DISTRICT 31F NEWSLETTER APRIL 2014 Lions Fun Weekend-March 21-23 By Vince Schimmoller District Governor This past weekend I spent Saturday at Camp Dogwood for the first time NC Lions Fun weekend. There were about 65-70 Lions and family members at the weekend event. The best part was that there were about 20-25 Lions that visited the Camp for the first time. They were all amazed at the great facility that the NC Lions owns and operates. Paul Stewart, Doris Stewart and Shirley McCoy club members from Buies Creek Lions Club participated in the weekend festivities. This was the first time to Camp Dogwood for these three Lions and Paul commented that he was impressed with the camp and made the reason to support Camp Dogwood very real. The visiting Lions enjoyed bingo on Friday night and putt-putt golf on Saturday morning in which sighted individuals were blindfolded and then went around the course with the help of another person. The putt-putt course was built by District 31F Lions (Western Harnett Lions) in 2011 and continues to be a hit for the blind and visually impaired folks. I found this blindfolded experience quite interesting and challenging-in fact one of the blind people there did much better than I did. Attached picture shows the many Lions enjoying the golf course. Later in the day I joined in a corn hole tournament and Don Henry and I came in second place. Everyone had a great time at the Fun Weekend. If the Fun Weekend is scheduled again for next year I encourage other clubs to make plans to join in the fun. Thanks to Dale Dupree, NC Lions Incorporated President for planning and holding the Fun Weekend. Reconstruction on the lodge is complete and looks great. The picture shows the interior of the expanded waiting area-note how the new area has windows and has open views of the lake. ELECTION OF NEW OFFICERS I encourage those of you that have not taken a leadership role in your club to step forward, move out of your comfort zone and breathe new life into your club. Each person has much to offer and it is always good to get a different perspective on the activities of the club. You may be able to bring a new service project to life or add a different fund raiser. Do not be concerned about failing, your club members will not let that happen as they too want to be associated with success.
Page 2 I am asking that each club submit a Form PU-101, a Lions Club s Officer Reporting Form, to Lions Club International (LCI) by April 15. I have attached the PU 101 form for your use or you can submit this form on line directly to LCI. Please send a copy of this form or a list of the new officers to Lynn McCaskill, District Governor Elect, as this will assist in preparing his directory for next year. LIONS WORLD LUNCH DAY There's no better opportunity than Family and Friends Month in April to grow your club membership. Make sure your club is planning a special event in April to showcase your club to family and friends. Don't forget to register your club for the Lions World Lunch Relay on April 4 th and join Lions around the world for this special Family and Friends Month event! If your club does not hold a special lunch, join a neighboring club. CAMP DOGWOOD CLEAN-UP Camp Dogwood clean-up is scheduled for April 13-17. This is the time when many Lions from around the State gather at Camp Dogwood to do spring cleaning at the camp to make it ready for the campers coming in the summer. For those of you that can make it, I encourage you to come as it is a fun time and you can t beat the price. Meals and lodging are free; the only cost to you is your time and talents to make the camp look better. If you would like to participate in the clean-up contact Wil Carter at Camp Dogwood, 828-478-2135 x 232 and make your reservation. Come for 1 day or all three days.
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Page 6 Auction to Benefit the NC Lions Visually Impaired Persons Fishing Tournament When: April 26, 2014 Contact: Gwen White, 252-202-2329 A Night for Sight dinner and auction to raise funds for the blind and visually impaired will be held at Duck Woods Country Club in Southern Shores on April 26 opening at 5:30PM. Tickets for this fundraising event are just $25 per person. Proceeds from this benefit will fund the 32 nd Annual NC Lions Visually Impaired Persons Fishing Tournament. This tournament provides a three-day event for educational, recreational, and personal growth opportunities to serve North Carolina s visually impaired persons, and to provide a venue for an international fishing tournament. Guests will browse the area displaying three sections of silent auction items while enjoying a night of exciting and creative enjoyment. Each of these areas will close at staggered times to allow bidders to watch over coveted items before moving to the next silent auction area. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. A live auction will begin at 7:30 p.m. The local Dare County community and Lions from across the state are donating items that are sure to please everyone and hopefully big bargains can be expected, said VIP Board President Robert Walton. We are excited to have a committee with a Lion from every district represented and they will be here to help run the event. The real winners of this auction will be the visually impaired that we Lions serve, Walton said. Won t you please help us make this a big success? A few of the items collected include an autographed racing memorabilia, vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC, accommodations on the Outer Banks, golfing packages, an African Safari, furniture, antique clock, and much more. Anyone interested in donating items, sponsoring a table, or buying tickets should call Gwen White, executive director of the VIP Tournament program, at 252-441-4966 or 252-202-2329 or whiteink1@earthlink.net. Tickets to attend are limited. There is a saying at Jeanette s Pier that reads, If you are lucky enough to be fishing, you are lucky enough. Sighted anglers have little trouble finding that special spot where the fishing is always great. Visually impaired anglers often have to stay put, waiting for somebody to call and offer them a ride to that special place. Although most would argue, we all fish blindly! Thanks to the Lions of North Carolina, this VIP Fishing Tournament provides an opportunity to these people to enjoy the pleasure of fishing. The VIP Fishing Tournament is the world s largest service project of its kind for the visually impaired, and it is held, here, in our community. If you would like to donate items or buy tickets contact: PDG Jerry Lee Thomas, 910-582-5564, jerry31f@gmail.com.
Page 7 GODWIN LIONS CLUB SELLING RAFFLE TICKETS Goodwin Lions Club, Godwin, NC is working hard selling raffle tickets to help with their blind activities. Members are selling on Saturdays now and through April, 2014 at Wal-Mart s in Dunn, NC. Part of our sales go to our community school. We help with the Accelerated Reader Program. We have been helping District 7 Elementary School with their reading program for fourteen years. We are also getting information about the Pedia Vision Camera for Checking young children s eyes. Some of our members met with the Cumberland County School s Health Services Director on March 21, 2014 and we got the approval to check student s eyes in their schools. Now we have to figure out how we are going to raise the money to buy the Pedia Vision Camera. Bettie Olsen, Sec/Tres Goodwin Lions Club bolsen1222@embarqmail.com WE SERVE
Page 9 Teresa Dew Kelly Congratulations are in order for Teresa Dew Kelly as she received the Duke Energy Citizenship & Service Award at the annual Sanford Area Chamber Commerce membership meeting. Teresa is the Executive Director of the Christians United Outreach Center as well as the President of the Broadway Lions Club. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Western Harnett Lions Club at work getting the Habitat House in Cameron painted and ready. Carl Casciere and Fred Johnson Allen Truhan and Don Harris
Page 10 CLARKTON MOURNS DEATH OF REVERED PRINCIPAL BY MARSHA BURNEY Birth: Aug. 1, 1930 Death: Feb. 6, 2014 There s a very somber and respectful hush over the town of Clarkton today. Her people mourn the passing of a legend, an icon, and perhaps the most respected member of this southern Bladen County community. Mr. Harold Dean Ingram, Sr., age 83, died Thursday morning. He was a teacher, coach, and long-time principal at Clarkton High School, and he was active in the First Baptist Church of Clarkton and the Clarkton Lions Club for decades. But to Clarkton s people, Mr. Ingram was more than just a compilation of the school where he worked, the church where he worshiped, and the civic organization where he volunteered. Mr. Ingram was the embodiment of a father-figure always wise, always fair, always consistent, always a leader, and always dedicated to the growth of young people. To be sure, in the 56 years that Mr. Ingram called Clarkton home, there is not a single person in the community who didn t know him. But, few called him by his first name, for that would have been disrespectful to his status in this community. And, above all else, Mr. Ingram was respected. Mr. Ingram grew up in the little town of Lilesville in Anson County, NC. He graduated from Lilesville High School in 1948, where he excelled as a basketball and baseball player. After high school, he worked for three years as an inspector for the W. R. Bonsal Company, a sand and gravel company. Then, he spent four years in the Air Force. After his military service, Mr. Ingram attended East Carolina College (now ECU), where he majored in Physical Education and Social Studies. He also played basketball at East Carolina. His first year, he was a walk-on on the college s basketball team; however, after that year, the college offered him a three-year scholarship. His senior year in college, Mr. Ingram was the captain of the basketball team and named the Most Valuable Player. Years ago in a news article about him, Mr. Ingram joked that he was older than most guys on his college team and had played a little ball in the service, too. He said he knew how to throw elbows while playing basketball, so his college coaches didn t have to teach him that! After he earned his degree from East Carolina, Mr. Ingram was looking for a job and the Clarkton School (which served students in grades 1-12) was looking for a teacher and a coach. It was a perfect fit, so in 1958, Mr. Ingram adopted Clarkton as his hometown, and the town, in return, adopted him as one of his own.
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