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| LIONS MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS PLAINFIELD TC LIONS CLUB click here | Middlefield Lions Serve Hundreds of Meals to Victims of IRENE
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Check out Willimantic Lions Club on Page 50 of Lions Magazine: The Willimantic Lions Club in Connecticut paid for subscriptions of LION Magazine for three libraries. The club also sponsored radio announcements to encourage listeners to join the 50-member club.
Puppies on parade at Colchester fall fair
Lions Club-organized event benefits animal charities By ELEANOR BALL For The Bulletin Posted Oct 02, 2011 @ 11:31 PM Colchester Lions Club members were busy selling warm apple crisp and hot apple cider at their Pumpkins ’n’ Pooches Autumn Fair & Dog Fest held Sunday afternoon on the Colchester town green.
Strategically placed tubs of water were available for the costumed canines to get a drink as well.
Lori Rudker and her daughter Sarah, 12, of Colchester, stood watching a doggie dance demonstration in the performance ring.
“We come every year. We love to see them in their costumes,” Lori Rudker said.
“I like watching the dogs do their talents,” said Sarah Rudker, referring to the costume and other dog contests that take place during the event.
Forty-two canine contestants and their owners paraded for dog lovers to view. A pumpkin painting contest, hay rides, a dog photo contest and a canine freestyle and Frisbee exhibition were also part of the furry fun.
Peggy Peters brought her dog, Jodie, to the event, but did not plan to enter her in the competition.
“We’re hoping she’s just going to behave,” said Peters, who said she often runs with Jodie on the green in the morning.
Working for charity
Leo Club member Dennis Tupper, 13, of Hebron, was working at the event.
“We’re selling water, handing out prizes and working the bounce house,” Dennis said. “The money goes to all the charities like Fidelco and dog war heroes.”
Charlene Picard organized the event.
“This is (our) biggest single-day event,” Picard said.
The festival started in 1999. This year, 60 vendors came to sell their wares, many of them dog-related. There were bandannas for dogs, pet vaccines and wood-carved dog breed decorations. Organizations including Guiding Eyes for the Blind and Bikers Against Animal Cruelty were also represented.
Larry Chilcoat, a Texas resident, traveled to the event at Picard’s invitation to publicize fundraising efforts for the Military Working Dog Teams National Monument, a memorial in honor of dogs that have served in the military.
A sculpture representing the four breeds of dogs used in the military since World War II is planned, Chilcoat said. More than 10,000 dogs served in the Vietnam War alone, he noted. Copyright 2011 The Bulletin. Some rights reserved Read more: Puppies on parade at Colchester fall fair - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/archive/x360260431/Puppies-on-parade-at-Colchester-fall-fair#ixzz1ZuUaxkZ3
Pooches parade for good cause in Putnam Veterans’ fundraiser part of Family Day By ALISON SHEA The Bulletin Posted Oct 01, 2011 @ 11:22 PM Putnam, Conn. — A parade of pooches raised $2,000 for service dogs for disabled veterans Saturday.
A steady stream of dogs and their owners made their way down the Putnam river trail Saturday afternoon from Rotary Park, the site of the Family Day festivities, to the Riverside Marketplace.
The parade was held to raise money for Canines for Combat Veterans, a group that helps pay for assistance and service dogs for disabled veterans. The cost of a trained dog can be between $20,000 and $25,000, but fundraisers and private donations can cut the cost in half.
The assembled group erupted into cheers when Lions Club member Stu Neal, the co-chairman of the event, announced the fundraising total: $2,000.
The figure meant that, in the past three years, the group had raised nearly enough to have covered the cost of a dog for a service member. The group raised a total of $7,200 in years one and two of the fundraiser, Neal said.
John Ferland, of Woodstock Valley, led the dog walk with his wife’s former service dog, Moses. Dawn, his wife, died two years ago, and Moses had been her constant companion. Ferland said the hypoallergenic poodle even had his own entry badge for when his wife took him to her job at H.H. Ellis Technical High School in Danielson.
“It’s a really good cause,” he said. “The dogs can do everything — they can fetch medicines, get things from the refrigerator, turn the lights on, anything.”
There were plenty of dogs on the field and even some larger-than-life ones, too. The Putnam Arts Council, working with an anonymous donor, brought an exhibit of about a dozen 10-foot metal silhouettes of dogs, complete with bone-shaped cutouts, to the park.
The combination of Family Day and the dog walk meant everyone, even Fido, felt included in the family activities.
Eileen Thyarion, of Putnam, took the opportunity for a family day out. She brought her great-nephew Cody Keene, 7, and Peace, her year-old Jack Russell terrier mix, to the park.
“It’s a great way to socialize her,” she said, gesturing toward her dog. Copyright 2011 The Bulletin. Some rights reserved
Read more: Pooches parade for good cause in Putnam - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/archive/x325099890/Pooches-parade-for-good-cause-in-Putnam#ixzz1ZuUCi9Fv
LIONS MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS Checkout Page 8 for the Niantic Lions Club http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=77971&page=1 PLAINFIELD TC LIONS CLUB click here
courant.com/community/hc-community-articleresults,0,4458198.formprofile Courant.com| Norwich | | Local Resident Installed As District Governor At Lions Clubs International Convention in Seattle | | People | | Submitted by Frank Rowe, District 23C Lions Club International, on 2011-07-26. | 
| | Frank Rowe | Lions District 23C District Governor Ken Tucker.
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Lion Ken Tucker of Norwich was installed as district governor during a ceremony held at the Lions Clubs International Convention in Seattle. Tucker joins other international District Governors to oversee approximately 46,000 Lions clubs made up of 1.35 million Lions members in 206 countries and geographical areas around the world. Tucker was installed as leader as 15,000 Lions participated in the meeting that drew representatives from more than 100 countries and geographic areas around the world.
Lions Clubs International President Wing-Kun Tam of Hong Kong installed the district governors at the convention.
"These men and women have expressed the commitment and compassion needed to support and guide the Lions in their areas to better serve their communities," Tam said.
Lions are men, women, families and friends who identify needs within their communities and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information or to get involved, please go to www.LionsDistrict23C.org.
Tucker has been an active member of the Montville Mohegan-Pequot Lions Club for the past 12 years. District 23C consists of nearly 2,000 Lions in 55 clubs throughout the Eastern Connecticut counties of New London, Windham, & Tolland. Lions in the district are involved in numerous service projects, including eye research, low vision, diabetes, youth programs, service dogs and many more community fairs and projects. Last year district lions reported having worked nearly 36,000 hours to raise more than $430,000.
Tucker is employed by the State of Connecticut Labor Department as an Occupational Safety and Health Manager. He resides in Norwich with his wife lion Nancy. They have five children and six grandchildren.
"I've found that being a Lion gives me a purpose. It allows me to feel that I am giving something back to my community and my fellow man. It helps me mentor others and makes me a richer person. Regrets? Only one. I wish I had joined Lions sooner," Tucker said.
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with nearly 1.35 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in 206 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclubs.org. |
John and Linda Bradshaw were sworn in as United States citizens at the U.S. District Court in Hartford on June 3, 2011. | Congratulations! Lions John and Linda Bradshaw Two of our nation's newest citizens! |
District Governor’s Awards Night 
CLERF Cabinet Chair John Bradshaw is presented with a Lions Club International Letter of Commendation by
PID Scott Storms with the aid of District Governor Denise Dudek, International Director Candidate, PCC Carolyn Messier,
and MD23 Council Chair Mark Lyon.  |  | | District Leo Liaison, ZC Diana Grise receives LCI Certificate of Achievement from DG Denise Dudek. | District Diabetes Chair Deb Updyke receives LCI Certificate of Achievement from DG Denise Dudek. |
For more Awards pictures click HERE |
Lions in the News: Willimantic Lions Club, students volunteer to paint resident's house By Staff reports The Bulletin Posted May 10, 2011 @ 11:30 PM Willimantic, Conn. — Members of the Willimantic Lions Club and students from Eastern Connecticut State University’s Habitat for Humanity Club formed a Partnership for Humanity Saturday to paint several areas in the home of an elderly person who lives on North Street in Willimantic. The event marked the third collaboration between the two organizations locally. Lions Clubs International has had an ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity International since 1999. Copyright 2011 The Bulletin. Some rights reserved http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x1539857978/Willimantic-Lions-Club-students-volunteer-to-paint-residents-house#ixzz1M2mYerDv
Pawcatuck responds to food-stamp cutbacksBy Joe Wojtas Publication: The Day Published 04/01/2011  Tim Martin/The Day
Jack Jacobs of Mystic, foreground, and Tom Young of Stonington, volunteers at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, collect items for clients in the center's food locker on Thursday. Neighborhood center pitches in as grocery prices rise ever higher Tim Martin/The Day Jack Jacobs of Mystic, foreground, and Tom Young of Stonington, volunteers at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, collect items for clients in the center's food locker on Thursday. Beginning today, an estimated one out of four households that use food stamps will see their benefits cut by an average of $10 to $18 a month.
The cut comes as consumers face rising prices at the supermarket, a trend that is expected to continue in the coming months.
The cut in benefits is prompting local social service agencies to look for ways to help people make up the deficit.
The Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, for example, has announced it will allow people who use its emergency food pantry to get food twice this month instead of once.
"We felt like we needed to do something," said Executive Director Vicki Anderson. "Food stamps are the first line of defense against hunger."
The Pawcatuck Lions Club and Green Onion Pizza in North Stonington are holding food drives to help provide the extra food that will be needed. Anderson said she expects about half of the 630 households that use the center's emergency food pantry to take advantage of the extra opportunity to pick up food.
Anderson said the change in the federal program came as surprise to her and other social service providers.
A three-page explanation about the change from the state Department of Social Services states heating and utility costs are among the many factors in the "complicated" calculation that the federal government uses.
"It's a very convoluted way to figure out a food-stamp allocation," Anderson said.
Because heating and utility costs are less now than they were in July 2008, the last time the food stamp benefits were revised, it is assumed that households have more money to spend on food.
"There has been a change from 2008 to now, but we're watching it climb back up again," Anderson said.
The social services department, which runs the federal program in Connecticut, addressed the question of why the food-stamp cut is being made at a time when energy prices are rising.
The explanation says states were supposed to revise the heating and utility-cost factor in June 2009 but the federal government postponed the recalculation because costs had dropped so much from 2008 to 2009 that the recalculation would have meant a large reduction in food stamp benefits - formally known as the Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP).
"Since prices are higher now than they were in July 2009, the SNAP benefit reductions are not as large as they would have been. Despite the higher energy prices we are currently seeing, energy prices are still lower than they were in July 2008, so we still must reduce the standard for heat and utilities," the department statement reads.
Some recipients may see a decrease greater than $18 a month.
The social services department said thhe heat and utility standard will be revised in October. If costs return to the level of July 2008, many households will see their food stamp benefit increase.
Food stamp recipients can appeal their decrease in benefits and may request a hearing.
j.wojtas@theday.com
Community Lions' Benefit Offers Roaring Good Time
Handmade Christmas decorations, trees and wreaths go to highest bidders, raising funds to help charity The popular Lavangela TreeCredit Alice C. Stelzer
 Credit Alice C. Stelzer The East Haddam Community Lions were roaring Dec. 3 during the third annual Light Up the Holidays Silent Auction summation party at the Rathbun Free Memorial Library. The auction officially began Nov. 22 when all the donated wreaths, holiday trees and Christmas decorations were put on display at the library, soliciting bids. Funds for this event will support the fuel bank, food bank and Youth and Family Services. Other causes the Community Lions benefit include the Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation, Low Vision Center of Eastern Connecticut and Lions Club International Foundation and Sight First. The party included wine, entertainment, a table heaped with goodies and a final opportunity for bidding. Bud Haines played guitar all evening and an impromptu holiday sing-along added to the festive atmosphere. Mary Lee Abkemeier and Linda Bradshaw co-chaired the event, which Bradshaw had initiated two years ago. All of the donated pieces were striking, giving the room a sparkle. The 60 items up for bid were twice as many as last year, with each acknowledging the donor. Resident Carol Adams helped put the number of biddable items over the top by donating 13 pieces. "I've believed in recycling since I was a kid," Adams says. "I had a lot of ornaments put away in boxes. I didn't want to just get rid of them. I thought this was a good cause, so I remade them. Everything looks so beautiful in the library with the natural light." One of the most popular items was the Lavangela Tree, which Adams had decorated with old ornaments. Some of these were handmade angels Adams designed and made out of baby food lids while still a teenager. In the frenetic last half-hour, as people tried to outbid each other, friendship and family ties were second fiddle. Many stood so firmly behind the piece they wanted, they almost dared anyone to make another bid. Of course, it was all in fun and to raise funds for good causes. Pat Thomas, pitted against her cousin in the bidding, won the Lavangela Tree. "I like the colors. I like the angels. I want to take it to my granddaughters for their room. I really like that the angels are made from baby food tins from years ago." For information, visit http://easthaddamcommunitylions.com Alice Stelzer can be reached at a.stelzer@sbcglobal.net.
Colchester Lions distribute Christmas baskets to needy
By RYAN BLESSING Posted Dec 21, 2010 @ 11:36 PM Colchester, Conn. — Boxes of groceries packed on a trailer were ready to go to needy families on a frigid Tuesday morning during the Colchester Lions Club’s annual Christmas basket distribution. But the Lions distributing the food were warm with good cheer — and coffee from the local Dunkin’ Donuts. For the Lions, helping the less fortunate comes naturally. “With the help of Noel’s Market and Stop & Shop, we’ve accumulated about 165 baskets of food for the needy,” Lions Club President Ernie Boughton said. With a light snowfall in the parking lot of Town Hall, Lions waited near the food as recipients stopped by to pick up their gifts. The club gets a list of potential recipients from the Colchester Social Services Department, Boughton said. This is the 55th year they have distributed food, according to the group. Someone who has seen and been a part of all the Lions basket distributions since the Christmastime ritual began in the late 1950s is Leo Glemboski, who has been a Lion for more than 60 years. “Fifty years ago, we started with one basket,” Glemboski said. “Now we have 165. The need has increased so much.” Even two years ago, the group gave out about 25 fewer boxes of food. Glemboski, who checked off names of recipients as they arrived, had his red Alabama Lions ruler, which he picked up at a Lions International convention 60 years ago. He’s used it for every food drive since the beginning. The Lions knitting group, which includes Dublin Village residents Martha Paty and Barbara Pennington, knitted all the scarves, hats and mittens piled on a table and destined for those who need warm clothing. An anonymous person also made a sizable donation to the cause, the Lions said. The club pays for the baskets through fundraisers it holds throughout the year, such as the Lions carnival on the town green and a pancake breakfast. Plainfield residents with special needs given chance to serve othersLions Club chartered in Plainfield is 1st of its kind in state
PLAINFIELD 10-18-2010 AARON FLAUM The newly formed Plainfield T.C. Lions Club District 23c. Front row from the left; Howard Carlson, Kristy Hess and Shannon Reynolds. Back row from the left; Lions Club advisor Ruth Bergeron, guardian lion Angelo Miceli, Sharon Griffin, Evelyn Reynolds and Sandy Bernhart. Aaron Flaum/Norwich BulletinPosted Oct 19, 2010 @ 12:17 AM Plainfield, Conn. — For Plainfield residents Shannon Reynolds, Kristy Hess and Howard Carlson, the reason for taking part in the Lions organization is simple.
“I like to help people,” Reynolds, 27, said.
“So do I,” chimed in Hess, 47, and Carlson, 23.
And with the formation of the Plainfield T.C. Lions Club, the three residents, who all have special needs, have their own outlet for service to the community.
The T.C. Lions Club, for “tender care,” is the first of its kind in the state: a club for special needs residents and their supporters. The club received its charter from Lions Club International at a ceremony Sunday.
Ruth Bergeron, past president of the Plainfield Lions Club and sponsor of the new club, said a few members of the club raised the idea earlier this year as a way to connect more with special needs residents in the area and provide an outlet for involvement.
Bergeron said more than 100 people from across the state attended the ceremony Sunday.
The group began meeting in June with Angelo Miceli, a past council chairman for the state Lions Club and extension chairman for district 23C, or Eastern Connecticut. Miceli, the group’s Guiding Lion, said he worked with the potential club members to prepare the necessary steps toward earning a charter. The group needed 20 members to form, and gathered 28.
Miceli said the Lions organization is a humanitarian group that works especially for the cause of sight conservation. Miceli said funds are raised and then spent in the community for projects such as free eye exams.
The Plainfield T.C. Club’s goal, like many other clubs, will be fundraising, but club President Sharon Griffin said their approach to raising money will differ.
Griffin said the group will cater to the members’ skills and try to “think outside the box and keep it fun.”
Miceli said Hess can “make a bracelet so fast it’ll make your head spin.” Reynolds is a talented baker, and Carlson’s singing voice and charisma add to any function, Bergeron said.
Griffin said bake sales, talent shows, craft sales and dinners are on the group’s list of fundraisers.
“Our motto is ‘we serve,’ ” Bergeron said. “And that’s what they want to do — participate in their own way. They all have talents.”
Lions Celebrate 50 Years of Service
Ledyard Lions Club President Laura Rowe presents an award to charter member Howie Kaminske.Credit Stan DeCoster John F. Kennedy became president of the United States. "Ben-Hur" won the Academy Award for best picture. Elvis Presley returned home after a two-year stint with the Army in Germany. And, in 1960, 20 charter members established the Ledyard Lions Club. At an anniversary celebration Saturday night at the Coast Guard Academy officer's club, members estimated that the local Lions Club has donated $1 million in services, goods, grants and scholarships – with the poor and disadvantaged the beneficiaries. Past District Governor Eric Jacobson told the large audience that members are on the front lines of community service. "You are the silent and not so silent warriors who every week and every month make a real difference in so many lives," he said. He added, "The first 50 years are only a prelude to all of the things you are going to do." Club members provide help both locally and internationally. The Lions Club in the largest international service club organization, with 1.3 members in 206 countries and geographic areas. There are 45,000 local clubs around the world. Speakers on Saturday painted the Ledyard Lions as a microcosm of what clubs do everywhere. Fifty years have seen the local club flip thousands of hamburgers and pancakes and host many pasta and fish dinners. Members have gone through storage bins, picking up truckloads of second-hand goods for auction. There have been countless bingo nights. Howard Kaminske, among the 20 founders of the club, said every year the local Lions donate $10,000 to needy Ledyard families during the holiday season. The money is handed out in $200 parcels for Christmas presents. "It adds a little cheer in a season where there otherwise wouldn't be a whole lot of it," Kaminske said. Ledyard isn't known as a community with many hungry and needy children. But, as Kaminske put it, "There are poor people in every town." Among the contributions the local Lions Club has provided over the years are the following: - Provided free eye exams and eyeglasses. Also, thousands of used glasses have been shipped to underdeveloped countries.
- Donated many thousands of dollars in college scholarships.
- Assembled food baskets for the elderly and those in need.
- Donated funding for several guide dogs, helping the blind regain their independence.
- Donated money, along with other Lions Clubs around the globe, to help those affected by natural disasters, such as those in Haiti and Pakistan.
There currently are more than 70 members in the Ledyard club. It received letters of commendation from members of Connecticut's congressional delegation as well as from Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Former President Jimmy Carter even sent a greeting. Kaminske, who received a special service award, joked about joining the initial group of 20 , recalling his response when one of the other founders first approached him. "I had no idea what it was," he said. "I asked what they did and they said they sell light bulbs and things like that. I asked what it paid and they said, 'Nothing.' And I said, "Well, I don't know if I want to get involved in that." Since then, he said, he has discovered that joining Lions was one of the great decisions of his life. He especially enjoys helping needy children. "Any kid who really needs something should be given a fresh start in life," he said. | |
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