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Lions Ledger
Elizabethtown Lions Club
"We Serve"
March 2008
President's Message
March has always been a month of hope for me. My biggest hope currently? That winter will soon give way to spring and I can go outside again and putts around in the yard! Technically, winter remains on the calendar until the 21st, but I can’t ignore the signs of spring everywhere in my garden. Tulips and daffodils are poking through the mulch, the forsythia buds are swelling, and the pussy willow bushes will soon be in“bloom.” Maria even claims to have seen a robin last week. Have you noticed one other harbinger of spring? That’s right, the days are actually lengthening! We even switch to daylight savings time in March this year. Many of us will also be looking forward to celebrating Easter later this month and all the hope provided by Christ’s resurrection from the dead. March is an easy month to get excited about!
Of course any mention of Easter around our Lions Club members conjures up memories of our annual Easter Egg Hunt. This service project gives us a chance to be visible in the community and show people a bit of what Lions are about – service to others. Lions, if this is your first “Hunt,” are you in for a spectacle! The mass of toddler humanity, colored eggs, and beaming parents is truly something to behold. The Saturday morning blitz requires tremendous preparation, however, so HOPEfully I’ll see you on the 18th coloring eggs and again on the 22nd hiding them.
Oh, one more “hope” – I hope that darn groundhog got his prediction wrong this year because I need a little Global Warming about now!
Lion Dean
(Editors note:… I don’t know about all those other groundhogs, but Punxsutawney Phil is NEVER wrong!)
Programs for March
The meeting schedule this month is a bit unusual, so mark your calendar carefully.
Tuesday, March 11, 6:15 p.m. at the Fire Hall – Tonight’s guest speaker will be Mr. Alan Hinson who will share with us some of his experiences from three mission trips to Ukraine. This will be a great opportunity to learn about a different culture, so you won’t want to miss it.
Tuesday, March 25 -- There will be NO REGULAR MEETING on this date, due to the activities associated with our annual Easter Egg hunt for the children of the area (see details on the reverse side).
Greeters for March
For the meeting on March 11: Derrick McDonald and Joe Ditzler
For the meeting on March 25: There is no meeting on March 25
Welcome, Rick!
At the regular meeting on February 26 we gained a new member –Rick Benson. Rick lives on East Hummelstown Street in town, and has just retired from a career with the U.S. Postal System. At your next opportunity be sure to introduce yourself to Rick and welcome him into our Club.
Egg Coloring
Ken Greider is chairing the Easter Egg project this year and we thank him, in advance, for his efforts. The first step in the project is the egg coloring which will take place on Tuesday, March 18. A few members (approximately
six) are needed at noon at the United Methodist Church on this date to begin preparing the eggs and coloring the bulk of them in large pots. Then, beginning at 6:15 on that date the hand painting will begin in the basement level of the church. Lions are encouraged to bring their children, grandchildren, neighbors, or anyone else who might enjoy helping with this task. After the painting is finished there will be cake and ice cream for all. We need your assistance this night so please stop by and lend a hand with the painting, then stay for the dessert.
Easter Egg Hunt
The community service portion of this project will take place on Saturday morning, March 22, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the town Park (across from the softball field) when the children show up with their baskets and, at 10:30, begin to find the eggs we have cleverly hidden (J) in various areas of the park. We will need 15-20 members to help eat the donuts (of course there will be donuts …right, Joe?) and then to “hide” the many eggs. Like all our projects, when we get sufficient help the work is easy so mark your calendar now and reserve a couple hours on the morning of the 22nd to help with this historic project. The Lions have been conducting this annual egg hunt for more years than anyone can remember and we sure don’t want it to be anything short of totally successful again this year. Hundreds of young children are depending on the Lions, and the Lions are depending on you.
For planning purposes, Ken has asked everyone who can assist with either or both phases (coloring, and hiding) of the Egg Hunt project to contact him to advise of your availability. He may be reached at 367-8771.
Successful Projects
At our most recent meeting it was announced that the final tally from the White Cane Day effort was $418.56, which will go towards assisting the visually handicapped. It was also announced that the Hoss’s Day project which was held February 19 netted the Club a total of $85.11. We expect to conduct this project again sometime during this calendar year.
In last month’s newsletter we stated that the sale of our ornaments yielded a profit, but that not all outstanding monies had yet been received. Chairman Tom Trayer has reported that the new total profit now stands at $1544.00.
Thanks to Paul Lesoine for chairing the White Cane Day, to President Dean for leading the Hoss’s project, and to Tom Trayer for handling the ornament sale. Great work, all!
Did you notice?
Some of you may be thinking “What does the picture beside the Presidents Message have to do with the month of March?” Others may be thinking “There was a picture beside the Presidents Message??” (It’s OK to go back and look.) Well, the answer is (fans of college basketball would have made the connection) it refers to “March Madness”.