HAPPY 2024! A FITTING TIME TO REFLECT ON DISTRICT O'S NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

    As the year draws to a close, it's a fitting time to reflect on the noteworthy achievements within our District and the diverse initiatives we've undertaken.

     During a recent Wilsonville meeting, I learned that OLSHF has surpassed an impressive milestone in eye screenings for children, conducting just under 120,000 screenings through approximately 560 setups since the school year's inception. OLSHF truly stands out as the shining gem among all Lions Clubs in Oregon and Northern California.

     In talking with Brian Sauer, District-O's 2nd VDGE, I learned that the King City Lions had reached out to the McMinnville Lions to help them hone their Medical Device Lending Service to be more efficient. A collaboration that potentially could become something that expands the "brand" of Lions in the Northwest for not just being the eyeglasses folks but the place to go when medical devices seem to be unattainable.

     Joy comes through simple things being taken care of by genuine kindness.  I see that ten different clubs have added new benches to their parks and public spaces. Perhaps it’s time to present a branding stamp to Trex to put an identifier -  "This bench was earned through the recycling efforts of the Lions."

     Though District O has lost two clubs this year, there have been two "at risk" clubs who have collectively voted to redouble their efforts to stay open and add new members.  Our Portland Metro Club is alive and thrilled at the prospect of working with the District to learn what it takes to do membership recruitment (and potentially fostering some new connections with other Korean Language Clubs from Vancouver BC to San Diego.

     District-O has already hosted two "cluster meetings" and a "Cluster Holiday party," each having a commitment to meet again to delve into the work of adding new members in a variety of "market communities."

     Oh, and let’s not forget the Portland Oaks Bottoms Club, which recently returned from a successful vision mission to Mexico where they distributed 400+ eyeglasses and screened 1,000 kids and adults.  Furthermore, in January, some Milwaukee Lions will be flying to Peru to bring them a new Spot Screener to replace the old one that essentially wore out.