CHICAGO LIGHTHOUSE & LCI TOURS

Leaf River Lions 2015  

Chicago Lighthouse and Lions Clubs International Tour  

  

Join us for a 1 Day trip to tour the Chicago Lighthouse (for the Blind and Visually Impaired) and Lions Club International on Friday April 24.  The cost for the one day trip is $35.00 per person and includes coffee and coffee cake prior to departing, your transportation (no tollway fares) and a dinner upon arriving back in Leaf River.  The midday lunch will be at the Lighthouse cafeteria at your own expense.  This promises to be a very memorable trip and tour of LCI.  Reservations and money must be sent in by April 1 to Paul Lindstrom, Post Office Box 189, Leaf River, IL 61047.  (Call 815-738-2761 for more information if needed)  

Itinerary  

Depart Leaf River Illinois on Friday April 24 for tours at Chicago Lighthouse and Lions Clubs International.  Arriving back in Leaf River Friday evening at 5:20.  

6:30 – Doors open at Bertolet Memorial building – coffee and rolls served  

7:00 – Bus arrives prepares to load  

7:15 – Load bus  

7:30 – Depart Leaf River – 103 West 2nd Street  

8:25 – Arrive DeKalb Oasis – 2700 Crego Rd - - - - 49.4 miles   9:00 – Depart DeKalb Oasis	55 minutes
10:15 – Arrive Chicago Lighthouse – 1850 Roosevelt Rd - - - 60.2 miles   10:30 – 11:30 – Tour Chicago Lighthouse   11:30 – 1:00 – Browse Gift Shop and Eat Lunch in Cafeteria   1:05 – Depart Chicago Lighthouse	66 minutes
1:30 – Arrive Lions Clubs International – 300 W. 22nd St. Oak Brook 15.5 miles   1:30 – 200 – Assemble and arrange into tour groups   2:00 – 2:45 – Tour Lions Clubs International   2:45 – 3:15 – Browse Gift Shot and common area (Check listing of Melvin Jones Awards)   3:30 – Depart Lions Clubs International	23 minutes
5:20 – Arrive Bertolet Memorial building – 103 W. 2nd, Leaf River- - 101.5 miles 5:30 – Eat Dinner at Bertolet Memorial building before leaving for home.	107 minutes
Trip total travel: 226.6 miles	245 minutes
	4hrs 5 min.

FEBRUARY 2015 RED CROSS PROGRAM

At our February 10, 2015, regular meeting, Lion Roland Caruso introduced Katie Borgman, Volunteer Services of American Red Cross of Northwest Illinois. The Freeport Chapter office, located at 224 W Galena Avenue, celebrates 100 years in 2015. Rockford IL Chapter, located at 727 N. Church St, just celebrated 100 years 2014. Katie became a part of the Northwest Illinois Chapter on November 12, 2013.

The American Red Cross of Northwest Illinois has over 400 volunteers and is a non-profit 501 (3) (c) organization. They serve ten counties and a population of over 800,000 people in northwestern Illinois. Their mission is "To alleviate human suffering in the face of an emergency." They focus on five areas: 1) Blood Services, 2) Disaster Cycle Services, 3) Preparedness Health & Safety Services, 4) Armed Forces, and 5) International Services.

Examples of local disasters are home fires and flooding. The Freeport Lions Club worked closely with the local office several years ago to distribute money from the Lions Disaster Fund to some of the neediest local families that the Freeport Chapter helped identify.

The Red Cross was founded May 2l,1881, by Clarissa (Clara) Harlowe Barton with idea that most work would be done by volunteers. Clara Barton was a recording clerk at the U.S. Patent Office in Washington D.C. when the Civil War brought her close to caring for wounded soldiers. Twenty years and three U.S. presidents later, the Red Cross flag flew officially for the first time in this country when Barton issued a public appeal for funds and clothing to aid victims of a devastating forest fire in Michigan. http://www.redcross.org/about-us/history/clara-barton. Today the Red Cross is a global organization.

Ms. Borgman brought some small door prizes, and some winning members were: Lions Liz Boyer, Rick Eastman, Rebecca Shriver, Brian Burke and Bert Kersten.

photo compliments of Liz Boyer

1st Vice President, Bert Kersten, thanked Katie for her time, commitment and excellent program, and presented her with a club pen as a token of our gratitude. Thank you, Lion Roland Caruso, for arranging this program.
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INSIDE THE ZONE

MARCH 2, 2015, FREEPORT IL

Freeport Lions Club hosted a very well attended District 1-D NW Central Zone Meeting. Most of the Freeport Club’s members attended as well as Lions from Cedarville, Dakota, Durand, Forreston, German Valley, Leaf River, Orangeville, Pecatonica and Shannon. Each club reported on upcoming events that they are sponsoring.

 

DG Kloepping, Zone Chairperson Darla VanBuskirk, Freeport 1st VP Bert Kersten

Central topics discussed were: Diabetes Awareness, the District 1D Convention April 10-11, Lions State of Illinois Convention May 15-17, the Lions International Convention June 26-30, Camp Lions for blind and deaf youths, the Center for Sight & Hearing remodeling campaign, the new Lions of Illinois Foundation location, setting and achieving club goals, and lastly, Membership and Leadership.

 

All attendees received a calendar to mark down dates. Instead of a look backward at achievements, this forward view informed everyone of other clubs’ events to try and bolster more participation by member clubs of our zone events and at other clubs’ events.
 

Past President Bert Kersten, standing in for vacationing President Rich Montgomery, presented District 1D Governor, Jim Kloepping, a check in the amount of $1,100 for the Center for Sight & Hearing Facility Remodeling Campaign on behalf of the Freeport Lions Club.
 

- Thanks to Lion Bert Kersten for reporting this news update and Lion Joe Serafini for photos.

 

FINANCIAL HELP A BLESSING

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE - At its February 24, 2015, meeting the Freeport Lions Club Board of Directors approved $100 financial assistance to Freeport resident Bruce Furdge for transportation costs to get into Chicago's University of Illinois Retina Center 120 miles away.
 
RAMP's ILA (Independent Living Advocate) had been working with Mr. Furdge for several months attempting to find a way to transport him to get post-op appointment with the doctor who provided his eye surgery. No Freeport or Rockford doctors would see him until his operation surgeon approved.
 
Mr. Furdge’s eye surgery was on January 7, 2015. He had to reschedule his Chicago appointment three times. 
 

Lion Treasurer, Dennis Zimmerman, presented the $100 check to Mr. Furdge on Fenbruary 25^th. This Lions Club assistance helped finally transport him into Chicago for his appointment and return to Freeport on Thursday, February 26, 2015. Other local relief agencies were unable to provide any type of assistance, so this was a real blessing. 
Thanks to Lion Elizabeth Boyer, RAMP Information & Referral Specialist/Office Assistant, for bringing this issue to the attention of the Lions Board of Directors, and for reporting this “good news” story.