North Carolina Lions Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors Minutes Holiday Inn, Crabtree Valley November 9, 2003

Transcription

1 North Carolina Lions Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors Minutes Holiday Inn, Crabtree Valley Raleigh, NC 9:00 AM Call to Order: President John O Malley called the meeting to order at 9:00AM. Pledge of Allegiance: 2 nd Vice President Carlton Metts led everyone in the pledge to our nation s flag. Opening Remarks: President John O Malley The Executive Committee held the annual meeting with the Foundation employees. This has been productive, the employees seem to appreciate it and we plan to continue. We have noticed that sometimes in the past the Board of Directors has felt that the Executive Committee has taken too many things on themselves. The Board runs the Foundation. This goes without question. The Executive Committee spends many hours reviewing various topics or committee reports usually at a number of meetings. So when we are ready to make recommendations we bring those to the Board. For the majority of the Board that may be the first time they have heard about the topic recommended. We are going to make every effort to make the Board aware of things the Executive Committee is working on as they occur, rather than waiting until we have a recommendation to present, whenever possible. President O Malley thanked everyone for attending and recognized PID Sid Scruggs and NCLF Past Presidents. Reading of the Minutes: Secretary Ron Staley Motion: Council Chair Diane Whitley moved to approve the minutes as published. The motion was seconded by PDG Wayne Webb and unanimously approved. Roll Call: All Foundation Officers and Directors were present except: Immediate Past President David Smoot Officer Vice District Governor Hunter Garbee District 31-C Vice District Governor Gene Everette District 31-D Vice District Governor Allan King District 31-F District Governor David Boyd District 31-H Lion Sherry Johnson District 31-H District Governor David Rhodes District 31-J Appointment of Parliamentarian: Past President Jerry Austin was named parliamentarian. State Council Chairman s Report: DG Diane Whitley, Council Chair At the June International Board of Directors meeting, a motion was passed to pull the charters of all clubs under 10 members. This action was revisited at the October meeting. It was tabled in committee for research to be done concerning the constitutionality of the June decision. Districts B and C have both held very successful fall conventions. Both passed resolutions endorsing Lion PID Sid Scruggs as candidate for 2 nd Vice President of Lions Clubs International. Districts A and F will have their fall conventions this month.

2 Page 2 At the end of September, state membership was at 9,851; we added 169 new members but dropped 221 for a net loss this Lions year of 52. For the period from November 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004, the entrance fee for women has been waived. This is both the $25 fee for joining an existing club and the $30 fee for being a charter member of a new club. No further action has been taken on the Lions Clubs International Southeastern Leadership Training Institute. PCC Beverly Roberts is in charge and will send out notices and applications after the first of the year. This Institute will be for both emerging and senior Lions. The Council of Governors and the Promotions Committee each passed a resolution endorsing Lion PID Sid Scruggs as a candidate for 2 nd Vice President of Lions Clubs International. PDG John Miller of the NC Department of Health and Human Services reported that PID Ron Huber has been reappointed to a three-year term by Governor Easley. PDG John also reported that John DeLuca is leaving the Division of Services for the Blind at the end of November. Plans for the 2004 State Convention are nearing completion. The deadline for ads and photos of District Governors and Vice District Governors is January 1, The Council voted that the funds raised by the Tail Twisters and the auction items will go to White Cane. It was requested that Executive Director Steve Walker seek approval for NCLF to track any large ticket auction items so that donors could get tax credit. The 2005 State Convention will be in Raleigh, May 26-29, at the North Raleigh Hilton. International 1 st Vice President Ashok Mehta will be our featured speaker. The 2006 State Convention may be held in Greenville. DG David Boyd, DG David Rhodes, and State Convention Chairperson Jim Sasser will meet with the hotel and other appropriate people and bring a report to the February meeting. District Governor Elect/Vice District Governor training will be held at Camp Dogwood on December 5-7, 2003 and February 27-29, Vice District Governor Elects will have their first training on May 14 & 15, Each of these Lions should plan to attend all parts of their training which is designed to help make their terms of office more successful. The Council of Governors passed a resolution endorsing PID Jimmy Ross of Texas for 2 nd Vice President of Lions Clubs International for Because of a shortage in their donations Southeastern Guide Dogs will not be inviting District Governors to visit in January. They sincerely hope they can resume this practice before the end of this Lions year. The History Committee encouraged each District Governor to place photos of himself/herself, their Vice District Governor and their Cabinet Secretary/Treasurers on the bulletin board in the Stickley building conference room. The Silent Auction of Stickley memorabilia will continue this year at some of the District Conventions and at the State Convention. The Committee, working with the Properties Committee, is planning to hang photographs of all Past International Directors in the Stickley building upstairs hall opposite the curios. PID Sid Scruggs reported that he has finished updating the North Carolina Pride book and it contains articles on all 13 Past International Directors. Boys and Girls Homes has a shortfall in funds and requests that donations be sent as you get them and not at the end of the year. Director Bill Thompson would love to come to our conventions. He could add some humor. District Governor David Boyd, as Vice Council Chairperson, was voted the chairperson of the statewide MERLO team. They met several times this weekend and we can expect good things from them IF we can get our district MERLO team actively participating with them. So replace those members of your team who aren t working.

3 Page 3 Liberty Day was given $1000 to help with some additional expenses at these years Liberty Day program. Redistricting was discussed and we are instructing the Research/Long Range Planning Committee to look at alternatives to the plan presented last May and to report to the Council in January. Due to the excessive length of the Council meeting on Saturday, we are requesting that for future meetings committee chairpersons have a written report for the secretary and limit their comments to three minutes. Executive Director s Report: Steve Walker, Executive Director The next board meeting will be 9:00AM Feb 8, 2004 at the Holiday Inn Bordeaux, Fayetteville, NC. John DeLuca will be leaving the Division of Services for the Blind. He has done a tremendous job and has been a good friend to the Lions and the Foundation. It would be appropriate to send a gesture of appreciation to him such as a certificate of appreciation. Motion: Council Chair D. Whitley moved that the Board of Directors send a gesture of appreciation to John Deluca. Director Dale Dupree seconded the motion and the motion was unanimously approved. Old Business: A. Sensory Garden 1 st Vice President H. Whitley, Chair Attachment A B. Vision st Vice President H. Whitley, Chair Attachment B New Business: A. Communications None B. Treasurer s Report Treasurer Richard Durham 1. Line Items 1865 & 1867 Endowment Portfolio values have increased and investments are positive. 2. Fund balances have been adjusted to reflect the yearend closeout entries made by our auditors. 3. Line Item 3000 White Cane is under budget. 4. Line Item 3210 Use of Camp is under budget. 5. Line Item 3320 Bequests have been received totaling $67,824. This was unanticipated and skews our income. 6. Line Item 3349 Unrealized Gain on stock is positive for the year reflecting increases in the values of the investment portfolios. 7. Line Item 3650 Cont Others reflect a one time of contribution of 105, Line Item 4201 Matching Funds is over budget. This item needs attention. C. Investment Committee Treasurer R. Durham, Chair The Investment Committee met Friday, November 7, The committee reviewed the portfolio performance and the performance of the investment managers. The performance of the endowment funds has improved because of changes in market and the committee approved continuing to use the services of current investment managers. Motion: PDG Webb moved to accept the Treasurer s Report. The motion was seconded by Vice District Governor Pat Roland and was unanimously approved. D. Recommendation from Council of Governors: That the NCLF Board of Directors allow the 2004 NC State Convention to use its Tax ID for large items donated at the Convention so the value of those items can be tax deductible to

4 Page 4 the donors. This is permitted under our By Laws since the proceeds will go to the Humanitarian/White Cane Funds and will be used for humanitarian purposes. Motion: PDG Brad Logsdon moved to accept the recommendation of the Council of Governors. District Governor Roy Jernigan seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved. E. Recommendation from the Executive Committee: That the Board of Directors permit the NCLF to administer funds the US Blind Golfers Association has received for training Blind and Visually handicapped golfers. Under the arrangement the US Blind Golf Association will organize the lessons and the Foundation would handle bookkeeping. Motion: Council Chair Diane Whitley moved to accept the recommendation of the Executive Committee. PDG Robert Carroll seconded the motion and the motion was unanimously approved. Committee Reports: A. Committees operating under Second Vice President Carlton Metts: 1. Clinical Eye Research Chuck C. Harris, State Chair Attachment C 2. Sight/Hearing Conservation C. Allen Reinhardt, State Chair Attachment D 3. Organ & Tissue Procurement KoKo Durham, State Chair Attachment E 4. Properties Bennie Pugh, State Chair Attachment F 5. Public Information & Education Mike Schwartz, State Chair Attachment G 6. Newsletter Editor - Gwen White, Foundation Newsletter Editor a. She is trying hard to make people realize she is editor and Mike Schwartz is chair. b. Thanked everyone for coming and making this a special year at VIP Fishing Tournament. 7. Volunteers Robert Carroll, State Chair Attachment H 8. William L. Woolard Partner-In-Service Carlton V. Metts, State Chair Attachment I Motion: District Governor Jernigan moved to accept the committee reports under Second Vice President Metts. Director Dupree seconded the motion and the motion was unanimously approved. B. Committees operating under First Vice President Harvey Whitley. 1. By-Laws Ronald F. Kelly, State Chair no report 2. Camp Dogwood Sid L. Scruggs, III, State Co-Chair Attachment J David R. Osborne, State Co-Chair 3. Humanitarian/White Cane John B. Wall, State Chair Attachment K 4. Memorials/Honorariums Jerry L. Austin, State Chair Attachment L 5. Vision Van/LEHP Tony G. Williams, State Chair Attachment M 6. Jack Stickley Fellow Joe Silvers, State Chair No Report 7. Foundation Pin Sales Dave Butler, State Chair Attachment N 8. Budget and Finance Committee Ralph E. Hester, State Chair Attachment O In addition to his report State Chair Hester requested that: PIP Bill Woolard be recognized for all he has done. We think of people we can give thanks to and there is no better way than to give an honorarium to our parents.

5 Page 5 Motion: PDG Robert Carroll moved to accept the reports under the First Vice President. DG Sid Harbison seconded the motion, and the motion was unanimously approved. Other Business: A. PDG John Miller suggested making an honorarium to John DeLuca. B. PID Sid Scruggs requested that everyone send a note to Bill Woolard and make an honorarium to him. Announcements: A. PIP Bill Woolard s address is: CMC Mercy Rehab Center 6 th Floor % Patient William L. Woolard 2001 Vail Ave. Charlotte, NC C. Diane Whitley announced District 31-E had endorsed PDG Ron Staley as candidate for NCLF Second Vice President for D. The next Board of Directors meeting will be held Feb 8, 2004 at Holiday Inn Bordeaux, Fayetteville, NC. Meeting Adjourned at 11:40AM. Respectfully Submitted, Ron Staley, Secretary

6 Page i (Attachment A) Visually Impaired Sensory Garden Camp Dogwood Committee Report Harvey F. Whitley, Committee Chair The long awaited Visually Impaired Sensory Garden is almost here! Sufficient funds have been raised for the garden with construction planned for the spring of We had planned to begin construction earlier, but the NCLF Board of Directors acted upon a recommendation of the Executive Committee to move the proposed site of the garden to a more favorable location. Since the location was changed, this has required new drawings to be completed and delayed our construction. The new location is in front of the Jack Stickley building as we look down the hill towards the lodge. Feedback from camp volunteers indicated that this location, which is just outside the camp canteen area, would be a better site for the visually impaired as they gather for fellowship. The purpose of the Garden is to provide for our visually impaired a place to gather, fellowship, and experience the beauty of the plants through their senses of touch, feel, hearing, and smell. So relocation makes a lot of sense. Funds have been raised for this Garden through sale of benches, planters, a fountain, and brick payers. All funds raised are by donation only. Not one penny of White Cane or Camp Dogwood funds has been used. We have sold out everything except the payers, which will be available on a perpetual basis. It is not too late to get in on the initial order of payers, but you need to hurry. What better way to honor or remember someone. Some examples of recent paver orders are remembering a recently deceased charter club member and honoring a visually impaired camper sponsored by a club. Paver forms are available from the NCLF office or can be downloaded from the website. Thanks to all who have helped make this Garden a reality for our VIP s.

7 Page ii (Attachment B) Vision 2020 Ad Hoc Committee Report Harvey F. Whitley, Committee Chair Over the last several years, we have had a program in place at the North Carolina Lions Foundation called Vision The purpose of this program is to educate and encourage individuals to include the NCLF in their plans for charitable giving. Brochures describing our program have been available and educational sessions have been held in all districts except G. The purpose of this ad hoc committee is to evaluate our current program and make recommendations to the Board as to how we can increase charitable giving. Our emphasis will be on both individual as well as corporate giving. The following major items are being studied and are provided for you as information at this time: 1. Consider including non-lions in our Board structure. Influential community and/or corporate members could be organized as an advisory board. This would assist in educating the non-lion public about our existence as a charitable organization. 2. Meet with a local marketing group to discuss with them how we can target more corporate gifts. There is a meeting tentatively set on November 11, 2003, to learn more about this group. The South Carolina Lions have also spoken to this group. 3. Consider a separate Research and Long Range Planning Committee to study and recommend growth plans for NCLF. 4. Set up a Speakers Bureau with at least three experienced and trained speakers from each district. These persons would be available to give educational programs about NCLF to their districts. This would supplement the current district committee chairperson s efforts, not replace them. Some immediate recommendations that the Committee would like to make are as follows: 1. To the Partner-In-Service and Jack Stickley Committees Send out annual letters to current holders of these awards/designations to encourage them to move up to the next giving level. 2. To the Public Information and Education Committee Use inserts for each issue promoting various revenue generating themes, for example: Memorials and Honorariums. The Committee welcomes your input.

8 Page iii (Attachment C) Clinical Eye Research Committee Report Chuck Harris, State Chair Spoke with 8 District Chairpersons and they have not been able achieve the goals they had this time last year. Most clubs are just now starting their projects and believe that the next report will be better. They all are working on presenting programs but still most clubs are not calling. I mentioned that the district chairpersons should just invite themselves to those clubs who are experiencing difficulty. District A has a special project to raise money in this quarter but it has to be approved by the cabinet. District G has had two projects with half of the money going to Clinical Eye Research and the other half to The VIP Fishing Tournament. They do not have the final accounting at this time. I will have the report by the next Council and Foundation Meeting in February The Burlington Lions Club hosted Dr. Mohammad Reshad in the den on November 6, He is visiting the United States through the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in partnership with of the Rotary Clubs of Alamance and the Alamance Eye Center. He will be in the States for approximately 2 weeks. He is the Director of Noor Eye Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan and is here to learn abut recent developments in the field of ophthalmology. He is waiting to take the national Diploma of Ophthalmology exam. He works with outreach activities to serve rural populations, and to provide care to the poor or underserved population (free clinics). He is also involved in charitable, non-profit organizations and community eye health education projects. District Governor Frank Brooks and I have been invited to meet with Dr. Reshad on Tuesday at Duke Hospital to share the Lions message We Serve. He will leave Wednesday for Anaheim, CA for the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The money was sent to the Wake Forest University School of Medicine for the Diabetic Retinopathy Camera to be used at the Downtown Health Plaza in Winston-Salem, NC. We have received several thank you letters. I plan to visit the facility and to invite the committee chairpersons or Lions who would like to visit the DHP in the coming quarter. A local club may want to visit the DHP for a meeting and/or a program. The Foundation would appreciate it if the Cabinet Secretary/Treasurer or Treasurer would please send in any monies that have been paid to the District to date. Forward it to the Foundation and not wait till end of the year. It would help the Foundation in meeting payments for matching funds that are being requested during the year. We have some other opportunities out there that we will be looking at, but have some questions and investigating to do. I will keep the clubs informed on the progress.

9 Page iv (Attachment D) Sight/Hearing Conservation Committee Report C. Allen Reinhardt, State Chair The Sight and Hearing Committee met at 2PM Saturday November 9 th at the Holiday Inn, Crabtree in Raleigh. Districts A, B, E, and H were represented. There were 8 additional participants. The committee discussed improvement and clarification and possible modification of some of the procedures relating to Matching Funds, Educational Grants, the Hearing Aid program and the Henry Wood and Wallace West Reports. Review and recommendations will be made by District Chairpersons. Review of the Wood and West reports by local clubs. Suggested policy changes will be submitted to Executive Committee for their approval and mailed to clubs 30 days prior to the next board meeting.

10 Page v (Attachment E) Tissue and Organ Procurement Committee Report KoKo Durham, State Chair All Districts have been contacted since the last board meeting by mail and by personal phone messages. As of October 31, 2003 the following eye wills have been received by the Foundation Office: A...8 B...59 C...16 D...0 E...14 F G H...0 J...0 Please note that District D does not have a District Chairperson for this committee. To date, the following programs have been given by District Chairs: A...No Response B...No Response C...None D...None E...3 F...2 & 1 scheduled G...4 & 2 scheduled H...1 J...1 This District also manned an eye will booth at the N.C. State Fair and collected approximately 1,500 eye wills. This is a very important program for our Multiple District and for the recognition that we as Lions strive to accomplish as Knights of the Blind. District Governors, please encourage your clubs to turn in eye wills as only a few clubs currently participate in this activity. Also, talk with your District Chairs and encourage them to schedule programs to educate the public about the importance of organ donation. LET S HELP OTHERS TO CELEBRATE LIFE WITH THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING ARE YOU AN ORGAN DONOR I SHARE YOUR LIFE I SHARE YOUR DECISION

11 Page vi (Attachment F) Properties Committee Report to NCLF Board Bennie Pugh, State Chair We met with the Architect to outline changes to the proposed building plans. Those changes have been made and new line drawings and renderings have been given to us. We have those on display for your review today. We will meet with the Architect and Engineers Tuesday to talk through all the plans for the building. This will insure that we are all on the same page. After that meeting they will start developing the building plans. That process should take from 5 to 6 weeks. When they are finished we will be able to start the bidding process. The contractors will have 30 days to prepare their bids. The bids should be ready to open in early February. Hopefully these dates will hold up even though none have at this point. Nothing will be done to the Belk Dorm until after we have signed contracts to rebuild the building. We will most likely miss the 2004 camping season with the new building, which would eliminate 15 beds for each week of the camping season. The camp personnel will do everything in their power to maximize the attendance at the camp. By switching the design of the building to an L-shape, the Properties Committee came to the conclusion that the property would look better in the future if the Shaw Brown Building were also L-shaped in a reverse image of the new building that will replace the Belk Building with a courtyard in between them If we build the 14-bedroom building now and follow up with a 16-bedroom facility to replace the Shaw Brown Building, we will have sufficient housing in these two buildings and the White Building to satisfy our housing needs. We will have 93 beds in the three buildings, which is the same as the six current buildings combined. Therefore we will not need the bedrooms in the Stickley Building and could convert them to meeting rooms and could either demolish the Duplexes or convert them to other uses. We have a joint meeting planned with the Volunteer s Committee at Camp Dogwood on January 3 rd to discuss current needs at the Camp for preparing the budget and the April workweek for the Volunteers.

12 Page vii (Attachment G) Public Information & Education Committee Mike Schwartz, State Chair The North Carolina Lions Foundation can be proud of our state newspaper and the people who have volunteered to write the articles and take the pictures that appear in its pages. Lion Gwen White continues to do a magnificent job as its editor. While our publication may be smaller in size, its pages remain filled with interesting and informative articles. There were few, if any, notable problems with publication of the last edition. I would ask our leaders and district governors to remember publication deadlines. Please make a valid attempt to submit articles and columns to Lion Gwen prior to the deadline. We are currently working on the winter issue and it should be mailed out to our statewide membership in early December. The committee continues to work on the technical procedures needed to archive past and future issues of our newspaper on the Foundation website. Enabling readers to receive an on-line version of the newspaper will help our members and non-members who have visual impairments and require computer-aided equipment to read. It will be an educational tool and can be used to recruit new members as well. This project should cost little or no Foundation money to implement and we hope to have it operational by our next meeting. The Foundation has used PR Newswire once since our last meeting; with limited success in achievement of seeing our press releases picked up by any North Carolina newspaper, television or radio station. We plan to use PR Newswire one more time, to announce the visit of International President Dr. Tae-Sup Lee to North Carolina for our state convention. If I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

13 Page viii (Attachment H) VOLUNTEERS CHAIRMAN Robert H. Carroll, State Chair On Saturday, January 3, 2004, the District Volunteers Chairmen, along with the Properties District Chairmen, will make an inspection of the Camp to see what needs fixing during Volunteer Week. Volunteer Week is April 5 through April 9, You will arrive on Monday, April 5 and leave on Friday, April 9, We would like to have all the District Volunteers Chairmen at that meeting, starting at 10:00 A.M. on January 3, 2004.

14 Page ix (Attachment I) William L. Woolard Partner-in-Service Carlton V. Melts, State Chair The William L. Woolard Partner-in-Service program is now in it s third year. To date 183 Partner-in-Service recipients at some level statewide. To date 14 Full Partners at the Partner level. Total for this Lions year (10) Founders starting July 1, 2003 It appears this program is following the trend of awards, which happens during the months of May and June. By Districts District A B C D E F G H J M TOTAL Partner-in-Service By District /By Levels Founder Supporter Friends Patron Ambassador Knight Partner A 4 2 B 13 1 C D 14 1 E F G 45 1 H J 8 2 M 11 1 Total

15 Page x (Attachment J) CAMP DOGWOOD REPORT David Osborne, State Co-Chair All of the districts have held their White Cane workshops, and have received their Camp Dogwood tickets. We had very good attendance at all of the workshops, and enthusiasm for the Camp Dogwood ticket sales. In district B, the North Wilkesboro Lions Club had sold 1,750 tickets at the time of the White Cane workshop. If all clubs follow the leadership of this club we should have a record year for the sale of Camp Dogwood tickets. Camp Dogwood had a great year under the leadership of our new camp director, Sandy Lazenby. We served 779 VIP s and had 41 Lion volunteers to help us with the VIP s. These volunteers help us save on expenses of extra counselors. Please go back to your districts and clubs and promote the sale of the Camp Dogwood tickets. All money raised over the cost of maintenance of the camp will be used for the building of the new dormitory. The 3 books per member is a goal that all clubs can reach. We will also be naming two rooms for the clubs that sell the most Camp Dogwood tickets, and two rooms for the club that sells the most tickets per member for the year for the next three years. This will name 12 of the rooms in the new dormitory. We will also have a plaque in the new dormitory that will have the names of all individuals and clubs that donate at least $1,000 to the building of the new dormitory over the next three years. These funds will not count toward the clubs Camp Dogwood ticket sales or their White Cane contributions. Thank you for your support of Camp Dogwood and your care of the VIP s of our state.

16 Page xi (Attachment K) White Cane Report John Wall, State Chair We are approaching the midpoint of our Lions year. The overall total amount contributed to White Cane is running approximately $8,900 less than last year. When you consider the damage done by Hurricane Isabel to the eastern part of our state, this amount is not bad. However, it does point out that due to destruction in the eastern part of the state, other Districts must work harder to help us meet our commitment the District Governors made for White Cane at the beginning of the year. Many of our District White Cane Chairs are being very successful in making club visits and getting the word out to the grass root Lions. Districts A, C and H are ahead of last year s totals at this time. Governors, please review your monthly White Cane reports and promote White Cane when you make your official club visits if you are not already doing so. We have asked our White Cane Chairs to be proactive in contacting clubs and scheduling programs. I feel if we get the message to the Lions in our respective Districts as to the needs that are supported across the state by White Cane funds, they will want to contribute. We have a video that explains our White Cane Program. Each District should have a copy of this video. If you do not, please let me or Steve Walker know. I am available to assist any White Cane Chair that needs my assistance. I appreciate all of the time and effort our District White Cane Chairs are spending in their respective Districts. I plan to be in touch with them in the next week or so. Lets not forget: Our theme this year is MEETING NEEDS - CHANGING LIVES - TOGETHER WE CAN. In closing, I would like for you to read an article that I feel is true in whatever you do. It is by Charles Swindoll Attitude The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home (a Lions club). The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...i am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes. A theme is only a theme until we take it to heart with the right attitude and apply it through action. MEETING NEEDS - CHANGING LIVES - TOGETHER WE CAN

17 Page xii (Attachment L) Report of Memorials & Honorariums Committee Jerry L. Austin, State Chair Since November was designated Memorials & Honorariums Month at the August NCLF Board meeting, much effort has been expended toward making that effort a success. Following orientation to the project, district chairpersons have been busy contacting clubs and presenting programs as opportunities allow. Promotion through district newsletters has been prominent. Flyers promoting the November emphasis have been made available for registrants at fall conventions. Likewise, an appropriate flyer will be made available to districts having a midwinter conference or convention. Memorial brochure dispensers have been secured for continuation of the funeral home project. These are currently being distributed to district chairpersons for assignment to clubs for placement. Our goal is to place an additional 100 dispensers this year. Education about the memorial and honorarium program is the key to success in making it the financially viable force it can be. No greater need exists than that of orienting our own members. We must develop and cultivate a memorials/honorariums mind-set. Flowers or personal gifts are short-lived, but a contribution to the cause of aiding those less fortunate is timeless---an investment in someone s future via a hearing aid, a cane, a scholarship, or a memorable week at Camp Dogwood. Lions must utilize their own donation process before expecting the general population to do so. During recent weeks I have observed three Lions obituaries in the newspaper. These were Lions of many years of service including numerous positions of leadership. While one did suggest memorial contributions to be made to his club, neither of the three suggested a memorial contribution to the North Carolina Lions Foundation. We must make our wishes known to our families. Surely someone will see the importance of our Lions service being extended beyond our years. Please remember our goals for : each North Carolina Lion to make at least one memorial or honorarium contribution during the year and each club to do likewise, thereby increasing our M&H giving by at least $10,000 over last year. Today is November 9 and November is Memorials & Honorariums Month. Time for all Lions to take action.

18 Page xiii (Attachment M) VISION VAN/LEHP REPORT Tony G. Williams, State Chair Our State Coordinator for the Vision Van, Lion Mike Howard, regularly publishes an operations report for NCLF officers, District Governors, and Vision Van/LEHP Committee Chairpersons. I will not bore you with repeating the math, but I do want to point out two trends. Each year we are scheduling the Vision Van for more appearances. We do, however, still have enough vacancies in the schedule to provide a great deal more coverage without additional capital investment. The percentage of referrals to an eye care professional as a result of our screening continues to increase. We are running between 40 and 50 % this year. We are doing a better job of saving people s eyesight. If every person in America knew they were going to lose their eyesight, and that it could be prevented, everyone would seek professional help immediately. Our free screening, mostly for the poor in our communities, provides the kind of early warning system that everyone needs. We want to make an effort to get the Vision Van into areas that have not yet had this service. Several months ago Mike Howard published a list of thirty counties in North Carolina where no one has yet sponsored the van. Labeled The Tailwagging Thirty (with tongue-in-cheek), these counties represent a special opportunity for the Lions of North Carolina. Most of these are rural, less populated counties, and some do not have a Lions club. The need for our services is even greater in these under served areas. I have asked our District Chairpersons to try to get a nearby club to sponsor the Vision Van in these areas, even if it is in another town and another county. If this appeal does not produce good results, we may want to form some special teams to take the Van to new places where it is needed. We are making progress. The normal growth of the Van s use has gotten The Tailwagging Thirty down to twenty-six in I now want to ask the District Governors to encourage their strong clubs to sponsor a Vision Van experience in one of these pockets of opportunity. With a little extra effort, we can provide our screening service to new places that need it. This may also provide contacts to form a new Lions Club, or perhaps a branch club. During the last six months of 2003, screenings have taken place, or are scheduled to take place, on a total of seventy-six (76) days. Operating with only our current resources, we could schedule the van for ninety-two (92) days during the last half of a calendar year. That would be four screenings per week, with none scheduled for one week in November and three weeks in December. We can increase our services by over twenty percent (20%) using equipment we have already paid for, and personnel already on board. The six months from January through June may have even greater room to grow. This request to do even more than you are already doing assumes that we can work together to solve the tighter scheduling problem. I believe that reasonable Lions can do that. I am not asking you to take on additional screening forever. Just do it once. This program sells itself. I am convinced that when new locations experience a Vision Van Screening, most of them will want to continue with it. Let me close by asking Lion Leaders and all Lions to support your District Chairpersons efforts to increase our service coverage. Please let them, and me, have your suggestions for ways that we can make improvements.

19 Page xiv (Attachment N) Pin Recycle Program Help Needed!! Dave Butler, State Chair President John, fellow Lions and guests. Since my report to you in August, we have had the following action in our Pin Recycle Program for eye research: I have secured $ in pin sales; Lion Joe Shumate, who had been selling through EBay, sent in $702.87; and Lions Lou & Mary Creel made $ at District 31-B Convention and $ at District 31-C Convention. Lions Lou and Mary Creel have been in Winchester, Va. this weekend at a professional swap. I put together the best program I could for Lou & Mary to take to Va., but we just did not have the old pins needed to secure a large amount of money at that sale. I got a call from Lions Lou and Mary last night and they secured $1, at the Va. Sale. Sales here yesterday were $ We need your help! We are extremely low on old state pins for the professional pin swaps. February, and April will be here before we know it, and we need the pins to justify the trip to Nashville in February, in particular. I realize I sound like a broken record, but we need to aggressively seek and secure the old state pins from all of the United States. Anyone who went to International Conventions in the 50s, 60s, and to some degree in the 70s should have some pins that could be valuable for this great eye research program. We also need any North Carolina pins. All pins or Lions items can be turned into money; so everyone can be a participant in this program, and be a part of its dramatic success. Our Goal is still to reach $160, by June Together we can meet or surpass this goal!! REMEMBER! IF IT WASN T FOR EYE RESEARCH, MANY OF US WOULD BE BLIND TODAY AND MOST OF US WOULD BE FACING A LIFE OF BLINDNESS IN THE FUTURE. Send pins to Lion Dave Butler, PDG, 1410 Country Club Road, Brevard, NC ( davmarbutler@citcorn.net); Lion Lou Creel, PDG, 206 Riverview Avenue, Camden, NC 27921, or Lion Joe Shumate, PDG, P0 Box 89, Timberlake, NC Thanks in advance for your help in this important matter. Currently we have raised: $84,

20 Page xv (Attachment O) Budget and Finance Committee Report Ralph E. Hester, State Chair N.C.L.F. President John, N.C.L.F. Officers and Board Members, Lions, and Guests. The Budget and Finance Committee has not met since the last Board of Directors meeting, therefore, I have nothing to report. I ll save my reporting time for later meetings! Thank you for allowing us to serve you this Lionistic year.