Lions Clubs of Multiple District 36, Oregon and Northern California

We Serve

Lions of Oregon & Northern California are a part of an international network of 1.4 million men and women in 200 countries and geographic areas who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world. Lions are best known for working to end preventable blindness, the giving of eyeglasses and hearing aids for the needy and local service projects.

 

Mission Statement of Lions Clubs International:

 

"To create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation."

 

See You On The Flip Side!

     Here we are in June already and this is my final authoring of this column.  I don’t know where the time has gone or how it went so fast but here we are at the end of another Lion’s year.  We have had a rather interesting ride this year as we have been able to come out of the pandemic and return to in-person meetings and conventions.

     Your Governors within each of the four districts has been exemplary as this group of Governors has brought your districts through the fog and into the light.  The work is never done but we are beginning to see changes in social patterns again and it’s time to get back out there.

     Your Council Chair and Governors for next year are going to do amazing things so be prepared to embrace their enthusiasm and ideas.  We all know that each year and each new Council of Governors brings with it new philosophies.  We need to be sure to look at these objectively and not dismiss them with negativity simply because they are new to us.  Where would we be in this world today if someone along the way hadn’t listened to and been willing to explore new ideas such as Thomas Edison and electricity, Alexander Graham Bell and the telephone, Charles Babbage and the computer, and probably most notably for us Melvin Jones and the service club model.

     There is a quote from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that reads “parting is such sweet sorrow”.  In this quote Juliet is saying good night to Romeo.  Their sorrowful parting is also “sweet” because it makes them think about the next time they will see each other. I have often likened this to when I leave a position.  It’s not that I will not still be around but it will certainly be in different circumstances and most likely less frequently.

     For all of you who know me fairly well you know that I love music and performing so maybe the best way to sum this up is in a few lines from this song by Green Day, Good Riddance I Hope You Had The Time of Your Life. “Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test, and don't ask why. It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time. It's something unpredictable, but in the end, it's right. I hope you had the time of your life. So take the photographs and still frames in your mind. Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time...For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. It's something unpredictable, but in the end, it's right. I hope you had the time of your life.”

     I know I have had the time of my life serving as your Council Chair for the past 12 months and I will cherish this experience always.  I look forward to seeing all of you along the way as we journey into what lies ahead.

     I will leave you with one more music quote by Chicago from Where Do We Go From Here?  “Let's all get together soon, before it is too late.  Forget about the past and let your feelings fade away.  If you do I'm sure you'll see the end is not yet near.  Where do we go. Where do we go. Where do we go from here?”

     Yours forever in Lionism.  CC Bob Chaney.

Will you not help me hasten the day when there shall be no preventable blindness; no little deaf, blind child untaught; no blind man or woman unaided? I appeal to you Lions, you who have your sight, your hearing, you who are strong and brave and kind. Will you not constitute yourselves Knights of the Blind in this crusade against darkness?
— Helen Keller's Speech at 1925 International Convention Cedar Point, Ohio, USA June 30, 1925