FACC Christmas Donations

FACC Christmas Donation

Freeport Illinois Lions Club donated a check for $500, plus 155 food items, as well as $131 collected during holiday party activities to the Freeport Area Church Cooperative (FACC) on December 10, 2014.

FACC Director, Dean Wright, accepts a $500 check from Freeport Lion 2nd VP, Rebecca Shriver. Photo courtesy of Lion Dennis Zimmerman.

At the Freeport Lions Club annual holiday party members brought food items and gave monetary donations to give to the Freeport Area Church Cooperative, a not-for-profit social services organization whose mission is to provide emergency food, clothing, and shelter to those in need in northwest Illinois and to empower those to whom they serve.

(upper row l-r) Paul Rampenthal, Rick Eastman, Brian Burke, Roland Caruso, Kent Cairy, Liz Boyer, Pat Davis, Dennis Zimmerman, Larry Trimble, Jim Medendorp; (lower row l-r) Bert Kersten, Darla VanBuskirk, David Snyders, Rebecca Shriver, Joe Serafini, Andy Skinner, Terry Anderson

 

The Freeport Lions Club meets every 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday each month. For more information see their blog or join them online as a Facebook friend:

http://freeportlionsclub.blogspot.com  or https://www.facebook.com/FREEPORTLIONS

Salvation Christmas 2014

Freeport Lions Club members donated $250 to The Salvation Army as well as bell-ringing and collecting public donations in red kettles in front of area businesses.

Lions photo submitted

Freeport Lions Darla VanBuskirk (left) and Joe Serafini (right) presented a $250.00 check to Salvation Army Captain John Wilson  after the annual All Service Clubs Luncheon on December 15, 2014.

The Salvation Army uses funds to support adults, children and families, and to bring disaster relief to those in need. Donations and financial assistance to the Salvation Army provide Christmas dinners, clothing, and toys for families in need, including families of prisoners. Volunteers distribute gifts to shut-ins in hospitals and nursing homes, and shelters are open for sit-down dinners. The Salvation Army endeavors to bring spiritual light and love to those it serves at Christmas so that the real meaning of the season is not forgotten. Many families receive aid over a period of months after the Christmas season, as well as people struggling with difficult family, emotional, or employment problems. Because they want to respond to the varying needs of the communities in which they serve, all of The Salvation Army’s holiday assistance programs are administered locally.

 

The Freeport Lions Club thanks all good citizens who helped make this possible through their generosity.

The Freeport Lions Club meets every 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday each month. For more information see their blog or join them online as a Facebook friend:

http://freeportlionsclub.blogspot.com  or https://www.facebook.com/FREEPORTLIONS

 

Organ Donor Program Guest Speaker

(From 11 Nov 2014 "Meeting Notes" by Joe Serafini, Club Secretary, and from guest speaker correspondence)

Lion Brian Burke introduced the program/guest speaker, Jan Eschen, Regional Coordinator for the Illinois Secretary of State's Organ/Tissue Donor Program. There are over 5,000 people in the State waiting for life-saving or life-enhancing transplants. Many of those will die or their conditions will continue to deteriorate before an organ becomes available.

Lives can be saved or improved through continuing education about the critical shortage of organs and tissue by giving every licensed driver over age 18 the opportunity to join the Secretary of State's Organ/Tissue Donor Registry. Licenses of drivers who sign up will show a red State of Illinois with the word "Donor".  You can register on-line at: https://www.ilsos.gon/organdonorregister .  To learn more, visit website: http://www.lifegoeson.com/  

Thanks to Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State, for sponsoring this program at the highest level. His mission statement: “To strengthen the Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry through outreach and registration initiatives.” Every April is "National Donate Life Month", with ceremonies to honor those who have donated and saved lives, to mourn those who have died while waiting for a transplant, to support patients whose lives depend on finding a donor, and to celebrate the lives saved and improved from donations. There are many brochures that can be requested. Lions Club members, Rich Montgomery, Pat Davis and Brian Burke, have first-hand experience with this program. We honor, mourn, support and celebrate our own family members who have donated or received organs/tissue through this charitable program.

More history:

1991 - the IL Secretary of State develops a poster contest for students in K-12^th grade. One poster was selected, duplicated and distributed  statewide.

1992 - Secretary of State implemented the IL Organ Donor Registry, making Illinois one of only three states to maintain such a listing.

1993 - IL General Assembly passes legislation to provide funding for education and awareness.

1994 - “Life goes on” statewide awareness program began.

1999 - First Life Goes On Committee was started in Peoria with pilot project to expand, now in 7 other towns.

2004 - Jesse White formed task force to look at first person consent vs. family consent.

2005 - Jesse White led legislative measure to create first person consent registry and it passed.

2006 - First Person Consent Organ/Tissue Donor Registry went into effect January 1.

2012 - Illinois Organ/Tissue Donor Registry reaches 5 Million donors.    

November 2014 Lion Talk

Welcome to all our (2014) new Lions. We are extremely proud to have you with us.

Guests at our October 28 dinner meeting, Past District Governor Lion Paul Lindstrom & wife Lion Pat Lindstrom, Leaf River Lions Club, introduced their own special guest, Kathleen Breen from Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

 

Ms. Breen and her young dog, "Laker", showed us some of the many things that their program for leader dogs does to alter behavior before a dog can be placed with someone who has vision loss. Freeport Lions has been and continues to be a strong supporter of Leader Dogs for the Blind. The winner of the 50/50 raffle for the evening was the "Laker" who promptly donated his winnings to his sponsoring organization!

 

ADDITIONAL GUESTS on October 28 were Past District Governor/International Director Lion Russ Sarver and his wife, Lion Sue Sarver, Durand Lions Club. Lion Sue nominated Andrew “Andy” Skinner, to be a member of Freeport Lions Club. The motion was seconded and the vote was unanimous to accept the nomination. WELCOME ALL!

PID Russ Sarver, inducts new member Andy Skinner as his sponsor, Lion Sue Sarver, fastens a member pin to Andy's shirt, while Lion sponsor Rick Eastman and new member Jim Medendorp look on.

 

It was great to have Lion Sue Sarver of the Durand Lions Club present an application to sponsor Andrew "Andy" Skinner to join our club as PID/PDG Russ Sarver led the ceremony inducting Lions Andy and Jim Medendorp into our club. The event marked Lion Sarver’s 30^th New Member Sponsorship! Lion Medendorp was Lion Rick Eastman’s 3rd sponsored new member in 2014!

Congratulations! 

October was a very busy month for our club with Candy Day, rose sales and Rose Day. It was, again, a very successful month with all of our good Lions volunteering.

Lions Terry Anderson and Dennis Zimmerman sort roses for delivery drivers in the shop of Good People Automotive.

Lions Rose Day chairperson, Joe Serafini, also reported another great Rose Day. Club members sold a total of 547 dozen roses and received another $90 in unsolicited donations. Super salesman, Lion Terry Anderson, sold an amazing 196 dozen roses this year!  Thank you to all of our members, donors and volunteers! It takes active members, caring citizens,  and volunteer students to enable this club to be successful in helping those who are disabled or less fortunate.

It also takes extra personal time to deliver roses. Thanks to this year's delivery route drivers, Brian Burke, Roland Caruso, Jim Medendorp, Terry Anderson, Bert Kersten, Paul Rampenthal, Jack Grigsby, David Snyders, Dennis Zimmerman, Leo Bonin, Joe Serafini and volunteer Cowman. Lions Joe Serafini, Paul Rampenthal, Dennis Zimmerman and Terry Anderson drove 100 mile routes to get the job done.

Special Rose Day thanks also go to Lion Rick Eastman, owner of Eastrich Printing for ticket and poster printing, the Journal-Standard for advertising and publishing articles, Event Floral of Loves Park for supplying flowers, and Gordy Tormohlen of Good People Automotive for acting as a ticket sales site and honoring his father's long time tradition of providing his facility as our distribution site, including free coffee.

Candy Wrappers

The total collected for Candy Day on October 3 & 4 this year was less than last years' record amount but was still one of our best years.

Many, many a "Thank you" to the 28 FHS students who volunteered their free time, to all good Lion volunteers, and especially to chairperson Lion Terry Anderson. Thank you to our officers and leaders who give countless hours every year to get the rest of us organized.  

 MANY THANKS TO ALL!

 MANY THANKS TO ALL!

 MANY THANKS TO ALL!

 MANY THANKS TO ALL!

 MANY THANKS TO ALL!

 

 

MANY THANKS TO ALL!

_____________________ 

 

Special thanks to my fellow Freeport Lions who stepped up to deliver roses for me on the day of my mother’s funeral. Thank you also for your prayers for our family and for your good thoughts and deeds. – Lion Rich Montgomery

_____________________ 

CLUB HISTORY NOTES: By Lion Duane Smith

Thirty years ago when the Freeport Lions Club collected donations for Candy Day things were a little different in our town. We collected at sites of heavy pedestrian traffic such as big grocery stores like we do now and at what was then a brand new and very busy Lincoln Mall. Many Lions were assigned to the downtown area where major banks and such as the F. W. Woolworth and S. S. Kresge department stores brought people to town. A few brave Lions even stood in the busy intersections of major streets. Many community changes have occurred over the years, and so have the number and locations of Lions donation sites. Where do you suppose our club will be collecting in thirty years?

Notable Quotes:

·  "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."- Edmund Burke

·  "Always keep your words soft and sweet just in case you have to eat them.” – Andy Rooney

·  "If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it." –Kahlil Gibran

·  “We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box.” - Robert Fulghum (author/pastor)