Message from DG Ed Gibbons

Fellow Lions,

By the time you read this the District 12N Convention will be upon us. The Convention is February 20th and 21st. I do hope you have already registered. If not, you know registration is available at the door; however, your advanced registration makes it much easier to prepare appropriately. (If need be, please use the registration form at the end of the newsletter.)

Friday night’s meal is complimentary – thanks to the East Tennessee Lions Eye Bank. Thank you ETLEB! Friday night is mainly a social night to get to know other Lions in the District as well as some District Governors from across the State. We have one of our own Lions from the ETSU Lions Club performing on Friday evening. Other entertainment includes the group “Mellow Fellows”. Our hospitality room, located on the sixth floor, will be open Friday afternoon and after the dinner Friday night.

Our Saturday morning meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. The Johnson City City Manager will kick off our meeting, followed by an agenda of reports and elections. The information you will gain from this event will allow you to see how “we serve”. Plus it will give you the opportunity to elect upcoming leaders in our organization. Also, fellow Lions, don’t forget to bring your items for our silent auction which will end on Saturday. I am really excited to have as our luncheon speaker Past International President Jim Ervin from Albany, Georgia. What an honor to have him join us! You don’t want to miss this convention.

We will be canvasing the City of Elizabethton the week before the convention to try and form a new club there. If you are available to help with this project, we will begin Monday morning, February 16. Let me know if you would like to help and I can provide you with the details. Would it not be awesome to report at the convention that we have a new club in Elizabethton!!!

I am still working on a club at Lincoln Memorial University. A transfer Lion living there now is helping with this. We all know that “To Strengthen The Pride,” we need to Start 1, Ask 1 and Keep 1. We build our clubs by asking and we must work to keep our members once they join. Let’s all ASK and let’s all work to KEEP our members by getting them involved. A lot of clubs in District 12N are a “plus one” in membership for the year. And, a lot of clubs are OVER. I would love to see a PLUS in membership for all District clubs by the time my term ends on June 30th.

I personally thank you for being a Lion – and for all the work you do in your community.

In Lionism,

District Governor Ed Gibbons