MINUTES OF GENERAL SESSION DISTRICT N-4 CONVENTION ST. JOHN S, NL FEBRUARY 4, 2012

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1 The International Association of Lions Clubs (Lions Clubs International) District N-4 - Newfoundland and Labrador Morgan Pardy Gail Osborne Ray Pardy Norm Drakes District Governor 1 st Vice District Governor 2 nd Vice District Governor Cabinet Secretary Treasurer P. O. Box 145 P. O. Box Bradley Place P. O. Box 1195 Garnish, NL A0E 1T0 Clarenville, NL A5A 3A1 Mount Pearl, NL A1N 1H8 Grand Bank, NL A0E 1W0 Tel No.: Tel No.: Tel No.: Tel No.: morganthomaspardy@gmail.com g.osborne@eastlink.ca raypardy@nf.sympatico.ca nbdrakes@nf.sympatico.ca MINUTES OF GENERAL SESSION DISTRICT N-4 CONVENTION ST. JOHN S, NL FEBRUARY 4, 2012 The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by District Governor Lion Morgan Pardy followed by the Lions Invocation and a Moment of Silence for deceased Lions, Lioness and Leos and World Peace. Attendance register at the General Session was signed by 131 Lions. The Agenda was reviewed and a motion to adopt as presented was made by Lion Gus Green and seconded by Lion Paul Abbott. Carried. A welcome was extended to all Lions in attendance by the District Governor and Lion Gerald Coombs, on behalf of the Host Club, Mount Pearl Lions Club. Lions Rap Video Rockin the Vest started our session off with a good vibe. Thank you to Lions Len, Sam and Ray for making that happen. The Minutes of the General Session held in Marystown, October 22, 2011, (circulated) were adopted on a motion by Lion Les Caines and seconded by Lion Diane Bonnell. Carried. Business Arising from the Minutes: Lion Claudette Coombs inquired as to the progress of the Platinum Visitation Pins. Long Range Planning Chair PDG Sam Wells presented a design for the Five Year Visitation Pin. A motion to accept this pin was made by PDG Sam Wells; seconded by Lion Diane Bonnell. Carried. FINANCIAL REPORT Lion Ed Walsh presented the Financial Report up to December 31, 2011, on behalf of the B & A Chair who is assuming CST duties in the interim and it is not ethical for Lion Pat to present same. Lion Ed made a motion to accept as presented; seconded by PDG Gerald Hutchings. Carried. No business arising from the report.

2 BUDGET AND AUDIT COMMITTEE Lion Pat reports the Budget and Audit Committee met on Friday and the following items were discussed. District Directory was over budget by $ Motion by Lion Pat; seconded by Lion Paul Abbott to increase budgeted amount to cover cost. Carried. Receipt Books were over budget by $ Motion by Lion Pat; seconded by Lion Les Caines to transfer $ from the postage budget to cover cost. Carried. Public Relations when the budget was decided for Public Relations the B & A Committee did not realize that HST would be an additional cost. Motion by Lion Pat; seconded by PCC/PDG Len Mooney to increase the budget to cover cost. Carried. District Awards a request from PDG Lew Fifield seeking reimbursement of $24.96 which he paid for the District Awards. Although it contravenes policy the B & A Committee felt that as this was the first year that the PDG s did not contribute to these awards and expenses were cut as much as possible that it would be proper to pay this extra amount but that this would not be entertained again. In the future policy will be followed. Motion by Lion Pat; seconded by Lion Ron Pond to reimburse PDG Lew his out of pocket expenses. Carried. A letter was received from Leo Chair Lion Janine House seeking clarification of any grant monies awarded to the Leo Program. Any money received from other sources would be included in the budgeted amount and not in addition to the funds from the District. In addition these items were brought to the Membership on Saturday: In an effort to balance the budget for the upcoming Lions Year and subsequent years the Budget and Audit Committee discussed ways to decrease spending and increase revenues. The following outlines their suggestions: Information and Technology Budget has been $2, for the past three years. This was to meet our commitment for the Website at $1, per year (for a three year period) and to allow for the maintenance and/or purchase of additional needs. This year our commitment will be met and maintenance will be approximately $ and we will allow an additional $ for equipment repairs/purchases. GMT/GLT were given a budget of $1, to allow the committee to carry out their responsibilities. This will be assessed on a need basis in the future and this committee will be expected to submit their request to the B & A Committee before the end of June. District Governor Elect Cabinet Formation has been budgeted an amount of $ in past years. It was felt that with modern technology it would not be necessary to travel to accomplish this. The conventions, telephone, , etc., can be utilized to achieve this purpose. This is a Notice of Motion and will be voted on at our Gander Convention. The budget for banners and/or pins was increased from $1, to $1, in The Budget and Audit Committee feels that this was done in haste and recommends this be dropped back to $1, This is a Notice of Motion and will be voted on at our Gander Convention.

3 The Cabinet Secretary Treasurer is currently entitled to attend the Fall Conference. In talking to other CST s it was felt that there was no benefit for the CST at this Conference and to remove this clause from the Policy Manual. This is a Notice of Motion and will be voted on at our Gander Convention. The Canada/USA Forum has been discussed in length at previous meetings. Some realize a benefit of this Forum while others do not. Without debating the merits of this Forum the B & A Committee has recommended that the District pay the actual cost for the DGE to attend this Forum or an amount not to exceed $2,000.00, whichever is less. This is a Notice of Motion and will be voted on at our Gander Convention. Dues increase while the dues recently increased by $1.50 all of this amount was for the Multiple District Dues. It was felt that in order to meet the administration needs of the District a dues increase of $1.50 per Lion with the provision for a Family Unit at $0.75 was needed. This is a Notice of Motion and will be voted on at our Gander Convention. The Budget and Audit Committee addressed concerns by the membership. Lions are wondering what has happened in recent years to erode the district budget as there were a couple of years that the second half of the dues were waived. The District membership has declined in recent years to a little over 1,200 members, down from 1,500 a few years back and in addition to this decline dues were restructured to include Family Units. Therefore the revenue from dues decreased by approximately $3, per year. The budget allowed by International for District Governor expenses is being used properly with any additional expenses being covered by the District as per District Policy. The District rules of audit are being followed to the T. A suggestion was put forward that maybe the winter Convention was not necessary and that would help cut costs. Not to debate the necessity of this Convention but there would not be a substantial saving realized by doing this as Conventions are not a significant cost to the District but rather to the Clubs and Lions members themselves. Rooms are complimentary, DG expenses are covered by International and the VDG s claim travel and meal allowance. In addition to these items the Budget and Audit Committee were asked to look at the budget for the 2 nd Vice District Governor and the Budget and Audit Committee. This will be taken into consideration at our next meeting. CORRESPONDENCE No correspondence received. REPORT ON MEETING WITH ZONE CHAIRS 1 st Vice District Governor Lion Gail reports that most clubs in the district are very active and doing good Lions work. Every club is unique. There was a discussion about clubs with problems. Zone Chairs were asked to the 1 st VDG with specifics and then a decision would be made on how to move forward. There was a discussion about the structure of Region A, Zones One and Two. Zones will need to discuss this situation. All Zone Chairs are to urge clubs to remain active and to get involved with zone activities. Thanks to the Zone Chairs for their hard work. COMMITTEE CHAIR REPORTS

4 Alert No report Constitution and By-Laws Lion Geoff Aylward reports that there have been changes to the Policy Manual and he is working on completing the Manual. Convention Lion Geoff Lomond thanked the Mount Pearl Lions Club for hosting this Convention and hopes that the poor weather, or threat of same, does not keep too many people away. He reminded everyone of the April Convention in Gander, taking place April 13 th 15 th, hosted by the Gander Lions Club. Information will be forwarded. Lions are asked to please adhere to the policy guidelines when booking hotel rooms. The Multiple District Convention will be held in May in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. More information will be circulated as it becomes available. Lion Geoff also gave a financial report from the Marystown Convention and turned the profit, $81.21, over to the District. He is also seeking input on how to improve conventions or to make them more fun. If you have any suggestions/ideas please contact Lion Geoff. Diabetes Awareness Lion Michael Foote asks that you not forget the CDA and all the work they do, either through financial contributions or becoming involved in their various projects. Donations in the amount of $ were received. Disaster Fund PDG Lion Sam Wells noted that to date we have raised $4, for the Disaster Fund. Encouraging all clubs to donate to this worthwhile cause. A $ donation was received. Environment Lion Theresa Lewis has been in touch with all clubs and has heard from almost 20 to date. Clubs are taking part in environmental projects through recycling. Have photos to send to International for judging for the contest. Will have 200 trees to bring to the Gander Convention so each club can have trees to plant. Global Leadership/Global Membership Team PDG Kevin Noseworthy reported on behalf of the Team. Committee is working on developing a plan for leadership training and is assessing the needs. Surveys have been sent to all clubs. This will allow the clubs input into what they see as the needs of the district. Various training materials are being provided to the district. LCI has provided Webinars that some have participated in. Committee has been very busy and this is a time consuming effort. Felt it was much better to follow a logical process and do this properly rather than rush things and put a plan in place that is not well thought out. Next year hope to move full steam ahead. Hearing & Speech

5 Lion Diane Bonnell reports that at the beginning of the Lions year she submitted an information sheet to the District Website on Tips for Communicating with a person who has a hearing loss and hopes that everyone found it educational. Only two clubs have indicated that they have been involved in this program. Kim Pratt-Baker, CHHANL, gave a video presentation Friday Night on hearing loss/prevention and Saturday Parrott s Hearing Clinic are providing free screening tests. Honorary PDG Kevin Noseworthy reported on the PDG s Meeting. The issue of the visitation pin came up but has been already dealt with by PDG Sam Wells earlier today. Also, a question arose with respect to PDG s from other Districts having voting privileges in District N4. Referred to Long Range Planning. Hospital Visitations - No report Information & Technology PDG Frank Antle reports that a few clubs have been updating their websites and made mention of the Mount Pearl and Goulds Lions Clubs. Log on and have a look. Webinars are available from LCI and Lions are beginning to participate and find them a useful resource. Geoff Taylor, who created our website, has given us a quote of $ per year for the next three years for site maintenance. If changes are needed a price will be negotiated. Check our out website for interviews, minutes, newsletters, etc. Our web page has been getting lots of publicity thanks to a great job by our PR Chair Lion Gord Warford. Also, our list includes a lot of members and a great way to keep up on new events. International Understanding & Cooperation Lion Les Caines is encouraging clubs to become involved in communication with clubs throughout the world. Twinning is a great way to achieve this. Clubs are urged to take the initiative and twin with another club anywhere in the world. It takes a few minutes on the computer and can result in a lifetime of friendship. Lion Max Simms Memorial Camp Lion Gerald Coombs thanked the district for the opportunity to serve on the Board of the Lion Max Simms Memorial Camp and added that all Board Members from this district are dedicated to the Camp. This is Lion Gerald s final year on the Board and will finish his term in July. At the Gander Convention a new member will be elected to serve on the Board. Lion Gerald thanked PDG Sam Wells for his work on the Aviva Project. Although we were not successful, maybe next year. We have been actively working on a trailway for the Camp. Also, this is The Year of the Camp and we are asking for special financial support beyond regular donations, which would be designated for the trailway. A financial report has been sent out to all clubs. There is also a proposal before the Camp, in its early stages, concerning the possibility of a telethon on NTV in the fall. More details to follow. Lions Clubs International Foundation

6 PDG Herb Burry was not present at the Convention but sent his report. PDG Herb noted that last year lions (clubs and individuals) of N4 donated almost $28, to LCIF; over $22.00 per member. Those contributions came from only 30 of our clubs, which means that if the other 23 clubs donated we would do more. So far this year we have contributed $5, from 11 clubs. A challenge is for each club that donated last year to match what you did last year and for those other 23 clubs to at least make a contribution this year. There are 18 clubs that have at least $ that could be applied to a Melvin Jones Fellowship, why not complete that donation and honor a member of your club. If you wish to know the balance of your account please contact PDG Herb. Lions can now choose from five categories to designate donations and receive a MJF recognition. These are (1) Area of greatest need; (2) Disaster; (3) Sight; (4) Youth and (5) Humanitarian needs. If you need any further information please contact PDG Herb. Of course there are many other ways to support LCIF and all clubs are encouraged to become involved. Lions District N-4 Foundation Lion Gordon Smith was not present at the Convention but sent his report. New receipt books are now available to clubs as needed. The fee for receipts is 2% of the receipt amount under $5, and 1% for receipts over $5, Cheques for fees are to be made payable to LCI District N4 and forwarded to the CST. Receipt release forms and fundraising forms are to be completed and returned to the Chair. Lions Foundation of Canada Lion Fred Thompson reminded us of the various programs associated with the Foundation. Encouraged all clubs to participate in the Walk for Dogguides. Certificates were presented to clubs that participated in the Walk last year. Donations for LFC amounted to $5, Lion Fred thanked Dave Nash from LFC for his presentation and participation in the weekend. Long Range Planning PDG Sam Wells noted that other than the issue with the pins there was nothing new to report. No Child Without No report Nominations and Elections Lion June Petten encouraged Lions to consider putting their name forward for one of the elected positions on the district level. Some of the positions up for election this year include a four year term on the Board of the LMSMC and one three year position on the Lions Quest Foundation and 2 nd Vice District Governor. Nominations shall be received in writing at least 30 (thirty) days prior to the Sub District Convention, April 13 th 15 th. If there are no prior nominations then they will be accepted from the floor. Also, elections for Zone Chairs should take place at the last Zone Meeting before the April Convention. The current Zone Chair must forward the name of the new Zone Chair Elect to the District Election Chair before the April Convention. To date there is one nomination for the position of 2 nd Vice District Governor, PDG Norm Drakes and one nomination for a position on the Board of the LMSMC, Lion Les Caines. Pins No report Public Relations and N Former

7 Lion Gord Warford reported that the district started running an advertisement on VOCM s Radio Network in December and so far has been played 75 times on the radio. Radio, print and TV publicity has been arranged for this Convention and earlier in the week DG Morgan spoke on VOCM radio promoting Lionism. The Telegram is running a story about the Convention and LFC. In addition, NTV News is scheduled to be here this weekend to cover our Convention. A presentation was arranged between DG Morgan and Ronald McDonald House NL. Lions Clubs contributed $118, in support of both the Capital Campaign and the program and services to be offered. Please articles for the Multiple District N Former. LCI did a video highlighting various Lions projects in the District and that has received some great publicity as well. Club secretaries are asked to let Lion Gord know what PR activities your club has undertaken. Sight Conservation and Work with the Blind Lion Don Connolly was not present at the Convention but sent his report. Lion Don thanked the many clubs in the district who have supported the Blind and Visually Impaired. The CCB are hosting the 2012 Atlantic Sports and Recreation Weekend for the Blind and Visually Impaired Adults from May in St. John s and Mount Pearl and all clubs are encouraged to help out with this service project. Clubs are taking part in White Cane Week with a variety of activities. Clubs are encouraged to continue involvement in the Journey for Sight and the Eyeglass Recycling Program. Patches were presented to clubs who participated in the eyeglass recycling program. Donations accepted were $3, VOCM Bingo Liaison Lion Vince Ryan was not present at the Convention but sent his report. The fall flight showed a substantial increase in sales over the fall flight of There were 135,738 cards sold this flight compared to 98,574 during the same period in The total commission paid to individual clubs amounted to $86, The district commission is expected to be in the $6, range. Given that sales are considerably higher than the last flight commissions are expected to be higher. Chair of the B & A Committee will ask Lion Vince to check into this with VOCM. Youth Opportunities Lion Bill Grandy gave a brief overview of the various disciplines under Youth Opportunities. The Chair of each will give a report. Leos Lion Janine House presented a detailed report on the Leos. Seven active clubs with a membership of 125. Two clubs are currently facing membership challenges but hopefully these can be resolved. Leos are active in a variety of projects. A point of interest, ten members of the newly formed MUN Campus Lions Club are former/current Leos. Peace Poster Lion Margaret Bradbury reported that the District Peace Poster was judged at the Bay Roberts Lions Club on November 20, This year 18 clubs participated with a total of 19 posters on view. Judges were impressed with the artistic talent on display. Winner was Jacob Manning, age 13, representing the CBS Lions Club; second place went to Ashley Munn, age 13, representing the Indian Bay Lions Club and Ryia Lane, age 11,

8 representing the Clarenville Lions Club placed third. Honourable mention went to Edith Freake, age 11, Gould Lions Club. Speak Out Lion Danny Campbell encouraged everyone to become involved in the Speak Out. Involvement in this project can be very beneficial to the youth and the club alike. Club Speak Out should be completed by the end of February. Lion Danny asked that you please notify him and the Zone Chairperson when completed and the pertinent information. The Regional Speak Out should be completed by the end of March and the District will be held in Gander on April 14 th. Lion Danny is looking for entertainment during the judges deliberation. Please contact him if you would like to provide some fun and fellowship. Quest Lion Rosalind Blackwood advised that 11 teacher trainings were completed since the Marystown Convention. Follow up with schools previously trained is being planned for the spring. On October 24 th took part in the videotaping by LCIF at Bishop Abraham which was interesting and exciting. Lion Rosalind has been certified as a trainer and completed her first school at Random Island Academy. The committee is pursuing avenues of financial assistance NEW BUSINESS MUN Campus Club PDG Sam Wells noted that the MUN Campus has been chartered and presented their Charter to the President. Plans are underway to hold a Charter Night. More information will be provided when plans are in place. PCC/PDG Len Mooney PCC/PDG Len was given an opportunity to address the membership with respect to his quest for the nomination for International Director. PDG Lion Sam Wells PDG Sam was given an opportunity to address the membership with respect to his quest for the nomination for International Director. Dreams Take Flight Lion Bradley Moss, who has been involved in this project, provided some interesting information on this program. If any club wishes to become involved please contact Lion Bradley at It is a great way to help children attain their dreams. Canada/USA Forum 2 nd VDG Lion Ray distributed some information on the Canada/USA Forum. DONATIONS/PRESENTATIONS The following funds were distributed from the Diabetes Cavalcade: General Hospital Health Care Foundation - $ 5,934.89

9 CDA Summer Camp at LMSMC - $ 5, Canadian Diabetes Association - $11, Dr. Jim Whalen, GHHCF, thanked the Lions for their continued and most generous support of the Eye Care Unit and Debbie Devereaux, from the CDA thanked the Lions as well and added her own personal story so we can fully grasp the affects of diabetes. The following funds were distributed from the Journey for Sight: LCIF - $2, General Hospital Health Care Foundation - $5, Clarenville Hospital - $1, Burin Hospital - $1, Again, Dr. Whelan thanked the Lions for their generosity. We were fortunate to have Lesleigh and her Canine Companion, Ashton, join us in the afternoon. Ashton is Lesleigh s Seizure Response Dog Guide. Lesleigh told a very touching story of her life before and now with Ashton and the independence that he has afforded her. She thanked the Lions for their support of this program. Travel Account took place and General Session adjourned at 4:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted Lion Pat Bursey CST (Acting)