On Monday, February 10, the Stanley and Boyd Lions Clubs met jointly to hear a presentation from District Governor Thomas Pratt, during his annual club visitation. The gathering was held at Debbie’s on Broadway with a combined attendance of 28. Stanley Lions President Laurie Foster welcomed the Boyd Lions, guests, the District Governor, and his wife Becky.
After a delicious meal, District Governor Pratt in his presentation urged local clubs to work for a net gain of three in their membership. If that occurred, membership worldwide would increase by over 1.5 million by the target date of July 2027. A side goal is to reduce the average age of the membership from age 67 to age 62. He also urged the clubs to report all activities on their monthly reports, and to use their community newspaper and social media to tell the world what they are doing. He noted that the Stanley Lions are celebrating their 79th anniversary and the Boyd Lions their 74th. He announced that his theme for the year is “Imagine the possibilities of volunteerism,” and wove many of his comments around that theme.
As he ended his presentation, he urged attendance at the District 27-E-1 Convention that will be held on March 21-22, at 29 Pines Conference Center, Chippewa Falls. Following his formal presentation, the District Governor announced the names of those receiving recognition for membership longevity. Chevrons were presented to Boyd members: Daniel Hager -10 years and Cara Zais - 20 years. Stanley Lions recognized were: Ben Isenberger – 10 years, Steve Millen -10 years and Keven Hendrickson - 30 years.
Prior to adjournment, Boyd member Jeff Zais and Stanley President Foster presented gifts of money to the District Governor that he will be donating to Leader Dog and Lions Pride, his projects of choice.
The Stanley and Boyd Lions would welcome new members as they continue to serve their communities. With dwindling numbers and aging members, the ability to carry out fundraisers is diminished, and that could impact future service and support of community projects. Membership in the Lions enables a person to meet new people and most importantly help support their community being a place where people are proud to be from. If interested talk to any Lion in Stanley or Boyd.
The next meeting of the Stanley Lions Club will be held on Monday, March10. The next meeting of the Boyd Lions Club will be on Wednesday, March 12