Tag Archives: march

Celebrate National Puppy Day with Adoption

21 Thursday Mar 2019

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two yellow labrador retriever puppies

Photo by Chevanon Photography on Pexels.com

Let’s play a game! We’re going to describe a creature; see if you can guess. This fellow typically has a wagging tail and a wet nose, has been known to be clumsy and receives the title of man’s best friend. What is it? A puppy, of course.

This Saturday, March 23, is National Puppy Day, and we don’t think there’s a better time to celebrate your favorite, furry companion.

National Puppy Day was first established in 2006 when Colleen Paige decided to dedicate a special day to honor “the magic and unconditional love that puppies bring to our lives.” But even more importantly, it’s a day to bring awareness to dog adoption.

Did you know that approximately 6.5 million US companion animals enter animal shelters each year? Of those animals, about 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. The ASPCA estimates that 710,000 animals that enter the system as strays are returned to their owners, and approximately 3.3 million are adopted. But that still leaves over 2.5 million animals in the shelter.

If you have room in your heart and in your home, we’d encourage you to consider adopting a dog. We’ve compiled a list of a few reasons to adopt, rather than shop:

  1. You’re saving not one life, but twoWhen you decide to adopt from a shelter, you are providing your dog with the second chance he or she deserves. Consequently, you are also allowing the next animal the opportunity to receive care from the shelter until he or she finds their furever home.
  2. Adoption fees are typically less than those from a breederCostHelper has found that purchasing a puppy can cost anywhere between $300 and $1500, compared to adoption fees, which can fall between $70 and $300. Additionally, when you choose to adopt, you will find that many follow-up expenses will be covered in fees – vaccinations, spaying/neutering and microchipping.
  3. Find nearly any breedMany dog lovers have preferences when it comes to dog breeds and assume that they can’t be found within a shelter. You may be surprised to learn that nearly any breed can be found in a shelter, including purebreds and young orphans. Start with a simple online search – you’ll never know who you’ll find.

There you have it! Just three of countless reasons to adopt your best friend. If you are an advocate of adoption, why did you choose to rescue your pet? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

Happy National Puppy Day from Lions Pride!

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Early Signs of Spring

14 Thursday Mar 2019

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Do you smell spring in the air? May, not quite yet, but believe it or not, it is right around Screen Shot 2019-03-14 at 5.51.46 AMthe corner. Next Wednesday, March 20, marks the beginning of the vernal equinox.

As you may already know, the equinox is a moment in time when the sun positioned directly above the equator, so night and day are of (approximate) equal length. We know that it may not yet feel like spring, but if you would consider yourself to be a skeptic, we have some additional signs to help you see the light:

  • The snow is disappearing slowly but surely. February brought in record-breaking amounts of snow. In fact, the city of Wausau set a new personal best with 39.1 inches of accumulation, well exceeding their previous record of 28.4 inches set back in 1964. Understandably, it will take some time to get rid of the snow banks completely, but we are making progress.
  • Mother Nature is celebrating with well-above average temps. Today, we are expected to reach 52 degrees here in Rosholt, which will feel like a treat. But we’ll need to stay tuned because it appears that 50-degree temperatures will become the new normal in the upcoming weeks.
  • The birds are back in town. Sparrows and sandhill cranes are making their way back home, and the robins will get back to their usual routines.
  • The days are getting longer. We may have lost an hour of sleep last week due to Daylight Saving Time, but we are now getting more sunlight. We’re looking forward to seeing a little bit more of our old friend, Mr. Sun.
  • It’s almost time to play ball! The 2019 MLB will open on its earliest day ever. All 30 teams will play on March 28, excluding international openers. The previous earliest opening day was only last year on March 29, 2018.

There are many ways to show us that spring is almost here. From now until June 21, 2019, we will be witnesses to the rebirth of the beautiful, Wisconsin landscape. What is your favorite part of the new season?

Happy Spring from Lions Pride!

MLK Day of Service

17 Thursday Jan 2019

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“Everybody can be great because everyone can serve.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK Day of Service.png

Photo Credit to Corporation for National and Community Service 

Each January, we honor and celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1983, Legislation marked the birthday of Dr. King as a federal holiday. But in 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a national day of service. Each year, on the third Monday of January, we are all encouraged to look at Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthdate as a “day on, not a day off.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. In 1948, he received a BA degree from Morehouse College, at the age of 19. He was awarded a BD degree after three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary.

Shortly after, he became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was always a strong advocate of civil rights, so he joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as a member of the executive committee. In early December 1955, he accepted leadership as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott lasted a total of 382 days. On December 21, 1956, the Supreme Court of the United States declared bus segregation as unconstitutional. From that point on, people of all races rode the bus together as equals.

In 1957, he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a newly created organization that was formed to provide leadership for the civil rights movement. In the next eleven years, Dr. King would travel over six million miles and give over 2500 speeches. Meanwhile, he wrote five books as well as several articles and led enormous peaceful protests. He may be most known for leading the 1963 march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people and delivering his “I Have A Dream” speech. During his lifetime, he was arrested more than 25 times, awarded five honorary degrees and was the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1968, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, he was shot. He died on April 4.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all. The Day of Service is intended for engaging in community action that works to solve social problems. Service has an incredible ability to unite people of all ages and backgrounds while building stronger communities.

Honor the memory of Dr. King on Monday, January 21, by choosing to serve. Looking for a new service project? You need to see the Lions Club’s complete list of ideas for families. What project will you and your club start next? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

Happy MLK Day of Service from Lions Pride!

Eye Donor Awareness Month

22 Thursday Mar 2018

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When you think about the month of March, several topics probably come to mind. YouNatl Eye Donor Month may think about the first day of spring, St. Patrick’s Day and the start of baseball season, but did you know that March is also Eye Donor Awareness Month?

In 1983, President Reagan established the first National Eye Donor Month as a way to recognize its donors, celebrate the recipients and bring awareness to eye donation.

Approximately ten million people around the world are affected with corneal diseases that have resulted in blindness or other visual impairments. Corneal transplants have become one of the most frequently performed transplant procedures. According to the National Eye Institute, doctors perform approximately 40,000 corneal transplants each year.

Have you ever considered becoming an eye donor? Regardless of whether you have thought about donating in the past, or this is the first time you’ve carefully considered the idea, here are a few areas of to note that may help you make your decision:

There is just no substitute for human corneal tissue. If you have considered becoming an eye donor, you can rest assured knowing that your donation can make a world of difference for someone in need. Just think your gift could help restore someone’s vision, support the advanced treatment of blindness or other vision impairments – and beyond.

To get started, be sure to discuss your wishes with your loved ones, and thank you for your precious gift.

Happy Eye Donor Awareness Month from Lions Pride

Predicting the Weather Before Punxsutawney Phil

01 Thursday Feb 2018

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Here we are again – another month has come and gone. Now that we’ve flipped themarmot in the alps calendar to the month of February, we are anxiously awaiting Phil’s prediction about the upcoming spring, but is there a way to beat him to the punch?

Yes! We think we know of a shortcut. Before we had Punxatawney Phil, we had the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which may be a better resource than our furry friend – but we’ll let you be the judge.

Robert B. Thomas started the Old Farmer’s Almanac back in 1792. The Almanac records and predicts astronomical events such as the rising and setting and setting of the sun, tides, weather and other unusual phenomena. According to the almanac, Thomas would use a complex series of natural cycles to devise a secret weather forecasting formula. (Today, the formula is housed in a locked black box in the Almanac offices in Dublin, New Hampshire.)

Traditionally, the almanac was said to be 80 percent accurate, but in press materials, the almanac claimed to 96.3% accuracy for its 2016 predictions of a “bleak and biting winter.” Meteorologists and weather experts don’t buy it, but we think it’s worth a look!

The 2018 Long Range Weather Report for the Midwest says,

Winter will be warmer than normal, with the coldest periods in late November, early and late December, early January, and early February. Precipitation and snowfall will be below normal, with the snowiest periods in mid- to late December and early to mid-February. April and May will be cooler than normal, with near-normal precipitation. 

From the sound of this report, we don’t anticipate an early spring, although the weather report doesn’t discuss March in any detail. Here at Lions Pride, we are guessing that Punxsutawney Phil will not see his shadow tomorrow, but we certainly hope that we’re wrong. Do you think we’ll see six more weeks of winter?

Wishing all of us an early spring!

Lions Pride Current Happenings (Early 2017 Addition)

09 Thursday Mar 2017

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“Change is the law of life.” 

Where has the time gone? It’s hard to Dewey Carlbelieve we are already well into the month of March. If you’ve been keeping up with us for the past six months, you know that our organization has gone through a lot of changes during this period.

The largest difference, of course, is the loss of our founder and chairperson, Dewey Carl, who passed away last August. While we still feel the obvious hole in our hearts, we continue to pick up the pieces and find new ways to honor his memory.

One of the tasks that has been on top of our To Do list for quite some time has been the review and updates of our website with current information. Each year, there are changes to the Board of Directors, but this was the first time it was updated without Dewey. It just didn’t feel right to remove him completely – after all, where would we be without his original vision? Instead, we just moved him to his own dedicated Tribute Page.

For all of you who only knew Dewey through Lions Pride you might be surprised to learn how involved he was outside of Lions. He was very involved in his community and church and sat on the Board of Directors for several organizations. In 2011, he was presented with the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Northeast Wisconsin. He truly was a Lion through and through.

Although LPEF has been shaken by our loss, our mission remains the same. Dewey’s voice and support started the campaign, and his indomitable spirit continues to inspire us to carry on as he would have wanted. Now more than ever, our words hold true. Lions Pride is dedicated to continuing our efforts to preserve, protect and provide for Lions Camp and all WLF statewide projects, and hope that you will help us carry out Dewey’s vision.

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb? We Don’t Think So.

02 Thursday Mar 2017

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march-in-like-a-lion

Wow, another month has come and gone, and the most unpredictable time of the year has officially arrived. As we write, the all-too-familiar white fluffy snow continues to fall, adding to our fresh piles. It looks like March is coming in like a lion so it will go out like a lamb, right?

As we all know, there is no shortage of catchy weather sayings:

“Red in the morning, sailor’s warning. Red at night, sailor’s delight.”
“Doors and drawers stick before a rain.”
“The sharper the blast, the sooner ‘tis past.”
“If spiders are many and spinning their webs. The spell will soon be dry.
“When your joints all start to ache, rainy weather is at stake.”

But are there are any truths to these sayings?

You may be surprised to learn that all of the listed folklores are true, except – you guessed it – our lion and lamb saying. Read through more true weather folklores.

We have all experienced Marches that began with wild snowstorms and ended with blue, clear skies, but there are no scientific facts that provide evidence to this being a valid claim. Of course, we can hope that March starts off cloudy and snowy, and then ends with warmth and sun, but the key word is hope. Sadly, this particular lion saying appears to be more of a rhyme than a weather predictor.

Fortunately, we can quickly come up with a lion saying that we know for a fact to be true. “Where there’s a need, there’s a Lion.” Each year, Lions like you are making a difference in their communities all over the globe, and we have proof!

LCIF recently released their 2015-2016 Annual Report, where they announced that they received over $39.4 million in generous donations. The foundation then awarded 453 grants totaling over $45.2 million to support the work of Lions around the world. These grants made a positive impact on the lives of more than 44 million people. Now, that’s what we’d like to call making a difference!

On second thought, “In like a lion… out like a lamb” is obviously a false claim because Lions come in Lions, and come out like Lions, everyday of the year (regardless of the month.) From all of us at Lions Pride, thank you for all that you do and keep up the good work!

Happy Popcorn Lovers Day!

10 Thursday Mar 2016

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Did you know that the second Thursday of March marks the day when popcorn lovers unite? That’s right – today is Popcorn Lovers Day, not to be confused with National Popcorn Day, which takes place annually on January 19.

In honor of this poptastic day, we found a few fun facts about America’s favorite snack food that you may not already know:

  • A cup of plain popcorn contains only 31 calories.
  • Surprisingly, 70 percent of popcorn sold in the US is eaten at home. Only 30 percent is eaten at movie theaters, stadiums and carnivals.
  • Popcorn kernels can pop up to 3 feet in the air!
  • Americans eat more popcorn than residents of any other country. Approximately 17 billion quarts of popcorn is consumed each year.
  • Both the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly known American Dietetic Association, and American Diabetes Association agree that popcorn can be exchanged for bread for people on weight control diets. (We probably don’t have to tell you, but this is our favorite fun fact! Learn more about our Community Diabetes Education)
  • Popped popcorn comes in two shapes, “snowflake” and “mushroom”. Typically, you’ll find snowflake-shaped popcorn at movie theaters because they are larger in size.
  • There are about 1600 popcorn kernels in one cup.
  • Evidence shows that popcorn existed as early as 4700 B.C., making it one of the oldest forms of corn.

Read through even more mouth-watering facts.

Popcorn Lovers Day is a fairly new holiday, created by Bob Matthews of Rochester, New York, on January 6, 2012. The reason? It was Bob’s favorite snack, and he, and his wife would eat it most Thursdays all year long.

We understand, though, for as many real popcorn lovers, there are also plenty of people Lion Cupcakeswho only like or tolerate popcorn. We think you deserve to celebrate, too! You can enjoy a fun treat with just a hint of popcorn all while showcasing your Lions Pride with Lion Cupcakes. Simply place a few pieces of popped corn along the edge of your favorite cupcake recipe and add a face. We bet your fellow Lions and Lionesses would love a snack at your next meeting, even if it isn’t technically on Popcorn Lovers Day.

Whether you are a popcorn lover or just a casual snacker who likes a handful of popped corn every now and again, we hope you enjoy Popcorn Lovers Day!