Winter is here…but not the snow — yet

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. On Sunday, the 15th of November, five Moultonborough Lions — Pat Strickland, John Menken, Peter Strople, Sally Sibulkin and Jeni Williams — attended the 44H District Meeting at Pheasant Ridge Country Club. There were many committee reports and interesting news presented, along with an ample and enjoyable brunch buffet. These meetings happen four times a year. If other Lions are interested in attending please let us know. And think about attending the Multiple District Annual Mid-Winter Convention to be held in Nashua at the end of January. You can register until mid-January. See Jeni or Sally if you a

DECEMBER

On Friday, December 4 6 Lions and 1 member of the Women’s Club decorated the Club for Christmas. Seven pairs of hands and willing workers enabled us to complete the decorating in one hour. (Remember, we will need people to help take down the decorations as well!)

The dinner meeting this month will be the annual Christmas get-together with the Women’s Club. Good food (baked ham), good entertainment, and good fellowship. Please note that it will be held on Monday, December 14, starting at six with a hospitality hour. Bring an UNWRAPPED item for the raffle table.

Holiday Fair Lions Club Events

And Lions were busy on Saturday, December 5 as well. We had six people (Joe and Pat Keegan, Bob and Betty Purdy, John Menken, and Bob Zewski doing the last of the raffle sales. This was the culmination of five other days of sales in front of Heath’s Supermarket and a large scale mailing. Thanks to the efforts of many Lions, we managed to net almost $12,000 to be used for scholarships. This is after the prize money was given and after expenses.

And during that same Holiday Fair Mark Cotrupi, Sally Sibulkin, Jeni Williams and John Menken held vision screenings. The youngest child screened was 8 months old (and we were too polite to ask the age of the oldest person).

A Busy Fall for the Moultonborough Lions

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

At the October Dinner Meeting, District Governor Scott Wilson, inducted five new members to our club and had them sign the large banner he is brining to every club this year, as one of his directives is , “keep one; add one.” Below is a photo of DG Wilson, with new members: Kathy Allen, Peter Allen, Christine Woodland, Joanne Lau, Ted Olguin, and President, Jeni Williams.

October inductees

Blood Drive on Friday, October 2

Sandy Meskys organized the Red Cross blood drive at the Lions Club the first Friday in October and was assisted by the following Lions: helping Sandy on the morning shift were Joe and Pat Keegan and Don Trudeau; the afternoon shift was manned by Kate and Mike Lancor, John Menken, Eileen and Bob Zewski, Larry LaPointe, Jeni Williams and Joanne Lau.

Raffle Stuffing Party. Around 2,700 envelopes were stuffed on Friday, October 30 in about three hours, under the direction of raffle chairmen, Eileen and Bob Zewski. The following Lions were part of the “assembly line” for getting out the letters for our major fundraising activity: Pat and Joe Keegan, Mike and Kate Lancor, Pat Strickland, Peter and Kathy Allen, Jeni Williams, Sally Sibulkin, Roy Putnam, Sam Pylypczuk, Ed and Sandy Meskys, Peter and Judy Strople, Larry LaPointe, and Jack Weinmann.

Peace Poster Contest — The winner of the International Lions Club Peace Poster Contest for the Moultonborough Lions Club was sixth grader, Cameron Shannon, shown below with MCS Principal, Kathleen D’Haene, President Jeni, and Peter Strople.

In the coming months….

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

The November business meeting will begin at 7 pm on Monday, November 2. Monday, November 16 will be the dinner meeting, with a social hour at 6 pm, followed by dinner. The program/entertainment for the evening will be a demonstration by the Sandwich 4H Dog Club.

The December business meeting will be held on Monday, December 7.

The December dinner meeting will be the annual joint Christmas party with the Moultonborough Women’s Club. The date will be Monday, December 14. Appetizers provided by the Women’s Club will be followed by a baked ham dinner and entertainment by DJ Sean O’Brien. Mark it on your calendars!

Fall Happenings

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

One other thing that happened late summer/early fall was the much needed cleaning of the Lions Den. With four people working (Sandy, Mark, John and Sally) much was accomplished.

The August dinner meeting was the annual cook-out with area nursing homes and the evening was a success.

SEPTEMBER: The September dinner meeting featured guest speaker, Katie Blackadar, a Moultonborough Academy graduate who received her RN degree from UNH. Her first nursing experience was in Tennessee and from there she became a traveling nurse, her latest position being in the state of Washington. Katie spoke to us about her 10-month volunteer experience on the Africa Mercy, which was docked in Madagascar. She began with a video outlining one patient’s story and then told us about the different kinds of operations performed on the ship…tumor removals, facial surgeries, and orthopedic (club feet) to name a few. The number of people needing medical assistance and surgeries was staggering. Katie lived in an onboard cabin with 5 other volunteers and worked in outpatient care on the ship, tending to the needs of post-op patients. Katie’s experience was very positive, and not only did the Mercy Ship experience provide inspiration for her and renew and redirect her dedication to nursing, it is also something she would like to volunteer for again. Volunteers must pay their own way and for all their living expenses, so this is truly a giving experience for the hundreds of men and women from all over the world who provide their expertise, love, and dedication to others.

The Lions Club performed two vision screenings: One at Moultonborough Academy, coordinated by nurse Carolyn Nelson on picture taking day (Friday, September 25), where over 200 students in grades 7-12 were screened. And the second on Wednesday, October 7 at Inter-Lakes High School where over 100 seventh and eighth graders were screened thanks to scheduling by nurse Jodi Pendexter.

Also, on Friday, October 2, the Moultonborough Lions Club hosted a Red Cross Blood drive, coordinated by Chairperson, Sandy Meskys. Thirty pints of blood were donated thanks to the efforts of the donors, the Red Cross and Lions Sandy, Joe and Pat Keegan, Kate and Mike Lancor, Don Trudeau, John Menken, Eileen and Bob Zewski, Larry Lapointe, and Joanne Lau.

Also in October, Lions Don Trudeau and Sally Sibulkin did the final fall weeding of the top area of Sutherland Park. More help will be needed in the spring with some new plantings and the staining of the picnic table and benches.

The October dinner meeting will be held on Monday, October 9. District Governor Scott Wilson will induct five new members to the Club at this time. Photos will follow after the event.

Also in October…on Friday October 30, beginning at 9 am (with coffee and donuts) as many Lions as can make it are asked to come to the Club and help stuff the envelopes with letters and raffle tickets for the annual raffle fund-raiser. The winning ticket will be drawn at the MCS Holiday Fair on December 5.

September

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

September started off as a very, very warm month with not much rain. But today, September 12, the weather was beautiful for our two teams of Lions who played in the Community Caregivers Mini Golf Fundraiser. Playing were: Mike and Kate Lancor, Jeni Williams, John Menken, Peter Strople, Bob Zewski, Sandy Meskys, John Weinmann (who got a hole in one!), Joanne Lau, Christine Woodland, and Sally Sibulkin. Not only did we field two teams, we also contributed to become a Bronze Sponsor! Great day and lots of fun!

Also happening in September…

The monthly business meeting — this month on Monday, September 14 (because of Labor Day), beginning with a Board meeting at 6:30 followed by a 7 pm business meeting….and the dinner meeting which will be Monday, September 21. The featured speaker with be Katie Blackadar who will speak about her experiences on board the Africa Mercy ship.

More July Happenings

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

At the July dinner meeting, six of the 11 scholarship recipients, Sage Lincoln, Peter Baker, Kelsey Coppinger, Zachary Atwell, Elaine Velie and Veronica Diltz, and their parents were present. Each gave information on which college they would be attending and what major they were considering.

Sutherland Park. Since deciding to recommit to part of our original Adopt-a-Spot (the upper portion), things have been moving along quickly, thanks to the committee chairman, Peter Stropple. We have the approval of the town and four of the committee met on July 21 to decide what work needed to be done. Then on July 22, 25, and 27, five LIons (Pete, Sally, Dawn, Christine, and Joann) put in several hours weeding and getting rid of scrub trees. I especially want to commend our two newest Lions — Joanne Lau and Christine Woodland for jumping into a service activity so quickly (this is their first month as a Lion!)

We forgot to take “before” photos. But we will post some “after” photos soon.

One more July Event — The Ed Selek Memorial Golf Tournament. The day was perfect for this fundraising and fun event. And a few Lions got some sunburn. We raised quite a bit of money, and everyone enjoyed the day. I will gladly post photos if someone will send them to me.

The Fourth and the Rest of July

Image

The Fourth of July: Approximately 16 members helped prepare for and serve a meal of hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, cole slaw, macaroni salad and watermelon to the Fourth of July parade participants and walkers. And a big round of applause to Sandy Meskys for ordering all the food. Next year, we will need to keep count of all the people who were fed as we were all so busy we couldn’t even guess at the number. We only took two photos (again, everyone was so busy) which are not the best…But we have an excellent photo of Lion Pete Strople who managed to go home with a second place trophy as well as help out with the meal.

Golf Tournament: The annual Ed Seleck Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, July 20 with a tee time of 8 am. Lions will be setting things up at 6:30 am and helping throughout. There is still room for a few teams to enter. Contact Mike Lancor (loonatic@roadrunner.com) or pick up an entry form at Meredith Village Savings Bank.

Dinner Meeting: The July dinner meeting will also be held on Monday, July 20. We have invited as our guests the Lions Scholarship recipients and their parents. Social hour will be from 6:00 – 7:00 pm with dinner at 7:00

Induction of New Officers and Award Recipients

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

At the June 15, 2015 dinner meeting, 1st Vice District Governor Elect, Al Goldstein inducted the 2015-2016 new slate of officers: President Jeni Williams, Vice-President Mark Cotrupi, 2nd Vice-President Peter Strople (who was unable to attend the meeting), Treasurer Joe Keegan, Secretary Sally Sibulkin, Membership Chairman Dawn Law, Tail Twister Anne Forts and Lion Tamer Pat Keegan…

And the following AWARDS were presented — not all the recipients received the “real” plaque, however. Some were in the mail, so with some quick thinking on behalf of some of the officers a paper copy was awarded

AWARDS

Loyal Shepherd Fellowship (FIDELCO) – Ed and Sandy Meskys…for dedicated service in all aspects of assistance for the blind

Granite State Awards – Patricia Keegan…for her exceptional service to the citizens of the State of New Hampshire; a true humanitarian, and an untiring worker for the Moultonborough Lions and community. and…

Don Trudeau…for his volunteer service at LRGHealthcare, the Boston Marathon, Squam Lake, and the Meredith Rotary as will as all he accomplishes with the Lions.

Lion of the Year – John Menken…who quickly and competently stepped up to the leadership “plate” and, as president, led the Club in many new projects and served as a calming and positive figure.

Melvin Jones Fellow – Jack Weinmann – for his positive dedication, his humanitarian services, and his willingness to serve others.

Retiring Secretary Award for Pat Strickland for her note-taking and record keeping talents and her dedication to Lionism.

June Happenings

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

So far we have had a busy three weeks for many Lions.

White Cane Day happened on the 23rd of May, over $1000 was raised with the help of some of the Boy and Cub Scouts and Lion volunteers. And on the topic of fundraising for sight, members Ed and Sandy Meskys and Sally Sibulkin with her daughter and granddaughter (Jennifer and Emma Tobbe) participated in the 3K Walk for Sight in Concord, NH on Saturday, June 6. Money from that event will benefit the NH Association of the Blind. It was a nice, sunny day with a breeze and a great turnout of walkers and supporters,

Furthermore, Peter Strople, Mark Cotrupi, Don Trudeau, Sally Sibulkin, and Joe and Pat Keegan went to the Sandwich Central School on Monday, June 8 and provided vision screening for half the school.

The dinner meeting will be held on Monday, June 15 and feature a ham dinner. New officers will be inducted and awards will be presented afterwards.

April and May Happenings

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Sally Sibulkin

SPEAKERS: Our dinner meeting featured speakers in April was Moultonborough Police Chief Leonard Wetherbee who gave a very interesting, personal, and informative presentation in April.

Moultonborough Fire Chief, David Bengtson, who spoke in May and presented a slide show of the history of the fire department in town and a look at some local fire incidents, and how the budget is used for equipment and uniform replacement.

Awards and Recognition:

In April, Sandy Meskys (on the left) was honored for her 20 years as a Lion with a chevron pin. It should also be noted that she has had perfect attendance for 20 years as well.

At the May dinner meeting, Betty Wasson (photo on the right) was recognized for her 35 years of leadership and service as a Lion.