Fall 2017

Magnolia Lion

Lions of Mississ ippi /Lions Sight Foundat ion

Special points of interest:

The Lions Sight Founda-

tion, founded in 1971,

is the fundraising arm

of the Lions Clubs of

Mississippi.

White Cane Days is the

primary fundraising

campaign of the Foun-

dation.

Monies raised through

White Cane Days are

used to fund the state’s

various projects.

International

Convention

2

Governors

Proclamation

3

District 30-M

News

4&5

District 30-S

News

6&7

Finish Strong 8

Inside this issue:

Since 1971.the Lions Sight

Foundation of Mississippi

has been the fundraising

arm for the Lions Clubs of

Mississippi. White Cane

Days, the primary fundrais-

ing drive of the Sight Foun-

dation is traditionally held

in October so that funds

needed to fund statewide

projects may begin to be

dispersed. This year we

need to raise $114,261 to

meet the Foundation’s goal.

We will be asking every

Lions Club to make a dona-

tion as well as each Lion in

the state to make an indi-

vidual commitment of $25

to help fund our statewide

projects. Beginning in

1998, individuals making a

donation of $25 or more

have been presented an

Avery McKinley Award pin in

recognition of their contri-

bution to the Foundation’s

mission. The 2017-18 pin

depicts a lighthouse, sym-

bolizing that the Lions are

going to light the way for

our future in the state of

Mississippi.

White Cane contributions

fund several important pro-

jects: Hearing and Deaf,

Sea & Sun Camp, Sight

Screening Program,

Diabetes Awareness, and

the Mississippi Lions Eye

Bank, the premier project of

the Lions Clubs of Missis-

sippi. As a reminder, we fell

short of our goal for 2016-

2017 by 8%, therefore all

grants received by our pro-

jects were reduced by 8%.

Let’s make sure we don’t

fall short this year.

Since by-laws prevent the

various programs spon-

sored by the Sight Founda-

tion from spending monies

until they are raised and

received for disbursement,

we are asking clubs to con-

duct their fundraisers as

early as possible. It is vital

that all our clubs contribute

to White Cane this year and

do so early so that we don’t

have to deny or delay any-

one a much-needed service.

If you have not already done

so, please make plans to

conduct a fundraiser in Oc-

tober or sooner.

White Cane…

Lighting The Way For The Future

White Cane Days

All-State Band Captures 33rd Title... The Lions All-State Band

captured its 33rd Lions

Clubs International All-

State Band Championship

this year held in Chicago.

The competition is held

annually in conjunction

with the Lions Clubs Inter-

national Convention. The

band is led by Director/

Manager Jeff Cannon.

“We are always proud to

represent our state and

the Lions Clubs, but to win

an International Champi-

onship as a part of the

100 year celebration of

Lions Clubs International

is worth all the effort we

put forth,” said Cannon.

The band is composed of

students from around the

state who participate in a

rigorous series of tryouts

to determine who will rep-

resent our state at the

annual International

Parade.

More than 50 Mississippi Lions, their spouses, children and grandchildren gathered June 30 – July 4 to celebrate the

100th anniversary of Lions Clubs International in Chicago, the site of the establishment of Lions by businessman Melvin

Jones.

A highlight for the Mississippi delegation was the

opportunity to march behind the International

Champion Mississippi Lions All-State Band in the

Parade of Nations, joining 10,000 Lions from

around the world, filling the streets of Chicago, with

many delegations marching in their native dress.

Many delegates chose to attend one or more of the

seminars offered throughout the convention. Top-

ics offered included such things as Social Media for

Lions and Leos, Dealing with Natural Disasters, Li-

ons in a Changing World.

General sessions included the International Flag

Ceremony which featured members of our All-State

band and addresses by former Vice President Al

Gore, singer Patti LaBelle, and a reenactment by

Helen Keller’s great grandniece of her aunt’s plea to

Lions to be Knights of the Blind. Council Chairman

Charlotte Dickson led the Mississippi Delegation at

the Southeast Region Breakfast and proudly intro-

duced our Lions in attendance. All in attendance were entertained at various sessions by the Beach Boys, the Charlie

Daniels Band, and the band Chicago.

The 100th Anniversary Convention of Lions Clubs International was a historic event and an opportunity to set the stage

for our next century of service. It is a time in the history of Lionism that we will never forget.

International Convention Celebrates 100 yrs...

Some of the Mississippi delegation proudly display a banner signed by

MD-30 members over the course of last year. The banner was a part of

the Lions Clubs International Centennial Celebration.

Vice District Barron

Caulfield and his

wife Elizabeth took

time out of their

busy schedule to pay

a visit to Wrigley

Field, home of the

World Champion

Chicago Cubs. From

the look of things

they weren’t the only

Lions that took

advantage of the

opportunity.

Governor Phil Bryant recently signed a proclamation recognizing Lions Clubs International and

celebrating the organizations 100th anniversary by proclaiming June 30, 2017, “Lions Clubs

Centennial Celebration Day”.

The Tupelo Evening Lions Club is working on a

community service project for the Tupelo

Nursing and Rehab Center (a nursing home in

Tupelo). The residents of TNRC love fresh

vegetables in the summer and enjoy being

able to have plants and watch them grow, but

unfortunately, do not have many places to

plant them on the grounds of the facility. The

Tupelo Evening Lions Club, with donations

from Lowe’s and members in the club, have

made a raised bed for the residents to enjoy.

The bed cannot be planted this year with

edible plants because the wood is treated and

could be toxic for the short term. The Lions

have planted flowers this year and have

donated pots to plant tomatoes, peppers,

squash, cucumbers and herbs for residents to

eat in the interim. The Evening Lions will

follow up and maintain the raised beds as a

service project. Volunteers are seen here (left)

planting flowering plants in the raised beds.

The Cleveland Evening Lions Club recently recognized their tailtwister, Emma Gong, for her dedicated service to their

weekly Lion’s Club meetings. Gong, the daughter of Lions Neil and Elizabeth Gong, has served as tailtwister for 4 years

since joining the club when she was only 5 years old. She recently received a stuffed lion that was purchased at the Mid-

South Sight and Hearing auction held on June 3rd in Memphis, TN. She now proudly brings the stuffed lion to every

meeting while conducting her duties as tailtwister. We are grateful for her service and young spirit.

District 30-M District Governor

News Arland “Ace” Eilert

Tailtwister Emma Gong (right) performs her duty

and collects a fine from Lion Pal Kossman.

Emma, shown sitting with her stuffed lion given to her by members of the Cleveland

Evening Lions Club (in the background) for her service as the club’s Tailtwister.

Indianola Lions Club Holds 45th Annual Golf Tournament

Championship Flight

The Indianola Lions Club 45th Annual Golf Tourna-

ment was held June 24th-25th, 2017 at the India-

nola Country Club. All proceeds from the tourna-

ment are used for many state and local needs as

well as for the Mississippi Lions Eye Bank. On the

local level, the Lions scholarships go to public and

private schools’ graduating seniors.

Tournament Director, Allen “Buster” Holloway, said

that the golfers look forward to participating in this

event every year not only for the fun and love of

the game, but because they also serve as volun-

teers for many different causes and understand

the importance of giving back to the community.

The Indianola Lions Club would like to thank all our

local sponsors who give generously each year by

providing prizes that make our tournament such a

success.

We are very proud of our success in being able to

continue this event each year to give back to oth-

ers.

We are very proud to SERVE.

WINNERS:

Championship Flight – l-r Don Barger, Jerry

Casano, Willie Earl Clark, H.L. Dilworth,

Tournament Director Buster Holloway, Mat-

thew Woodruff and Larry Woodruff.

1st Flight – l-r John Maggio, Seldon Van-

Cleve, Tournament Director Buster Hollo-

way, David Baird and Jimmy Clayton. (not

pictured Ric McCandlesi)

2nd Flight – l-r Cameron Richardson, Charlie

Mason, Tournament Director Buster Hollo-

way, Jeff Tatum, Jody Moor and Joel Moor.

(not pictured Clint Turman)

1st Flight

2nd Flight

District 30-S District Governor

News Glenn Harrison

It’s another Lions’ year, and I hope

everyone is as excited about it as I

am. This is our last year of the Lions

International Centennial celebration,

and the best way to celebrate is with

a service project. In our cabinet meet-

ing, we adopted, “Hunger relief” as

our district’s Centennial Service Pro-

ject, so I encourage each club to in-

corporate this service project into

your year’s plan. We will be collect-

ing non-perishable food items at mid-

winter convention which will be held

on February 16-17, 2018 in Hatties-

burg at the Holiday Inn (soon to be

Doubletree).

Speaking of Centennial Projects, I

have set a goal to have each club

complete a Centennial Legacy Project.

Some clubs have already completed a

Legacy Project, and others are still

planning one. What is a Legacy Pro-

ject? It is simply a project to provide

a lasting reminder of how important

your club is to your community. It can

be as simple as a Lions sign on the

way into town to a full-blown project of

building a clinic. Look at

www.lionsclubs.org for more ideas

and make sure to report your project

as a “Legacy Project.” It seems that

we are almost always harping on

membership, but membership is just

the key to being able to serve more

people, and serving more people is

really what being a Lion is all about.

We are told that each member serves

approximately 70 people. Therefore,

we need to grow our membership to

achieve or organization’s goal of serv-

ing 200 million people a year by the

year 2020-2021. I am asking that

each club set a target of growing its

membership by 2 members by the

end of June 2018. Lions make a dif-

ference. In a world filled with strife,

hunger, and disease, Lions have been

at the forefront of making this world a

better place. Our International Presi-

dent, Dr. Naresh Aggarwai, has cho-

sen as his theme simply “We Serve.”

So powerful is this theme that it will

be our theme for the following two

years as well. Think of how you can

incorporate our theme into projects

and publicity for the things you do.

This year, we are having another Mis-

sissippi Lions Leadership Institute

which will be held on June 7-9, 2018

at Gulf Hills Resort in Ocean Springs.

The Institute is designed primarily for

those that have not yet served as club

president, but even past presidents

can benefit. Our first Institute was a

resounding success and I believe that

it has strengthened our clubs. I en-

courage every club to send at least

one Lion to the Institute and you may

think about helping out with the cost

which is just $161 for registration,

room and breakfast for two mornings.

Now is the time to identify candidates.

The Institute is taught by profession-

als that go to great lengths to make it

the best training of its kind. Our next

cabinet meeting will be held on Octo-

ber 7th in Columbia, Until then, let me

know what I can do to help you

achieve your goals. As always, I appre-

ciate all you and your club do for Lions

International and your community.

Please make the following corrections to the state directory:

p. 4 Rita Robbins, Email: ritarobbins@att.net

p. 16 James Beckham, E: jobeckham@latterblum.com

p. 17 Bradford Fair, R: 662-645-9858, E: bradfordfair@yahoo.com

p. 22 Margot Swetman, E: margotswetman@bellsouth.net

p. 36 Booneville, Pres: replace ph #, 662-554-2800

p. 37 Bradford Fair, R: 662-645-9858, E: bradfordfair@yahoo.com

p. 50 Craig Sawyers, E: ritarobbins@att.net

p. 54 Rita Robbins and Craig Sawyers: email: email: ritarobbins@att.net

p. 54 Hazlehurst meets at 6:30 pm

p. 57 Ocean Springs Sec: Shelby Bohn Waldron, 11576 Pine Dr, Gulfport 39503,

ph# 540-220-2693, E: Shelby.bohn@gmail.com

p. 57 Pine Belt, Ph for Pres and Sec, 601-268-6822

p. 57 Pine Belt, meets at 6:30 pm

We asked Lion James Harper of the Vicksburg Lions Club to share some of his memories regarding his attendance at

the Lions Clubs 50th International Convention held in Chicago. Harper, a teen at the time, attended the convention

with his family. He was presented a special certificate of attendance for both the 50th and the 100th conventions.

I attended the 50th convention in Chicago as a 15-year old. My dad, Lion John Harper, was in the Vicksburg Club and

this was the first time he had attended an International Convention. Now, this is the first International Convention that

I have attended as a Lion Club member delegate.

My mom, one of my sisters and I went with him to the convention. We stopped in St. Louis and got to see Bob Gibson

and Roger Maris play for the Cardinals. We then drove to Chicago and stayed in the Executive House. I believe the

convention was held in the Conrad Hilton Hotel, which was several blocks away. I remember thinking how impressed I

was that so many Lions from around the world would

attend a convention to support a service organization. I

believe it was stated that the Lions Club convention was

one of the largest in the world.

Back then, we just walked back and forth from our hotel

to the convention headquarters. There were at least six

other teens from Vicksburg attending with their families

and we just walked everywhere we wanted to go. The

convention held a dance for the teenagers attending and

we walked home at midnight. We were not scared and

our parents were not overly concerned.

In 1967, the tallest skyscraper was the Prudential

Building and it was free to ride the elevator to the

observation deck. I went at least three times. The John

Hancock Building was constructed, but had not opened.

I remember trading pins with delegates. There were pins

only from the 50 states and a few countries. You would

find a delegate and try to exchange pins one for one.

Anytime you could a foreign country pin, it was a big

deal.

The parade was awesome with floats and bands. They

marched down Michigan Avenue. It was chilly and I

remember getting really cold since I had brought only

shorts to wear. This year, it was just the opposite, I

brought clothes for windy, chilly weather and it was hot.

Local Lion Attended 50th and 100th Convention

On Saturday July 22nd, the Biloxi Lions

Club participated in the Edgewater Ro-

tary Club’s annual Children’s Health

Fair by providing free eye screenings.

The four-hour event was held at Edge-

water Mall. The Biloxi Club, along with

Walmart Eye Care Clinic, screened

approximately 300 children during the

fair. Twenty-five of the 125 children

screened by the Biloxi Club were re-

ferred to have further testing. To better

serve the community with their eye

screening program, the Biloxi Club is in

the process of purchasing additional

eye screening devices. These devices

are specifically designed to screen

younger children, including infants.

Peggy Harper (left) stands next to her husband Lion

James Harper (center) who received a certificate for

attending the 50th and 100th Lions International

Convention. The certificate was presented by State

Administrator David “Scoop” Barham (right).

Where There’s A Need...THERE’S A LION by Lion Penny Edwards

431 Katherine Drive

Flowood, MS 39232

Lions of Miss iss ippi /

Lions Sight Foundat ion

Phone: 601-420-5752

Fax: 601-420-5743

E-mail: Lionsofms@aol.com

We Serve!