Newsletter February 2009
Posted by adminalc | Filed under Newsletters
Ashland Lions Club News
A Letter from our President Lion Joe Curran:
This New Year has started out very good for the Ashland Lions Club. We have had two meat Raffles so far and each one has produced excellent results. I want to express my appreciation to Lion Dee and all the Lions who donate two Saturdays a month to make this important fundraiser the tremendous success that it is. Many thanks go out to the Tomasz family for providing the venue and support for the Meat Raffles.
I am very proud to say that one of our Lions marched in the Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. on January 20th. Lion Martin Acevedo along with 200 others represented the National Returned Peace Corps Association. A total of 139 countries were represented and Lion Martin carried the flag of Columbia. He was one of the original Peace Corps volunteers. Thank you Lion Martin for your extraordinary service.
It’s almost time for the Mid-Winter Conference in Braintree. I hope to see many of you there on the weekend of February 13-15. Gov. Dick Bonetti’s Stow Lions Club will be putting on a “South of the Border” party on Friday night which should be a lot of fun. Also, I encourage the newer members to enroll in one of the workshops being held on Saturday morning. The due date for signing up is February 8th.
Thank you all for your continued support. Remember our motto “We Serve”.
Warmest Regards,
KL Joe
February Birthdays
Happy birthday and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous year ahead to our fellow Lions:
Allena Downey, Peter Fell, Jeff Garino, Tom Heguy, Ralph O’Coin, Walter Piasecki, Al Porter, Matt Porter, and Jim Sweeney.
Calendar of Events:
Tuesday, February 3rd
Visitation to Foxboro Lions Club
Luciano’s, Route 1, Wrentham
Lion Marsha Bornstein committee chair
Thursday, February 5th
Senior Breakfast 9AM
Community Center, Ashland 9am-10am
Please consider helping out if you are available.
Need help by 7:15 AM to set-up hall tables, chairs, utensils, etc. and to prepare food, serve and clean up.
Call Lion Martin at 508-881-3721 or e-mail
Friday, February 6th
Annual Father/Daughter Dance
Ashland High School Cafeteria, 6pm-8pm
65 East Union Street, Ashland
Price: $8.00 per guest
Tickets available through the Ashland Recreation Office.
This annual event is always a favorite with the younger daughters and their dads. The Lions Club co-sponsors the dance, providing popcorn and refreshments.
All proceeds go to the Kidspot Playground.
Saturday, February 7th
Meat Raffle at T.J.’s Spirits 1-4pm
Free Early Bird tickets at 12:45!!!!!
Come and bring a friend with you!
Tuesday, February 10th
Regular Lions Club Meeting
7:00PM, T.J.’s Spirits, Ashland, MA
Dinner Choices:
Meat Loaf, Shrimp Scampi, Antipasto Salad, or Large Garden Salad
Reminder: At our first club meeting of each month, we are collecting donations for the Ashland Food Pantry.
Please try to remember to bring an item or two for our local families in need.
Wednesday, February 11th
Visitation to Plainville Lions Club
Plainridge Race Course 7pm
301 Washington St.,(Rte 1), Plainville
Lion Marsha Bornstein committee chair
Friday, Feb. 13 through Sunday Feb. 15th
Mid-Winter Conference
Sheraton Tara, Braintree
(Details follow in subsequent pages of this newsletter)
Saturday, February 14th
Monday, Februay 16th
Happy President’s Day!!!
Tuesday, February 17th
Board of Directors Meeting
7:00PM. Burnham’s
366 Pleasant Street, Ashland
Saturday, February 21st
Meat Raffle at T.J.’s Spirits 1-4pm
Early Bird tickets at 12:45!!!!!
Tuesday, February 24th
Regular Lions Club Meeting
7:00PM, T.J.’s Spirits, Ashland, MA
Dinner Choices:
Turkey Dinner, Baked Haddock, Antipasto Salad, or Large Garden Salad
Quote of the Month (Helen Keller)
“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”
Inspirational Message:
“The most significant decision I make each day is my choice of an attitude. When my attitudes are right there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme and no challenge too great.”
–Charles Swindoll
Funny
“Right now I’m having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.”
-Steven Wright
Upcoming Events
Thursday March 5th…………Senior Breakfast
Saturday, March 7th………..Meat Raffle
Sunday, March 8th…………..Daylight Saving Time Begins
Tuesday, March 10th……….Club Dinner Meeting
Monday, March 16th…………3rd Advisory Meeting
Tuesday, March 17th…………Lions BOD Meeting
Tuesday, March 17th…………Happy St Patrick’s Day
Friday, March 20th…………….Happy Spring!!!
Saturday, March 21st… ………Meat Raffle
Tuesday, March 24th………….Club Dinner Meeting
Saturday March 28th……………Art Auction
Save the date…..
Lions Golf Tournament……….Monday, May 18th
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***Committee Updates***
Christmas Tree Committee
Lion Tom Heguy gave the final report on the Christmas Tree fundraiser.
What a great success this year! All trees were sold in record time!! By Tuesday, December 16th, every tree was gone. This was great timing due to the snow that fell the following weekend.
The net profit was approximately $10,400.
WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!! Great job to all!! Another example of how the Ashland Lions Club can achieve great success.
Visitations
Please join Lion Marsha Bornstein for either the Foxboro or Plainville Visitation this month. All clubs benefit by these meetings of shared goals and fundraising ideas.
A visitation also completes one of the Blue Badge requirements.
Senior Breakfast:
At our regular club meeting of Tues Jan13th, Lion Izzy commended Lion “Doc” for a great job cooking at the breakfast held Jan 8th. Once again, it takes many hands to make an event successful. The Ashland club is proud to have members who step up and pitch in when needed! Thanks to all who help with this community service every month.
Meat Raffle Committee
Lion Deanna reported that there was a great turnout at the Sat 1/10 Meat Raffle. So far, over $5,400 has been raised this Lionistic year!
Please attend the raffles to support this committee. There is great energy and enthusiasm at each and every raffle. It’s contagious!
Art Auction Committee
This is the 3rd Art Auction the Ashland Club has held.
Although the current economy is difficult for many, Lion Paul is determined to make this fundraiser a success under the guidance of “AJ Auctions”.
When times are tough, the Ashland Lions step up to the challenge! Let’s all support the Art Auction committee this year….Just by attending the auction, you will support the club. Credit is given by the number of attending-even if you don’t purchase any artwork!
The Warren Center is very comfortable venue, and there will be a light fare to nibble on during the event.
IPP Lion Paul is selling ads for the Ad Booklet with the help of his energized committee members. Individuals are certainly welcome to purchase space in the book as another way to support the club. But please ask your local business owners to buy some space in the book.
Also, raffle tickets for the Bose Wave radio are being given to members to sell. Lion Tricia gave these out at our dinner meeting of Jan 13th. Please remember to sell these and return them to Tricia!!
Membership Committee
Lion Al Porter has 2 additional potential candidates for the club. The committee will also be re-evaluating those current members that have not paid their dues, and sort out the decision on these by May.
Lions Golf Tournament
Lion David Kurzontkowski has already set the date for the 2nd Annual Lions Golf tournament. It will be held on May 18th at the Highfields Golf and Country Club.
Lion David is excited to build on last year’s success!!
Public Relations
Lion Mickey Eldridge reminds all Lions to please get her information that to be published on cable tv, local papers, etc. as soon as possible, so she can meet their deadlines for publishing.
The Lions are very active in the community, and Lion Mickey is very enthusiastic to get more public exposure for the club.
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Mid Winter Convention
The annual Lions District K Mid Winter Convention will be held at the Sheraton Hotel, Braintree, MA.
Friday, Feb. 13th through Sunday, Feb. 15th.
Theme: “South of the Border Party”
The Stow Lions will be providing the Friday night entertainment. The theme is a “South of the Border Party,” which will be held from 7:00 – 11:30 PM. Please dress in Mexican garb. There will be complimentary food, a cash bar, a DJ to provide music, dancing, and contests. There will be a Chili Contest. There will also be a cash bar available which will sell margaritas and Mexican beer. Prizes will be given for the Best Costume and the Best Chili.
Hospitality Suites will be open on Friday afternoon from 3:00 – 6:00 PM, for Saturday lunch, as well as Saturday night, following the banquet. Food and liquid refreshments will be available at all of these times. A continental breakfast will also be served on both Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Three Workshops will be held on Saturday morning following the Business Meeting. They will be the following:
- New Member Orientation
- How to run a Successful Membership Night
- The Art of Recognition
(New Lions may want to register for the Orientation!! This is a very informative presentation.)
The Speech Contest will be held at 2:00 PM. Please come and support our great students!
Melvin Jones Fellowhips will be awarded at the Saturday Night Banquet.
Silent Auction Items are needed for the Silent Auction. If you have any sports tickets, vacation weekends, baskets, or other worthy gift items that you would be willing to donate, it would be greatly appreciated! For further questions, please contact Lion Peg Dunn at (781) 893-3019.
Visit : www.lions-33k.org for forms and the weekend agenda.
A Registration form was mailed with last month’s newsletter.
White Cane DVD
For those Lions that do not receive e-mail, and may have missed the announcement, Lion Al Porter has made arrangements with our local tv cable stations to have the White Cane Safety Video aired.
It was aired in January, and it will be re-run on both Comcast (channel 
and Verizon (channel 39) at Noon, 7pm and 11pm, Mon., Wed., and Fri. in March.
For those of you without cable, Lion Al will get a DVD and show it at one of the meetings.
Greater Ashland Lions
v Chicken Shoot: Saturday, Feb 7th; 1-3pm
Corner Pub, Ashland
v Blood Drive
Thursday, February 26th 4-7:30pm
Ashland Public Library, Front St.
33K Eyemobile Board of Directors
The District 33K Lions Eyemobile Board of Directors is encouraging all Lions to consider serving on their board of directors. There is a job description available and nomination process to serve on this board. Our King Lion Joe or Lion Marcia Wiles can help you get started in the nomination process if interested. (Deadline for nominations is Mon 3/15)
For our newer members, the following is a little history of the Lions Eyemobile. Thanks to the Eyemobile BOD for this informative history:
In 1970, through a donation from the Somerville Lions Club, District 33K procured its first Eyemobile. It was replaced in 1973 with a movable trailer with the help of both the Somerville and Waltham Lions Clubs. The present Eyemobile, brought on line in the spring of 1998, is a self-powered modern vehicle with state of the art medical equipment.
The District 33K Eyemobile is a non-profit corporation wholly owned by the Lions Clubs of District 33K. There is no cost to the public whatsoever for its use. Operating expenses such as maintenance, cost of fuel and insurance, are offset by donations from the local Lions Clubs.
Congratulations to Ashland Lion Martin Acevedo:
Lion Martin is one of 200 former Peace Corp volunteers that had the honor of marching in the Presidential Inaugural Parade this January, carrying the Columbian flag.
Martin was one of the very first Peace Corp volunteers, showing that Americans embrace diversity and have a commitment to service. He went with the Peace Corp. to his native Columbia in 1961.
We are very proud to have him as a member The Ashland Lions Club.
Braille celebrates 200 Years
A blind child or adult 200 years ago had no effective way to read and write independently. Today, thanks to the ingenious invention of Louis Braille, children and adults throughout the world can read and write as well as their sighted counterparts. Braille’s invention was a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingertips.
The American Foundation for the Blind celebrates the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille’s birthday on January 4, 1809, this year. We also celebrate the Braille code, named after its young inventor, and the expanded possibilities for literacy, independence, and self-expression Louis Braille opened up to blind people everywhere.
(thanks to www.afb.org for this info)
The Following is an excerpt from The Reader’s Digest, February 2009:
What you put on your plate now may help you see the plate later. New research reveals foods that help protect against three leading age-related vision thieves:
Glaucoma:
Just one serving a month of kale or collard greens or more than two servings of carrots a week reduced the risk of glaucoma by more than 60% in a UCLA study of 1,000 women. Scientists believe that high levels of vitamin A and other antioxidants in these veggies help protect crucial cells in the optic nerve.
Cataracts:
Adults who regularly drink orange juice and also include C-rich foods such as red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli in their daily diet are 45% less likely to develop cataracts, according to new research from Australia. Vitamin C may help counteract the lens-clouding effects of light and heat.
Macular degeneration:
Eating oatmeal, high fiber cereals, and whole-grain breads cuts the risk of macular degeneration by about 39%, shows a recent study. Complex carbs prevent blood sugar swings that can damage delicate cells in the center of the retina.
Also,….remember to visit these other websites to get information on Lions Events, Fundraisers, etc….
Please send info for the newsletter to:
Lion Cari Van Etten
Snail mail : 112 Warren Rd, Ashland, MA 01721 phone: 508-231-1475
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