Jungle Jargon

A Monthly Broadcast to

THE LIONS CLUB OF CRANBURY, NEW JERSEY

Contact us at: http://cranburylions.org

“A Country Club Trying to Serve Its Country”

Ideals in Government		Mutual Helpfulness
Social Progress	Understanding	Civic Betterment	Fellowship

President	Alex Johnson	Directors – 1 year	Don Herr
1^st Vice President	Mike Kaiser		Doug Pearce
2^nd Vice President	David Cook		Jon Goldstein
3^rd Vice President	Andre Mento		Bob Virgadamo
Secretary	George Smith
Treasurer – Operating/Projects	Glenn Johnson	Directors – 2 Years	Frank Brennan, Jr.
Assistant Treasurer - Projects	Glenn Johnson		Jeff Grundy
			Paul Hayden
Immediate Past President	Walt Caldwell		John Kobland
Information Technology Chairman	Dave Shaffer	Publicity Chairman	Rick Cusworth
Lion Tamer	Rick Burke	Jargon Editor	Bob Virgadamo
Tail Twister	Peter Turner
Membership Chairman	Mike Kaiser

September, 2005

September 6 – Board of Directors Meeting – 7:30PM, Tom Gambino Library Room

September 7 – Regular Meeting – 7PM, Cranbury Station, Dinner: Chicken Portobello

Speaker: Jane Venanzi will speak to us about the World Affairs Seminar

September 21 - Bring-A-Guest Meeting – 7PM, Cranbury Station, Dinner: Roast Beef

Speaker: Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein will speak to us about tax reform

October, 2005

October 4 – Board of Directors Meeting – 7:30PM, Tom Gambino Library Room

October 5 – Regular Meeting – 7PM, Cranbury Station, Dinner: Broiled Pork Chops

Speaker: TBA

October 19 – Autumn Spouse Meeting – 7PM, Cranbury Station, Dinner: Broiled Filet of Flounder

Speaker: Mr. Thomas Nye, Winemaster at the Grape Escape in Dayton who will speak to us about the art of winemaking.

In Memoriam

The Cranbury Lions mourn the passing of Maryminta Konrad on August 13, 2005. Lion Joe, our thoughts are with you.

Passion To Excel

International President Ashok Mehta has themed this year as a Passion to Excel because Lions are passionate about serving humanity. A Lion’s Passion to excel is manifested through our many activities and the assistance we provide to the community. The Presidential program invites Lions to revitalize their passion for excellence in five key areas: service, growth, leadership, promotion, and performance. 

The passion of a Lion is not to be underestimated. It is passion that drives Lions to give so freely of themselves, their time, and their resources in deference to others.  It is passion that has made Lions Clubs International the world’s largest service organization. And it is the goal of the 2005-2006 International Program that passion may continue to unite Lions throughout the world in a common mission, a quest for unparalleled excellence, a Passion to Excel.

Things To Know

ATTENTION ALL CRANBURY LIONS; we must update the Club Directory, please go to Cranburylions.org and check your information. If any information is missing, or needs to be corrected, please notify Lion Dave Shaffer, ASAP. Lions without internet access may use the Library computer or may update their information on the hard copy of the Directory that will be available at the September meetings. The new Directory will be available on October 1^st; Lions without e-mail capability may request a hard copy from Lion Dave or Lion Bob V. Additionally, Lions who need pins, name tags, hats, or vests should speak to our Club Secretary, Lion George Smith, ASAP

Reminder: the normal Dress Code is back in effect – the dress code for our regular, bi-monthly Business meetings is business attire, which includes “business casual”.

Our Annual Trenton Thunder Baseball Game Outing was its usual success. Forty-four people attended the game on Saturday, August 27^th, between the Thunder (Yankees) and the Binghamton Mets, and a good time was had by all. Well, except for the Thunder who were “slaughtered” by the Mets. We will do it again next year. See you then.

The severe flooding and resultant damage that occurred in Jamesburg on July 17^th , prompted District Governor Eddie Hui to apply to LCIF for a Flood Relief Grant, and on August 27^th the Lions of District 16D met at the Jamesburg Borough Hall and distributed gift certificates from Pathmark Stores to all the flood victims with catastrophic losses. Participating Clubs were Cranbury, Milltown, Spotswood, Highland Park Phil-Am, Edison Chinese, Franklin Township, and West Milford. Special thanks to Regional Chairman Tom Reilly, Zone Chairman Bob Virgadamo, and Cranbury Lions Mike Kaiser, Dave Shaffer, George Smith, and Peter Turner for their assistance.

The Projects Budget has been completed and will be available for Membership review and vote at the September meetings.

Cranbury Day is September10. Co-Chairs Don Herr and Walt Caldwell will need as many volunteers as there are Club Members. Volunteers are needed for early set-up (7:30A), cooking, table sales, the ice cream cart, 50/50, and clean-up. Please use the sign-up sheet at the September 7 meeting, or contact Lion Walt by phone or e-mail.

And speaking of Cranbury Day, thanks to Lion Walt we will have a new, smaller banner that can be used at our Food Stand, as well as all of our other fundraisers.

The Cranbury Lions will be hosting the Golden Agers Club Luncheon on September 17, 2005. As always, we need at least six volunteers to host and serve at the luncheon. We also need a few cakes or other desserts to be donated to the luncheon. A sign-up Sheet will be circulated on September 7, or volunteers can contact Lion Mahlon Thompson. Additionally, we need a Co-chair for this event; any member who would like to take this open position should contact President Alex.

And, speaking of Committee Chairs, anyone who is interested and able to help with the Collection of Advertising Revenue should contact President Alex ASAP.

Don’t forget – our September 21^st meeting is our Annual “Bring-A-Guest” Meeting; all members should try to bring a prospective member to this meeting. And, of course, our October 19^th meeting has been designated as the “Autumn Spouse Night” Meeting. Wine enthusiasts should thoroughly enjoy the evening, as our Guest Speaker will be Tom Nye, the winemaker from the Grape Escape in Dayton.

The Board of Directors voted to donate funds to Katrina Relief, through LCIF. We are trying to arrange a “Donation Specific” Fundraiser in the form of a Halloween Costume Party. As soon as we can obtain a location, we will advise the Membership, via e-mail and phone tree, and advertise to the public.

We have been seeking answers to the questions, “Why has attendance dropped off?” and “Why have spouses not been showing up at events?” A number of Members and a significant number of spouses have stated the same basic “problem” and “solution”. It would seem that spouses used to read the Jargon when it came in the mail, and since spouses, for the most part, kept the family calendars, meetings and events were scheduled at the “family level”. Since we “went electronic”, members have been forgetful about telling spouses about specific dates, and apparently, spouses, for the most part, still keep family calendars. More than a dozen individuals have come up with the same basic solution – mail a calendar a few times a year! So, beginning with this next quarter’s dues, a Calendar of Events will be mailed to each member, to be shared with his or her spouse.

The Cranbury Lions Barn Project is moving along – slowly, but still moving. Lion Frank Brennan III has helped with the lease wording and Project Chairman Mike Kaiser expects that we will have a completed document in time for the October Board meeting.

Hold the date for the Cranbury Lions 75^th Anniversary Celebration – Saturday, June 23, 2007. A committee is being formed for this historic event; the Co-Chairs are Lions Andre Mento and Bob Virgadamo; sub-chairs are being sought for a myriad of committees, including advertising, promotions, marketing, donations, printing, ticket sales, entertainment, program, etc. All interested Lions should contact either Andre or Bob. Open discussions about the Anniversary Celebration are encouraged at ALL meetings.

Reminders

Frank Marlowe has been our Program Chair for a few years now, and has done quite an excellent job lining up speakers for our meetings each month. You can all imagine how difficult it can be, finding 20 speakers per year that will be of relative interest to all our Members! We all come in contact with someone interesting on a regular basis. When you do, or if you have any suggestions for speakers, please give Frank a call. Additionally, Frank will take all members’ suggestions for interactive discussion nights.

The Cranbury Lions Club is in search of new fund raisers – different, entertaining, and fun. Some excellent ideas have been presented, among which are an antique car rally, a Halloween party, a casino night, Bingo, an art auction, a cruise, and a marathon; the Board of Directors would appreciate input from our membership on these, or any new, ideas. Any member who has a fundraising idea should share the idea with President Alex. The list of potential fundraisers, and the input from interested Lions, will be discussed at a Board of Directors meeting, and presented to the general membership at a regular meeting.

It is important that we increase our fundraising capability without requesting money from our small community over and over again. With over 300 commercial locations in our immediate area, the website is one of the easiest and best fundraisers we have. We ask every member to please try to bring in at least one advertiser per year. Refer all advertising leads to Lions Ray Dickey, Dave Shaffer or Bob Virgadamo.

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 contact Lion Frank Marlowe (Chair, H&W) and/or Lion Dave Cook to activate the “phone tree”, so that all members may be notified.

Member Pick-Up

Ed Lawson (5 S. Main)

Lion George Smith will be the “permanent” pick up driver for Lion Ed. Lion Frank Marlowe has volunteered to be the “permanent” back-up driver. Drivers: if you cannot make your pick-up, or need to switch, please notify Rick Cusworth as soon as possible. Riders: please notify the assigned driver if you’re not going to make a meeting.