January 1, 2011
Dear Fellow Lions,
Happy New Year!! It’s 1-1-11. Clearly a new start. I hope that you have all enjoyed the holidays with friends and family. 2010 certainly ended with unusually warm weather. A nice close to a busy and successful year. We capped off the year with our last big project of 2010 with the holiday baskets. There are so many of you to thank. From the Leos and students with their can drive, the schleppers, the sorters, the packers, the shoppers, the wrappers, the riders, the donors, the collectors and the deliverers to the clean-up crew. The holidays bring out the best in us as we work together to serve our community. Lion Mary Frances has the logistics so well planned, we just have to show up and do our part. Thanks to her and all the Lions who turned out to help. We also had a few prospective members join us and that is encouraging as we continue to reach out and be present in Damascus and Clarksburg. Receiving the bonus gifts and donation from the motorcycle club was a wonderful surprise. We were able to find needy families for most everything we received. We are blessed.
Lion Sue Suddath was joined by several other club members way back in the beginning of December for the birthday party at the Senior Center. Our activities with them are so special, both to the Seniors as well as to the members who plan and hold the birthday parties. It’s funny how you can’t really give without receiving, too. Our thanks to Lion Sue and the rest of the “Birthday Gang.”
We only have a couple of activities on the books for this month ~ and they both fall on the Martin Luther King weekend. First up is the NBC 4 Health & Fitness Expo on January 15th and 16th. We have taken a slot to work the mobile health unit bus on the morning of January 15th. We will go to the convention center on the Metro and get everything set up and going as the expo begins. If you would like to take part in this, just let Lion Jerry Warfield know. It’s a fun morning and if we have enough hands, you will have an opportunity to make a lap around the expo and see some of the many interesting and informative displays.
Our second activity is the blood drive, on Monday the 17th. After much frustration with the American Red Cross, we are trying a different blood collection group, INOVA Blood Services. INOVA is the blood provider to Bethesda Navy Medical, Walter Reed, Montgomery General and many other hospitals in our area. Additionally, they participate in nation-wide critical need emergencies, providing blood to areas in crisis. We need to show INOVA that we are a major blood drive, so if you are a donor, please log onto their web site and book yourself an appointment. The page is at https://www.inovabloodsaves.org/ and you can pass this on to your friends and family. It would be wonderful to have all our appointments booked in advance. INOVA will accept walk-in donors as space/time is available to process them. We will need Lions to make calls to our former donors to let them know about the changes and encourage them to donate at this drive.
What an exciting year we have ahead of us!!
Yours in Service,
King Lion Marcia