for _______ number of a4endees.

Any other person a4ending with your party:___________________

_____________________________________________________________

Make Checks Payable to:West Virginia Lions State Conven3on

P. O. Box 33Pax, WV 25904

For Room Reserva-ons Contact the Pipestem Resort State Park. (304) 466.1800

Rooms will be $82.00 plus tax per night. When you call say you are part of the“Lions Conven3on.”

For more informa3on contact Conference Chair PCC Dennis Keffer at 304.228.0025or email mastertekjim @netscape.com

*Sunday Breakfast is to be paid to your District Secretary/Treasurer

* Help make this Conven3on a great one. We will be holding a Silent Auc3on and giving door prizes.

Please contact Lion Terry Skeens at 304.253.5317.

DG AL COX313 Worley AvenueClarksburg, WV 26301304=216=5251304-623-3121anewtc2@aol.com

West Virginia Department of Transporta-onLions License Plate

We wear our Lion pin proudly for the world to see. We place theLion emblem decal on our car windows and on our luggage and hand

bags as another way to tell the world that we are proud of our membership in the world’s largest service clubsorganiza3on. Another way that we can also demonstrate our Lions pride is by purchasing a Lion license plate for

our vehicles. Here are the basic applica3on requirements:

• The applicant for a Lions club license must be a Lions club member• The applicant must provide a personal property tax receipt, or an affidavit from the Assessor if the

plate is expiring within 60 days• The applicant must submit a $55.00 check or money order to MD 29, WV LCI and mail it to Steve Glass,

MD 29 Secretary-Treasurer, 191 Ridgeway Drive, Bridgeport, WV 26330

Vehicle requirements are as follows:• The vehicles must be a Class A car or truck under 10,001 pounds gross vehicle weight• The vehicle must have a WV 3tle• A valid WV license plate must already be registered for the vehicle, in the Titles owner’s name• There is no restric3on on the number of special plates one person can obtain

An applica3on for a Lions Club License Plate can be obtained from MD 29 Secretary-Treasurer Steve Glass bycalling at 304-203-2988 or email at scjglass@aol.com. The revised applica3on will also be available soon on theMD 29 web site. In the mean3me, if you have any ques3ons, you may contact Lion Steve.