A Message from State Secretary-Treasurer GARY FRY

Due to the late Spring, the workday scheduled for April 26th will need to be postponed. At the present time we don’t have a new date, but will let everyone know through this site. Our thanks to all who had planned to come and help get the grounds ready for this summer. If you know of others who might have planned to come and are not likely to see this message, would you let them know? Thanks again.

For the past few years a number of Lions in the Ames area have been involved with the “Opening Eyes Program” associated with Special Olympics. At the recent International Convention in Chicago the Special Olympics program was the winner of the 2007 Humanitarian Award. In Iowa, the State Special Olympics are held in Ames at Iowa State during the middle of May. The Lion volunteers are involved in helping to give eye tests to any Special Olympian who wishes. I have found these to be one of the most rewarding days of my Lionistic service. More volunteers are needed each year. If you would be interested in finding out more information, please let us know at the State Office. The 2008 date is May 23rd. You can work half day or full day shifts. This is entirely inside and very little standing is required. Think about becoming a part of this activity in 2008 and taking your following of our motto, WE SERVE, to a different level.

State Convention is May 30-June 1 at the Clarion Hotel in Cedar Rapids. Make plans now to attend. Detailed information on the State Convention is available in the "Iowa Lion" or by reading the "Iowa Lion" on this web site.

Help Iowa Lions be a major player in the "Special Extension Initiative" to start 100 Lions clubs in the United States by june 20, 2008. All ideas accepted, contact the State Office.

The total for donations by Clubs and personal donations is posted on this website with numbers through April 1st. To date we have raised $142,343 of the budgeted $210,000 for 67.8%. 199 Clubs out of 382 have contributed which amounts to 52.9%. We are all very proud of the great success stories in each area the Foundation supports. Won't you help by getting your Club to donate or making a personla donation? If you have questions contact your Iowa Lions Foundation Trustee or the State Office. The programs we support need our continued effort to provide the services they do. PLEASE HELP.

We just received a quote for a bus to the USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum in Saskatoon for September 2008. The bus would leave from Altoona early on the morning of September 16th and go north on I-35. Pickup stops to be determined along the route. The cost would be $622/person for double occupancy, $576/person for a triple and $561/person for a quad. These prices include the transportation, 3 evening meals and 3 breakfasts plus the use of the bus in Saskatoon. We will return leaving early Sunday morning and return to Iowa Monday evening. If you are interested please contact PID Gary at the State Office.

Congratulations to Iowa's newest Lions Club. The Stuart Lions held their Charter Night on April 5th with a large attendance. A lot of fun and excitement was had by all. Be sure to attend the next Charter Night.

The United States Congress late in 2006 passed a bill with a provision that affects each of our Lions Clubs. In the past a Lions Club that did not earn more than $25,000 per year did not have to file an annual tax form. The 2006 change now requires that each club file such a form on an annual basis. Also each club will need to obtain their own EIN number if they do not currently have one. To obtain a number go to www.irs.gov and follow the instructions on obtaining an EIN. Your club secretary will be receiving a letter from the IRS stating your need to file this form. Each club that we had an email address for was sent the latest information as of February 15, 2008. The same information will be printed in the "Iowa Lion" March edition. If your club did not receive and email, we do not have a current email for the club. Please send us an updated address for future messages.

Six of our seven District have held their 2007-2008 District Convention with good turnouts and great opportunities to meld together the new Districts. The other District 9NE will be holding their Convention on April 18th and 19th.Plan now to attend.

Information has just been released on the International Convention in Bangkok, June 23-27, 2008. The Iowa Delegation Hotel is the Menam Riverside Hotel. It is one of the most economical hotels for delegations. We will be sharing the hotel with delegations from Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Britsh Isle/Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. The International Parade is on Tuesday June 24th at 4:00 PM. If you have questions please contact us at the State Office.

We as Iowa Lions have an opportunity to help meet the needs of our Iowa Lions Foundation by making an individual donation. For a donation of $20 or more you receive an "I Gave" pin. This year's pin is gold and black. A new pin is issued each year with this being the second year. Contact your Iowa Lions Foundation Trustee or the State Office to become a donor to support the Foundation.

The State Office is the official distributor of Lion Mints for the State. If you need mints please let us know. Mints can be picked up in Ames or shipped directly to you for a $5 shipping charge. Lion Clubs of Iowa receives money to help meet the budget from the sale of these mints. For more information contact us at iowalions@aol.com or 515-232-2215.

The new brochure for the 2008 USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum to be held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan features Iowa Lion David Okerland as one of the main speakers. He is scheduled to speak on Thursday night and present a seminar on Friday. Many of you will remember him from speeches and workshops that he has held here in Iowa. The dates are September 18-20, 2008. Let’s have a good turn out of Iowa Lions to support one of our own. Saskatoon is a beautiful city and will be a great place to be on a fall weekend.

Remember that your Campaign SightFirst II coordinators did not change with the redistricting. The coordinators are the same as the ones you had last year in the 9X Districts. Latest reports have the amount raised as in excess of $110M. Since this is the major year of raising funds, we are well on our way to meeting the goal of $150M and the stretch goal of $200M. Our State Coordinator is PID Del Brown, please contact him if you have questions or if your Club has not been contacted yet. This is a world wide effort to eradicate preventable blindness. Let’s all do as much as we can, individually and clubs, to keep people around the world from entering into blindness.

There still seems to be some confusion on the Family Dues issue. At the International Convention in Boston in 2006, the delegates passed an amendment to the International Constitution. This amendment provided for a family dues structure. Up to five Lions in the same family, living at the same address and belonging to the same Lions Club are eligible. One member of the family is designated as the head of household and up to four more can be listed as members in the same household. The dues for the first member is currently $39 per year and for the other members of the family it is currently $19.50 per member. The “Family Dues” rules only apply to International dues. State of Iowa dues for 2007-2008 will be $15 per year and most of our new Districts have adopted a District dues of $5 per year. If you have any questions please contact us at your State Office.

At the International Convention in Chicago an amendment was passed that could be a big help in recruiting younger members. Any person 18 years of age or older and enrolled in an educational institution can join a Lions club and pay only ˝ of the regular International dues of $39 per year. This applies to students in Campus Clubs, but also applies to students in all clubs as long as they are a student. We are still working on our first Campus club in Iowa and hopefully we will have success to report soon. This also would be a way to keep our graduating LEOs in Lions while the pursue their higher education.

Tours of your State Office are available upon request. While here you can see how your State Office functions and also tour the Iowa Lions Eye Bank Ames office. We do have a conference room where you could hold a meeting. If your Club is looking for a "road trip" meeting come visit us.