“A Pride” Is A Group Of Lions Who Work Together For Common Goals

In the last issue, I offered a “Pride through Service” theme. Pride: the human emotion of satisfaction in positive accomplishment. I don’t include in that type of “pride” that a person receives as a gift much like an “ear” for music, or hand-eye coordination facilitating athletic and/or artistic abilities, that are “God given” (wonderful) gifts. But for me, pride should be in how you make the effort to learn to use those abilities, work with other people and serve your community.

A second definition of “a pride” is a group of lions who work together for common goals. We need to build the numbers in that pride. That, too, is built by fellowship and active service together. The Lion pride, -through service- also knits together our local human communities. We are challenged this year by not assembling together as before, nor sharing food, goodwill and community activities.

So, we are forced to become more adept with internet communication and use of online learning and resources. We will also expand ways to direct services.

Example 1: District O and G Lions have participated in online multi-agency trainings and follow-up telephone contacts with survivors of February floods in Umatilla and Walla Walla watersheds - which increased survivor connections to FEMA and other assistance. We continue on this recovery project, as Oregon Lions are part of OrVOAD (Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.)

Examples 2-3: District O Lions Clubs have directly provided handmade facemasks to frontline service providers (including Tri-Met drivers) and delivering food to the homebound.

We must NOT succumb to the feeling that “we can’t do anything” until COVID 19 is gone; NOR, force physical presence on people who need to closely guard their health.

During this time, we will re-assess the assets of each club the motivation of their members, the needs of their communities, and how district and MD wide Lions, connect with other non-profits working on the same service areas, LCI and LCIF resources can build our capacities.

We will have less in-person training, but expand member facility with online training and meetings. We will re-think how to compensate for weak communication links.

The COVID “shelter-in place” restrictions this spring demonstrated how important it is for all Lions and their communities to prepare for interruptions in physical supplies. MD disaster response Chair Charlene Larsen and I laughed about feeling in the March COVID shutdown “this is like a storm shutdown – BUT we have electricity and telephones!” Also: heat, running water, flushing toilets, working laptops! “This is easy.” – until someone gets sick or dies.

I hope none of your Lions and/or loved ones have been lost to this virus.

Please let me know how it’s hitting your family or club. Take care all.

Pride Through Service

July/August 2020

We have a lot to do this year. The COVID-19 health threat, distancing restrictions and economic stress caused loss of meetings and service activities. We are now challenged to build club and district online meeting and training capacities and re-envision how service activities occur. 

District 36-O Lions (thank you PDG Terry Bowman and Lulu) were already seeking new ways to create a membership more diversified in age, gender, race and cultural heritage, but now our nation is witnessing a very deep need for re-addressing what unites or divides people particularly on gender, race and social justice issues.  So, our leadership and members need to revisit their understanding of current words in the news, facilitate non-partisan discussions of diversity constructs and connect with subgroups in our communities.  We’ll work top down and bottom up on this and need everyone’s help.

In animal Lion (Panthera leo) terms, building membership is building the size of the pride.

Reflect for a moment on the difference between Lions (Panthera leo) and all other cats: like wolves and African painted dogs, they hunt in groups (in Lions called prides). The reason is, the size of the game.

[Metaphor warning.] If you’re hunting rabbits, you can do it alone. Lions clubs, can do community specific projects quite well “alone.”  However, if you want to do something big, like make it possible for every school child in Oregon to be screened for sight and hearing or be prepared to respond to county or district wide disasters, you need to coordinate on a wider level.

We can do that through our LCI and LCIF structure. The “game” or target for non-profits is addressing human needs (local or global). We identify and fill gaps.  Lions core motto is “We Serve”.  This year we will focus on how to do that better by better knowing our member and community needs, by helping them know what the district and LCI /LCIF programs offer and by strengthening those programs.

Expanding the reach and credibility of our programs builds that other kind of pride: the deep satisfaction a person feels knowing they have met another human’s need: enabled them to eat, see, learn or connect with other community members.  We should feel the pride of earned self-respect and accomplishment in our service.  Through joint service, we can find and build fellowship, clubs and strong communities.

Pride in Service. Service by the Pride. Pride through Service.

More than punny.

Sheri Young