The Jungle Jargon

MEETING SCHEDULE

February, 2012

January 31 - Board of Directors Meeting - 7:30PM, Boy Scout Room (Town Hall)

February 1 - Boy Scout Meeting - 7PM, Station Bar & Grill; Dinner: Broiled Pork Chops

Program: Local resident Ms. Kathy Easton is an avid Birdwatcher and will discuss Birding in and around Cranbury.

February 15 - Regular Meeting - 7PM, Station Bar & Grill; Dinner: Chicken Portobello

Program: Mr. Harry Fini, from Life Saver Living Solutions, will discuss how his company helps Seniors live independently in their own homes for as long as possible.

March, 2012

March 6 - Board of Directors Meeting - 7:30PM, Boy Scout Room (Town Hall)

March 7 - Regular Meeting - 7PM, Station Bar & Grill; Dinner: Broiled Filet of Flounder

Program: To Be Determined.

March 21 - Annual Hightstown Joint Meeting - 7PM, Station Bar & Grill; Dinner: Corned Beef & Cabbage

Program: (tentative) LTC (ret.) Matt McConnell will speak to us about the "Wounded Warriors" Program.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ IN MEMORIAM ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This past month we lost two of our Senior Lions: Lion Edgar Lawson and Lion Dick West.

Lion Ed passed away on January 19. Since he became a Lion in 1973, Lion Ed was a passionate supporter of the Cranbury Lions Club; he was a two-time President in 1990-91 and 91-92; He held the District Position of Zone Chair in 1993-94; He was a two-time honoree of our Lion of the Year Award, in 1993-94 and again in 2003-04. He was awarded a Melvin Jones Fellowship in 1996. He often held a position of Director on the Board from the 80's until 2001. He was our liaison to the Lioness Club, and was a constant supporter of and volunteer at our fundraisers and projects. And, until last year, was a regular attendee of the most District and State meetings. We have been advised by the family that his wishes were that donations should be given to the Cranbury Lions Club, in lieu of flowers. The Memorial Service for Lion Ed was held on January 24^th, in the Sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury.

Richard (Dick) West, a longtime Cranbury resident, passed away in Florida on January 23. Lion Dick became a Member of the Cranbury Lions in January 1956 - he had reached his 56^th Anniversary as a Lion. He held the position of Club Secretary from July, 1959 through June, 1962, and was President of the Club in 1966-67. Dick also held the title of Club Historian from the mid-1970's until 1999. He was extremely active in his time and was part of the Lions construction crew on the Park Pavilion, and in fact, was a Member of the Board when the Club donated the acreage (to the Township) which would become Village Park. He wintered in Florida for years, before moving there permanently in the early part of the first decade, but wished to retain his membership in the Cranbury Lions Club, becoming an Associate Member at a Lions Club near him in Ocala, Florida. He held Privileged Membership Status in the Cranbury Lions. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 11th at 3PM in the Sanctuary of The First Presbyterian Church Cranbury with a small reception to follow in Fellowship Hall.

Things To Know

Our Constitution and By-Laws is a living document, and in an ever-changing world, sometimes needs adjustment. The Board of Directors is proposing a minor change to the Constitution and By-Laws. In accordance with outlined procedure, this forthcoming written example constitutes Notice. A Membership vote will be held at our Business meeting on February 15, 2012.

Event Chair Lion Neile Wright has arranged for us to continue our Valentine's Day Roses fundraiser with Kathy Burke of the Cutting Garden, 70 North Main St. Roses will sell for $60 per dozen; Kathy will donate 50% of the net profit on roses ordered and purchased through the Cutting Garden for Valentine's Day pick-up. Orders must be placed NLT February 3^rd in order to receive the discount; after the third a bouquet will be $70.

The New Jersey Lions Day at the Devils Game was Saturday, January 21; I am sorry to say that our Club only sold four tickets; which will net us $40 for our Charitable Budget; to make matters worse, the Devils lost to the Flyers 4 - 1.

Speaking of Budget…Treasurer Lion Dean Koehler has advised us that there is approximately $4000 in dues in arrears. If you have not paid your dues bill, please do so immediately. Additionally, Lion Dean has requested that all Members pay for guests' dinner at the time of the meeting; the additional procedural work to add guests to the individual dues invoice(s) poses some difficulty and is extremely time consuming. In an effort to help with this time problem, the Board supports this request, and will heretofore ask that Members pay for their guest's dinner at the time of the meeting.

We have begun to move forward on International President Tam's Tree Planting Program for Lion Year 2011-2012. IP Tam's goal was to plant One Million Trees, worldwide; at last count the Lions of the world had planted over 2.5 million trees! We are in the process of obtaining trees at this time. More information will follow.

We will be celebrating our 80^th Anniversary on Saturday, June 30, 2012. The Party will be at Zinna's Restaurant from 3-6PM. There will be passed hors d'ouevres and desserts. It is a BYO establishment, so we have managed to keep the price at (approximately) $25 per person. The Committee is planning a few special fun surprises, and we will keep you updated. The Committee has also been working with the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society, and the history of our Club will be the featured exhibit in the Cranbury Museum, starting April 1, 2012. Any Member who has ANY memorabilia - photos, flags, banners, posters, anything - should contact Lions Neal Wagman or Fay Kobland to arrange for its use in the exhibit; unless you would like to donate it to the Club, all borrowed memorabilia will be returned at the close of the exhibit. If you would like to volunteer to help in any way, please contact either Lions Neile Wright or Lion Neal Wagman. This is a celebration of our Club's 80 years of service to Cranbury; we hope that every member will consider attending this auspicious occasion.

As you all know, we are crafting a barrel of wine as part of our 80^th Anniversary, and we are holding a Wine Label Design Contest. This contest is open to ALL Cranbury Residents. The labels must contain the following criteria:

• Can be created in ANY art medium, including photography, and the label design becomes the property of the Cranbury Lions;
• Must show the Lions Logo (available on line at www.lionsclubs.org - it does not have to be prominent, but it MUST be there;
• Must show the name of the wine: "Lions Pride";
• Must show the date: 2011 (FYI, the date is for the grape harvest, NOT the bottling)
• Must show the type of wine: Bordeaux Style Blend
• Must show the type of grapes used: Napa Valley - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
• Must say, in small print, "Handcrafted at The Grape Escape, Dayton, NJ"

Prizes will be awarded for the top three entries. The prizes will most likely be gift certificates to local restaurants with information to follow as it becomes available. The deadline for entry submittals is April 30^th. Entries should be submitted to Secretary PDG Bob, via e-mail.

Our next White Cane Day will be April 7. Volunteers should sign up at the meetings (starting in March) or contact Lion Neile Wright.

Once again, we would like to remind all members, supporters, and residents that, as always, we will hold our Annual Thunder Game in August; we have a limited amount of seating in the Yankee Club SkyBox. In addition to those Members who have already signed-up, quite a few Members have mentioned that they plan to attend this game; there are only 16 tickets left for this game - please don't get "shut out" of the game by waiting until "the last minute" to reserve your ticket. The Thunder will only play one weekend at home in August, and we have arranged our game date to be Sunday afternoon (5PM), August 19, 2012, when the Thunder plays the Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles). Yankee Club SkyBox tickets are $38 per ticket, and include upscale dining and non-alcoholic beverages for 90 minutes; for tickets contact PDG Bob

The Jamesburg Leo Club will have a meeting on Tuesday, February 7, 2012. At this meeting they will be making Valentine's Day Cards which will be distributed at hospitals and shelters. The boys have invited our Lion Members to attend their meeting to help in the production of these cards. Any member who can spare a few evening hours should use the sign-up sheet at the February 1 meeting or contact Lion Fay Kobland.

A quick word about the 2012 Multiple District 16 State Convention… It will be held this year on May 17-20 at the Bridgewater Marriot. There will be quite a few Constitutional Changes being made that will require voting by Delegates; at this time we will be allowed 6 Delegates and 6 Alternates. Our own VDG John Kobland will be inducted as Governor of District 16-D; a strong showing of support from our Club throughout the convention, including Friday night at VDG John's Hospitality Room, but especially at the Saturday night event is encouraged. [A word from the District: Our negotiated rates are based on the number of "room nights"; all members are being asked to stay over at least one night, two if possible.] The format for the Saturday evening formal is being "changed"; after the procession of elected incoming Governors, and other necessary protocols, the room will be changed into a "night club setting". Topping the bill will be "Uncle Floyd". This ought to be a fun Convention and certainly one that our Cranbury Members will want to attend.

PDG Bob was not only able to obtain a Saturday game for our Trenton Thunder 50/50, but it's the (NY Yankees) Thunder v. the Binghamton Mets; this rivalry game is almost always a capacity game! Our 50/50 game day will be June 9, 2012. More about that in a few months.

Help Support the Century of Service Commemorative Coin. Lions Clubs International is leading efforts to mint 400,000 U.S. silver dollars in recognition of Lions Clubs International's 100th Anniversary in 2017. And, this coin is the first step to commemorate our Association's centennial - while raising millions to support our projects for the visually impaired, youth and those affected by disaster. Find out how you can get involved in this campaign at http://www.lionsclubs.org/coin/

Membership - Membership - Membership

We always need new members who will help to raise the charitable funds which we need to complete our mission, and to help "broaden" our charitable collection base. But we are about to face a new problem…

Our Administrative Budget is becoming increasingly tight, and our Administrative "back-up fund" has become alarmingly low. Ladies and Gentlemen…Fellow Lions, WE ARE IN NEED OF NEW MEMBERSHIP, and while all are welcome, we need some "youth" so that we won't face the ever continuing possibility of becoming "an old persons' club"…but don't forget "Empty Nesters".

As we've said so often, membership is the key to our survival! New members will rejuvenate existing members and help to keep us ALL young-at-heart, active, and viable! President Christine is asking ALL members to assist Membership Chair Jon Goldstein in attracting and bringing in new members.

Through the years, some of our members have said that the reason it took so long to become a Lion was that no one asked! Ask your friends and neighbors if they can give a little of their time to serve and to give back to the community, while having a good time doing it with new friends. If each of our 60 members asked just one person to join and only 25% of those people joined this year, we would increase our membership by 15 people! To get information about membership options or to obtain membership applications contact Membership Chair Jon, Secretary PDG Bob, or President Christine. In any event, we cannot complete our Mission without a Membership Pool so we MUST maintain a proactive campaign to bring in new Members and keep our Lions Club from being Cranbury's "best kept secret"…or worse.

Reminders

We'd like to remind all members to PLEASE, share the Jargon with your Spouse, so that our events may be better scheduled on your personal or family calendars for better attendance and participation. Please note that Spouses are not only invited to attend all meetings, but to become Members under the Family Membership Initiative. In any event, Spouses are wholly encouraged to attend our quarterly "Spouse Night" meetings.

The Club requires that all Members wear a Lion Vest, Shirt or Hat when we are at a fundraiser or Service Project. If you do not have one of these items, please contact Club Secretary Bob to obtain one. These items are at "cost" to our members. Vests @$40 (S-M-L) or $45 (XL, 2X); larger size vests (to 6X) are available as a special order; hats are $12. Ladies Cut for vests are available, same pricing. We also have a couple of "T-Shirts" left (large), $10 each.

Members can access the Club Directory on-line with the required logon and password. Members without internet capability may contact Lion Phyllis Johnson for a hard copy of the Directory.

One of the most difficult jobs in our Club is the Program Chair, and the ability to get speakers for our meetings. Lion Tamer Frank Marlowe is our Speaker Chair and would be most appreciative of any and all speaker leads he is given. Do you know of an interesting speaker? You may be an interesting speaker! Please contact Lion Frank with any and all suggestions for speakers.

Any member who learns of the sickness or death of another member, or in a member's family, or any other similar incident or emergency, should call or e-mail Lion Frank Marlowe (Chair, H&W) and/or President Christine ("phone tree"), and/or Secretary PDG Bob so that all members may be notified as soon as possible.

Member Pick-Up

The Club will arrange a ride for any member who is unable to drive to the meeting(s); Lion George Smith has volunteered to be the "permanent" pick-up driver for Lion Ed Lawson (Lion Frank Marlowe is the back-up driver). If a Member needs a ride, please contact President Christine or Secretary PDG Bob to arrange for a pick-up. Drivers: if you cannot make your pick-up, please notify President Christine as soon as possible. Riders: please notify the assigned driver if you cannot make a meeting.