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Diabetes Awareness Month

08 Thursday Nov 2018

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We have arrived at the eleventh month of the year. If we were to ask you, “What is the Strides Lions for Diabetes Awarenessfirst topic that comes to mind when you think about November?”; what would you say? More than likely, your response would include something related to Thanksgiving, football or fall, but there is one other topic that should come to mind – diabetes. November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and we think it’s time to spread the word about the growing epidemic.

Diabetes is a long-lasting disease that impacts how your body turns food into energy. According to the CDC, approximately 30.3 million American adults have diabetes, and 1 in 4 don’t even know that they have the disease. People with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes are at higher risk for other serious health complications including blindness, kidney problems, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, nerve damage and more. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for diabetes at this time, but it is treatable with healthy lifestyle changes.

Lions Club International adopted diabetes awareness at a long-term commitment back in 1984. The primary object was to reduce the number of new cases of blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy. Wisconsin Lions are always on a mission to actively support LCI’s efforts, but November is an excellent opportunity to reach an even larger audience. If you and your club are looking to make a difference in the world of diabetes awareness, here are a few project ideas, courtesy of Lions Club International:

  • Conduct a local diabetes screening – Partner with healthcare professionals to carry out the event. Organizations such as government health departments, universities, hospitals and private physicians will often agree to perform free of low-cost public screenings. Learn more about getting started.
  • Organize a Strides event in your community – A Strides event is a highly visible, family-oriented activity that combines fun with exercise. Events can include walking, dancing, cycling or running. Find out more about organizing one today.
  • Start planning a school or community garden – Spring may not be top of mind this time of year, but it’s never too early to start thinking about next season gardening. Having fruits and vegetables readily available is always a great way to encourage others to make healthy meal choices.
  • Provide your local library with an annual diabetes magazine subscription – You can find industry publications with subscriptions as low as $10 a year. Talk about an affordable way to reach all curious library visitors!
  • Create a support group for those affected with diabetes – A support group will give you a chance to educate and inform others while creating a safe space for families suffering.

World Diabetes Day is Friday, November 15. There’s never been a better time to start planning a project to increase diabetes awareness. Already working on a large service project, or don’t think there’s enough time to get one started this month? You and your club can still help spread the word. When you support Lions Pride, you can designate your gift specifically for the WLF’s Diabetes Project – ensuring funding in perpetuity. Diabetes is no match to the power of Lions. Together, we can all work to inform and educate others to help prevent and control diabetes.

 

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How to Celebrate National Good Neighbor Day

27 Thursday Sep 2018

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“When one neighbor helps another, we strengthen our communities.” -Jennifer PahlkaNeighborhood Homes

There’s no denying that it is a blessing to have a friendly neighborhood. Good neighbors always have a smile to share, are willing to lend a helping hand and ready to keep a watchful eye. But did you know that each year Americans know less and less about their neighbors? If you’ve been looking for a reason to get to know the people who live next door, you’re in luck! This Friday, September 28, is National Good Neighbor Day and we think there’s plenty of reasons to celebrate and build our communities.

National Good Neighbor Day was first created in the early 1970s by Becky Mattson, a community businesswoman in Lakeside, Montana. She realized the true importance of knowing your neighbor, so she and her husband along with Congressman Mike Mansfield worked with Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter to sign the proclamations for Good Neighbor Day. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter issued the following,

As our Nation struggles to build friendship among the peoples of this world, we are mindful that the noblest human concern is concern for others.

Understanding, love, and respect build cohesive families and communities. The same bonds cement our Nation, and the nations of the world.

For most of us, this sense of community is nurtured and expressed in our neighborhoods where we give each other an opportunity to share and feel part of a larger family.

If you’ve been wanting to get to know your neighbors, but have been unsure of the best ways to reach out, we have compiled a few ways to start the process:

  • Host an outdoor barbecue

    There’s no better way to get to know someone than over a smoky grill. Encourage neighbors to bring their own meat to fire up and a dish to pass, that way no one has to spend a lot of time preparing. Sometimes, spontaneity is the perfect way to break the ice.

  • Bring over a plate of homemade treats

    Who doesn’t love the taste of fresh, baked cookies? If you’d like to introduce yourself, consider making a couple of batches of cookies (one for your family and one for your neighbor to share.) If that seems too well planned and are looking for something more natural, look to your garden. The Wisconsin harvest is plentiful in early fall, so if your garden is gifting with you with a bountiful harvest, share the wealth!

  • Lend a helping hand

    One way to instantly build a connection is to lend a helping hand. If you see your neighbor, raking the first round of fallen leaves, go grab a rake and help make the job a little easier on him or her. Who knows they might return the favor down the road.

  • Smile

We know that it’s not always easy to put yourself out there, but a nice way to start building a relationship is with a smile and a wave.

Treat Good Neighbor Day as a great opportunity to say hello and start getting to know your neighbors. How will you celebrate the unofficial holiday? Let us know in the comments below.

Happy Good Neighbor Day from Lions Pride!

 

The 2018 Worldwide Week of Service

11 Thursday Jan 2018

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Around the world, nearly 800 million people go to bed hungry each night. We Save the Date WWSunderstand that sometimes thinking globally can make it difficult to comprehend so let’s bring it a little closer to home. In Wisconsin alone, an estimated 633,170 people struggle with hunger – and of those individuals, 219,280 of them are children. This month, let’s join together to eliminate hunger around the globe, by starting in our own communities with the Worldwide Week of Service.

You may be thinking, ‘ how can we eliminate hunger in just a week’s span?’ That’s a good question. The truth is we can’t. While the official week of service only lasts until Sunday, January 14, Lions Club International has set a goal to serve 200 million people by the year 2021, which means now is the perfect time to start planning your next service project.

Here are some tips to get you start the planning process:

  1. Plan your project – choose a project that impacts hunger in your community. Many associate food pantries with hunger solutions; while they are a great resource, there are several other options out there. Consider a few of these ideas that complement food pantries:

    – Create the blueprints for a community garden
    – Distribute food baskets to those in need
    – Work with other organizations to organize a food drive
    – Start or support a weekend school backpack program
    – Raise funds to pay off overdue reduced lunch bills at your school

  2. Promote your project

The secret to a successful project is lots of promotions. Look to local news outlets, social media, banners, yard signs and other avenues to get the word out. Don’t be afraid to get creative! Often times, creativity is what makes events stand out from the crowd.

  1. Report your project

Be sure to submit your project to your MyLCI Service Activity Report when your project is complete. All service projects will help Lions Club International meet new levels of service in the Centennial Challenge.

Regardless of how you and your club choose to fight hunger, know that your efforts have a significant impact on your community. Together, we can all work to eliminate hunger, one project at a time.

Happy Planning from Lions Pride!

A Sign of Hope and Peace

24 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by in Holidays, Special Events

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Easter LilyWe were saddened to learn about Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in Brussels this week. Two bombs exploded at the Brussels Airport at 8 am, local time, on Tuesday morning. About an hour later, another explosion followed in Central Brussels at the Maelbeek Subway Station. Approximately 30 people were killed and more than 230 others were wounded in the attacks.

In today’s world, with all of the negative election campaigns, all-too-regular shooting and other heartbreaking stories we hear every night on the 5’oclock news, it is easy to feel a little pessimistic about the way that our world turns. Fortunately, we have a holiday coming up that should give us some positivity back.

This Sunday, we will likely be surrounded by dozens of Easter Lilies, symbolizing hope and peace. In Christian traditions, the beautiful lily signifies rebirth and rebeginning. It has been said that these lovely white flowers sprang up in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus wept in the last hours before being betrayed.

The Easter Season is a time for all of us to put our negative thoughts aside and look forward to a hopeful, new world. Last Easter, the leaders of Christian Churches in Jerusalem spoke the following words, which we feel still hold true:

“There are indeed signs of darkness around us, which make this a painful time to live through, but the darkest part of the night is often shortly before the dawn. The joyful proclamation of the Resurrection at dawn on Easter Sunday assures us that the last word lies not with violence and inhumanity but with God’s purpose of love, justice and hope which runs like a thread throughout history and will find its ultimate fulfillment in the coming fullness of his Kingdom.”

Remember; do not fall into despair for a brighter future lies ahead. From all of us at Lions Pride, have a blessed Easter Sunday.

 

Happy Earth Day!

19 Thursday Mar 2015

Posted by in Holidays, Lions Camp, Special Events

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Tomorrow marks the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. In 1970, Cabin on Lion LakeJohn McConnell, the founder of Earth Day, decided that earthlings needed a day to celebrate the planet’s life and beauty. We couldn’t agree more. Although it may not be initially obvious, Lions Pride is a big supporter of Earth Day, but maybe not on the official holiday.

As we’re sure you already know, we work very closely with the Wisconsin Lions Camp. Each year with the help of our donors, in 2014 we were able to bring over 100 children with special needs from around the state to Lions Camp in Rosholt for a week of fun as the fund grows that number will increase each year.

The campers are able to experience the great outdoors at its finest. Their days are filled with swimming and boating on Lions Lake, aiming for the bull’s-eye in the archery range, spending time near the tops of trees on the climbing tower, zipping down the zip line, creating artistic masterpieces to take home and exploring the nature center.

Hiking in the WoodsWe hope the children take home a new appreciation of our natural world and it influences the choices that they make. For instance, we hope that on a crisp, fall day that they choose to rake up a big pile of leaves to jump into rather than stay inside playing video games or in the spring we hope they will choose to help Mom or Dad plant vegetables in the garden rather than watching television.

Our world is an amazing gift and Earth Day reminds us to cherish the gift that is our world. How will you choose to celebrate the beauty of our planet?

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

13 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by in Fundraising, Holidays, Special Events

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Lions for Diabetes AwarenessThere are many unique holidays in the month of November. It is known as National Model Railroad Month, Aviation History Month and even Peanut Butter Lovers Month, but did you know that it is also Diabetes Awareness Month?

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, diabetes affects approximately 475,000 adults and 4500 children and adolescents throughout the state. People with diabetes are much more likely to suffer from blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, depression, amputations and many other complications. Although diabetes is a very serious disease, it is also very controllable.

Lions are doing a great job informing and educating the public about diabetes through numerous community programs, but we have a chance to make an extra impact throughout the month of November. Lions Club International has come up with a few ways for you and your club to bring diabetes to the forefront:

  • Organize a Strides event in your community – A Strides event is a highly visible, family-oriented activity that combines fun with exercise. Find out more about organizing one today.
  • Start planning a school or community garden – The snow may be flying, but it’s never too early to start thinking about spring gardening.
  • Create a support group for those affected with diabetes – A support group will give you a chance to educate and inform while creating a safe space for those suffering.
  • Invite a healthcare provider to speak at your club – The talk may turn into a great opportunity to brainstorm new ideas to reach your community.
  • Provide your local library with a diabetes magazine subscription – An affordable way to reach all curious library wanderers

To learn more about diabetes, read through this Diabetes Awareness and Action brochure and let’s continue to support the fight against diabetes!

Your gift to the Lions Pride Endowment Fund can be designated specifically for the WLF’s Diabetes Project ensuring funding in perpetuity.