November 2019 Oregon Lions Magazine

Creating Harmony Through Service

     DEI: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Our Lions Clubs International President Dr. Jung-Yul Choi has asked that we as Lions consider serving with diversity this year and in the future to insure that as many community members as possible are reached for help with needs.

     I recently attended a conference on DEI, held by the Nonprofit Association of Oregon to which Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation belongs. The topic was presented in such a way to help organizations such as Lions bring people closer together for a shared purpose. I’ll briefly describe some of the strong points for discussion that were presented.

     Diversity means increasing the experiences of ALL involved in our work. This can create a culture of lasting change that will benefit everyone involved in our club community service activities. Change can be difficult, even traumatizing, for some of our Lions – provide support for those who are uncomfortable as the project develops out into the greater community.

     Get your club ready for planned activities by thinking: Why are we as a club doing this? Work with the community groups involved to engage in the service work in a way that is meaningful to all involved.

     Think expansively about the skills that your club has to offer your community. Be specific about choosing a project that will put those skills, in combination with the community members also involved, to best use for everyone working toward the service goal. Be accountable. Check points of progress with all those working together and support those who might struggle.

     Strive for learning as the project develops – relevant learning, with information that can be shared with all involved. This means that the project leader makes the effort to teach inexperienced club and community members new information as the project unfolds. It has been said that “It is easier to do what you have always done, than what you are learning to do” – that’s just human nature.

     Fred Rogers liked to quote his mother, Nancy Rogers, as teaching him to “Look for the helpers – you will always find people who are helping others”. Lions, let’s be those people, helping others in our communities, with open hearts and minds.