Message from DG Ed Gibbons

Fellow Lions,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for and are so blessed in many many ways.

Thank you club officers and members who attended the second District Cabinet Meeting on November 15th. It was a very informative meeting on what’s going on in our District. Thanks to GMT (ASK One) Dave Crawford and GLT Wendy Cain for their input on membership and leadership. I was very excited to hear about the KAPA program. It will be a tremendous help to clubs in our District that do not have the funds to help individuals with their eyesight problems. A big, big Thanks goes out to the East Tennessee Lions Eye Bank Board for funding this program. The application for this will be on the District 12N website by the time you receive this or you can email me and I will send you one.

We are also looking for someone to step up for the Second Vice District Governor’s slot. If you are interested or know someone who is interested, please let me or any Vice District Governor know. Their name(s) will be on the ballot as part of the February convention agenda.

International President Joe Preston has called for all Lions around the world for a special Centennial Service Challenge event. The Lions Worldwide Week of Service during January 10-16 is an opportunity to strengthen your community, showcase your club to potential new members, and celebrate the birthday of our founder, Melvin Jones. Your Lions service can be a benefit for youth, vision, hunger or the environment. Make it a special day for your club. When you do be sure to report your service on the MyLCI Service Activity report to earn a Patch for your club.

My District 12N convention will be February 20th and 21st, 2015 in Johnson City, Tennessee. The venue will be The Carnegie Hotel, a AAA Four Diamond Full Service Hotel. It is patterned after the original Carnegie that was built in 1891. It was advertised then as the best built, best equipped hotel in East Tennessee with room rates of $2.50 per day and upwards. You will really like it and I have negotiated a favorable room rate (of $89) only till January 20th , 2015. That is the date they will release my block of rooms (then its $140 a night). So while you are thinking of it, call 423-631-0507 or 423-979-6400 and tell them you are with the Lions Club convention. I have enclosed an application with this newsletter to register for the convention (not the hotel). Past International President Jim Ervin is our keynote speaker. Notice the Friday night meal is complimentary only if you register for the convention. Thanks to the East Tennessee Lions Eye Bank for providing this meal for us. PDG Diane Wilkerson is my convention chair and contact this year. I will have more on the convention in the January and February newsletter.

Thank you for your dedicated service in being a Lion in District 12N and Lions International.

Theresa and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Never forget there is a reason for this season.

In Lionism,

District Governor Ed Gibbons