Chartered 2011
|
The Colborne and District Lions Club is now official. Its 24 members were welcomed and the club was officially chartered at a ceremony and dinner on April 2, 2011 attended by about 125 people.
|
Follow our adventures:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColborneLions/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colbornelionsclub/
Notice From the Admin
In order to reduce clutter on the main page, I have decided to add an "Archived News" page. It can be accessed from the sidebar on the left. Every two years, after the first post of a new year, the older years' entries will be moved to this page. Unfortunately, formatting of posts sometimes does not transition smoothly. Because of this, some archived posts may look a bit less polished than the main page posts. Apologies in advance for such circumstances. I believe this to be the best balance between preserving club history and inproving viewer experience.
We Think We're Back For Real This Time
So it's been a long time since this page got updated. And truth be told, it's because our club was unable to really do anything noteworthy. I made the decision that rehashing "We had a Zoom meeting and talked about how crummy this whole situation was and how we can't plan anything and and and..." every other week would get boring very quickly. It was better to not post at all. Nobody needs a reminder about how everyone is stuck in neutral.
Anyway, as restrictions finally lift in areas relevant to our services, we have been able to actually make real, tangible plans about what we as a club are doing. And we hit the ground running. Today, October 2, the Colborne Lions held a Bottle and Food Drive. It was held at a local church which graciously allowed us to occupy their parking lot for the morning. The recyclables then went to the local Esso gas station which serves as the central empty bottle repository for the town. It was a great success and we even received a $1500 donation from local real estate agent Teresa Loader. Pictures below:
Additional photos can be seen on Mayor Mandy Martin's facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mandy.martin.5492
Our future preliminary plans are to participate in the Santa Claus Parade in some capacity (which Colborne has given the green light to do), participate in the Christmas tree raffle at the Colborne Legion (which is still being ironed out [virtual vs. limited and rotating attendance]) and to hopefully work out a way to give hot chocolate to kids in the park after the parade with respect to whatever health guidelines are in place at that time.
Fingers crossed that the next update comes much more quickly next time!
And We're Back!... Kind of
Due to the ongoing global viral mess we currently find ourselves in, the Colborne Lions haven't done anything in recent months. We weren't able to run our flagship events, like the Walk for Dog Guides and the annual Instrument Sale. But with restrictions loosening to an acceptable degree, we decided to have a responsible meeting at Lion Anja's house. Luckily, Colborne has escaped this crisis pretty much entirely unscathed. And we're all in each other's social bubbles anyway. The Colborne Lions are a close bunch.
Lion Jim Peters was named our club's Lion of the Year. The meeting consisted of the installation of this year's executive, and tentative discussion and planning about our club's future activities. Like everyone else, nothing is set in stone. It's difficult to plan while the future is so foggy. But we're a resilient bunch. We'll get it done, whatever and whenever "it" actually happens.
Below are the photos from the meeting:
Colborne Santa Claus Parade Hot Chocolate
On November 23, the Colborne Lions continued our now annual tradition of giving out free hot chocolate to kids and their families during and after the Santa Claus parade. We hang out in the Victoria Park gazebo with Santa afterward as he listens to the desires of the kids. We actually almost ran out of water this year because we didn't anticipate this much activity, so we had to make an emergency run to the local grocery store for more jugs of water. All told, we gave away about 200 cups of hot chocolate. Afterward, the club got to get their picture taken with Santa.
Colborne Festival of Trees
Each year, the town of Colbone hosts the Festival of Trees in the Legion. Businesses and services clubs each donate and decorate a real Christmas tree (as in, it's an actual tree and not an artificial one). The Colborne Lions always donate and decorate a tree each year with a particular theme. This year was "games and family activities". Our members donated a lot of games and other fun family things. Then some of us went in on the designated decoration day to make our tree look nice. Our tree is always the most popular one too. People who come visit can buy tickets to put into boxes under certain trees (some are up for silent auction). Those who get their names drawn win coupons for a new Christmas tree (the ones in the Legion are dried out by event's end, so they get recycled) and everything that was on and under their tree. All proceeds go toward the Colborne Public School's music program. This program is famous for their drumline, who are multiple time national champions.
.JPG)
November Zone Meeting
After a pretty quiet October as far as club activities go, the Colborne Lions have had a busy November. First on the list of things was the Zone Meeting, which was held at our club at Colborne Legion Branch 187.
The meeting was led by Lion Dave McKellar. We had a presentation from the Brighton Leos about their activites, especially their current Christmas pet gift basket campaign for Dog Guides. As well, we had presentations of Certificates of Appreciation to the clubs that participated in vision screening.
.jpg)
.jpg)
The final thing that we have pictures of was a presentation of a donation from Lion Judi Eakins and her sorority. The sorority is disbanding after the calendar year ends, and so they held a meeting to determine what to do with their remaining funds and where to allocate some donations.
.jpg)
September 16 Meeting
On this Monday, we had our first official business meeting of the year. It was the first go around for newly-ish annointed club president Lion Sherrill Richmond. At this meeting, Lion Wendy Carr and Lion Jim Peters were presented with their centennial pins for sponsoring Lion Carmen Montgomery and Lion Fred Montgomery.
As well, we had a presentation of pins for all members of the club who have won our Lion of the Year award since its inception. From left to right: Lion Sherrill Richmond (who won in a previous year; she's not just there as president), Lion Kim Carr, Lion Wendy Carr, Lion Marie Lachner, Lion Rick Richmond, and Lion Pearl Ann Coombes.
Finally, we had the presentation of a Certificate of Excellence from Lions International to Lion Kim Carr, who is eternally condemned to be willing to be our secretary each year. This is the fifth year in a row that she has received this certificate.
Introducing Roary's Travel Journal
I will have an update that includes the outcome of our Vintage Guitar and Instrument Sale as soon as I have some more numbers to report to readers. But in the meantime, our club has begun Roary's Travel Journal. For those who don't know, Roary is our club mascot. He is a large plush lion with his own little personalized Lions vest (complete with enough pins to at least double his weight) and a neat hat. He likes to come to our events sometimes and chill in his little lawn chair. But he does participate in what we do. As for the journal, we as a club decided it would be an interesting idea to take him on our personal trips. We would take pictures of him in various places to document his adventures. Check it out using the link on the bar on the left.
Vintage Guitar and Instrument Sale 2019
We have all the info you'll need to know about our third annual Vintage Guitar and Instrument Sale. Unlike previous years, there will be some changes.
We are no longer at the Colborne Curling Club. Our event ourgrew their capacity, which is a good problem to have. We will be hosting the event this year at the Keeler Centre. This venue is better for us for two main reasons. One is that it's much bigger, meaning vendors can bring more things and visitors aren't packed so closely together. The other is that it will be on the ice surface (sans ice of course) so vendors can drive in to set up if needed, rather than making a dozen trips to haul everything in.
We have also changed the date this year. It will take place on August 10, from 9:00AM to 4:00PM.
There are still vendor spots available! It's $25 per vendor and there is no minimum that you have to bring. In fact, last year we had a few custom instrument makers that were there just to advertise and talk shop with visitors.
As per usual, our entry and vendor fees go directly into our proceeds for the Canada Dog Guides and for our support of local activities.
Colborne Lion of the Year
Each year, our club presents the Doug Galt Lion of the Year Award to a member of our club who has gone above and beyond in their lionism. This year, the award went to Lion Wendy Carr, who volunteers to help out with just about everything our club does. But on top of that, she is also a member of the Salem Valley Quilters, a local quilting guild that makes and donates quilts to people who are sick, injured, or otherwise could use some softness and love. This year she and the guild donated dozens of these quilts.
Lion Judi Eakins (left) presenting the award to Lion Wendy Carr (right)
Presentation to Diabetes Canada
At our year-end party, we also presented a cheque to Lion Dave McKellar for Diabetes Canada. This will help with their research into combatting and treating diabetes.
Passing of the "Torch"
At our year-end party, we officially had the passing of the presidency from this years' President to next years'. Unfortunately the gavel was forgotten at the home of our (now Past) President Lion Judi Eakins, so we had to make do with a wooden spoon from the kitchen. Meet our new Club President Sherrill Richmond (in the blue).
Colborne Lions Year-End Party
On June 3, the Colborne Lions met for out final "meeting" of the year. We had a potluck party and didn't really discuss any club business in the traditional fashion. Our tail twister activity was banana themed, where we had to decorate and do things with bananas. Afterwards, there was a swearing in of our new and returning (and in some cases, our forever-) officers by Lion Don Radnor. This involved me as well (I am a Club Director), so I only have photos of the process up until the time I was called up.
From left to right: Lion Kendra Peters, Lion Anja Guinion, Lion Don Radnor, and Lion Wendy Carr.
Colborne Public School Drumline Video
The Colborne Public School Drumline recently made a video about their successes in competition. They were funded in part by the annual Festival of Trees, an event where the Colborne and District Lions Club donate and decorate a tree each year (ours is usually the most popular one too). For those who don't know, Colborne Public School's Drumline has been a premier force in competition for years now, winning multiple regional and provincial championships, as well as a silver medal at the national championships. You can view their video at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/ColbornePublicSchoolFestivalOfTrees/videos/430951594353839/
Lions at Apple Blossom Tyme Festival
This upcoming weekend will see the Colborne Lions attend the annual Apple Blossom Tyme festival. We will be running a Music Café, where we will serve drinks and snacks near the indoor music performance stage. In addition, the Colborne Lions will be running the annual Walk for Dog Guides. This has been an immensely successful event for our club over the years and we hope to continue that success this time around.
Mother's Day Breakfast
On Mother's Day, some of the male members of the Colborne Lions volunteered to serve food at the Mother's Day Breakfast hosted by Colborne Legion Branch 187. During this event, all mothers eat free and it is staffed by male volunteers. Our club has a great working relationship with the Legion. They allow us to use their hall as our meeting space and our meals are cooked and served by the Ladies Auxilliary. They really went to bat for us when we were getting our chartering tasks done years ago and we are very thankful for all that they've done for us.
Lions from left to right: Lion Jim Peters, Lion Alan Coombes, and Lion Rick Richmond.
Lions Roadside Garbage Cleanup
On April 6 and 13, the Colborne Lions participated in our annual tradition of slogging through local ditches for a good cause. We went along a couple of county roads clearing the ditches of wrappers, coffee cups, fast food bags, and abandonned floodlights. Our club is "hired" by the county each year to clean these roads, and any money we get from recycling of pop cans, beer cans, and similar can-esque things goes right back to the community as funding for our various projects. Our efforts culminated in a total of 476 beer cans, beer bottles, and liquor bottles. Overall, across the two days, we collected 352 pounds of garbage. According to The Measure of Things from bluebulbprojects.com, the garbage weighed:
- About as much as a reindeer (males average 365lbs)
- More than a panda bear (male Giant Pandas average 330lbs)
- About twice as heavy as a fully filled half-barrel beer keg (160.5lbs)
There is someone or a collection of someones along County Road 41 who is/are very fond of Canadian Club whisky...
Anyway, below is a photo of day one's collection of... stuff. Needless to say, we didn't want to pose around it for very long.
A (Very [Very]) Late Update
Greetings all readers!
It has been quite a while since our last update, and I apologize for that. The club has not done many major events yet, and things are busy for individual members outside of the club. But I am back to report on the most recent Colborne Lions event: vision and hearing screening.
Over the course of a few days in early March, members of the Colborne and District Lions went to various local schools to participate in vision and hearing screening. Unfortunately, this seems like it will be the final time if the information we have been given is accurate. Nevertheless, the Lions gave it their all anyway.
Due to the fact that they were working around small children, there are no photos to show this time. However, we have numbers, which tell as much of a story as pictures (although they're maybe a bit more boring to look at). The Colborne Lions performed vision screening for 167 students across a handful of schools. They identified a few vision and hearing problems in students. One of the major benefits to this program is that students often seem more willing to open up about problems to strangers, rather than their parents or teachers. As such, they open up to Lions. The Lions can then pass along this information to the relevant parties so that problems can be taken care of with discretion.
Lions Christmas Party
Better late than never! I've been recovering from a bad cold and haven't been able to update the site in a while. Now that I'm fully recovered, I can post this.
On December 17, the Colborne Lions gathered for their annual Christmas party. This year, the Richmonds' house was chosen as party central. We enjoyed a nice potluck dinner, and played a game of Give the Grinch his Heart. It was basically pin the tail on the donkey, but with the Grinch and a heart. Afterwards, we all sat down for the Tail Twister activity, which was to ask people around the room to answer questions on a sheet. But we had to ask a different person for each question. Our last activity was the usual secret santa exchange. You drew a number from a basket which designated your turn. On your turn, you could either pick a gift from under the tree or steal a gift from someone else, who then had to either pick a tree gift or steal another one themselves. You weren't allowed to immediately steal your gift back. The highlight was a 10+ minute theft war over a mincemeat pie and some festive popcorn. All in all, it was a fun night.
Lion Jim getting a little crazy
A panorama (or the best I could do on a phone) of all of our party guests having the time of their lives (mostly)
Long Overdue December Update
It's been a long while since I updated things here. I've personally been very busy and haven't had time to get this done. But that ends today. Although I only have one thing to post as it is...
On November 24, the Colborne Lions held their now annual tradition (two years totally counts as a tradition) of serving hot chocolate to the masses after the Colborne Christmas parade. It seems that this is the time of year when our club does a lot of parade stuff. Anyway, below are some pictures of the event. Santa joined us after hopping off his parade float and wading through the mob of excited children to sit in the gazebo with us. Then he diligently listened to the requests of all the kids as we served hot chocolate to them and their chilly parents.
The lighting was... less than fantastic for nice crisp photography. But here we are beginning setup.
The aforementioned mob of children with parents in tow.
Lions hustling to make sure we have enough hot chocolate set out for wave 1.
Afterwards, many of the Colborne Lions decided to have a turn hanging out with Santa. Apologies to Lion Pearl Ann for taking this while she had her eyes closed. Trust me, this was the best photo of the lot. Very much missing our former photographer, Lion Emma, who is teaching in China and had ten times the photography skills that I do.
Remembrance Day - Multifaceted Lions
On November 11, some members of the Colborne and District Lions Club participated in the Colborne Remembrance Day ceremonies. Many of our members wear many hats to serve and interact with the community in different ways. Our club benefits from these different perspectives and experiences.
From left to right:
Lion Jim Peters (representing the Colborne Masonic Lodge), Lion Sherrill Richmond, Lion Chris Parbery (who doesn't have a vest; instead he wears a Lions polo which obviously can't be seen here), Lion Kim Carr (representing the Colborne Legion Branch 187), Lion Rick Richmond (representing the Colborne Masonic Lodge), and Lion Wendy Carr.
November 5 Meeting
On November 5, the Colborne Lions played host to District Governor Frank Hewitt. In his address, he talked about the importance of Lionism at all levels, from the international president all the way down to the club and individual member level. He praised our campaigns and events over the past year, saying that these things were important for spreading the messages and ideals of Lionism. In addition, and in true Lion Frank fashion, there was a lot of lighthearted joking around and ribbing between him and many of our members.
Lion Frank also gave out Lion Whisperer awards to some members of our group:
Lion Jim Peters
Lion Kim Carr
Lion Judi Eakins
October 15 Meeting
On October 15, the Colborne and District Lions held a meeting. Our usual members, with our usual discussion. We had a very fun and unique Tail Twister activity. Lion Anja acted as a lady from Paris selling her wares. The catch was, she didn't understand yes or no, and she didn't understand black or white. So we had to try and buy items off of her without saying "yes", "no", "black", or "white". Variations like "sure", "nope", and "nuh-uh" we also not allowed. If we broke the rules, she'd honk a bicycle horn at us and collect our fine. The trick was that she would word her questions in such a way as to drive us to a yes/no or black/white answer.
If I can speak for a moment here, I will say that the activity was very fun and surprisingly difficult. You don't realize how much you say yes or no especially.
Our guest speakers were from Helping Hands Northumberland. As for what they do, I will directly quote the meeting's minutes as written by Lion Kim:
They are a group which use recycled materials and re-use items. Some items they make are milk bag mats, flannel sheets to make diapers and pillowcase dresses also using men’s shirts. They collect kitchen items for New Beginnings as well as items such as hard candies for malnourished children in 3rd world countries. They prefer their items to remain locally but also ship items to Northern Reservations and 17 different countries. They knit things like sweaters, hats, izzy dolls, teddy bears and twiddle cuffs & slippers for nursing homes and hospitals. They also collect unopened medication for Central America.
A picture of their presentation is below. If anybody would like to contact them to set up donations or to have items picked up for donation (if you or your club can't easily get to Cobourg or Rice Lake), they can be contacted by email at helpinghandscobourg@gmail.com (not a link; you'll have to copy and paste) or by phone at 289-252-2020.
October 1 Zone Meeting
On October 1, the Colborne and District Lions hosted a zone meeting. As such, discussions amongst the club members about Colborne club affairs was kept to a minimum. The attendees enjoyed a fun night as we discussed various Lions ventures. A lot of the more "macro" topics were covered during the orientation meeting (such as Lions activities concerning diabetes, dog guides, Lionism, etc.) but were presented at the zone meeting in order to inform members who may have missed the orientation day. The meeting was highlighted by Colborne Club tail twister Anja Guignon's activity, where we each had to talk to five other Lions who we had never met before and find out something about them. As well, we couldn't say the same thing twice to those inquiring us. So we couldn't give five answers of "my favourite colour is blue". Certain... esteemed Lions had difficulty finding members that they had not yet met. But overall it went smoothly.
The second major topic outside typical Lion large-scale meeting discussions was the campaign of Dr. Patti Hill of Edmonton, who is striving to become the 3rd Vice President of Lions International. Needless to say, getting her elected would be an enormous boost to "The Voice of Lions in Canada". And as Canadians, we should strive to make ourselves heard internationally and pour on the votes for her. Lion John Whyte of Wellington Lions Club made the pitch and passed out informational pamphlets on the matter. As well, he showed us pins that could be purchased to assist Lion Patti in her campaign, as travelling internationally for any reason becomes pricy.
Below are photos taken from the meeting. I will update them with captions once I can ensure that my information is accurate. I would rather write no caption than in incorrect one.
Lions Orientation Day at Trenton Lions Club
On September 29, a handful of members from the Colborne and District Lions joined with other Lions Clubs in the area for an orientation day held in Trenton. There were many different presentations on the aspects of Lionism and what it means to be a Lion. Our gracious hosts also fed us a lovely lunch of beef soup and sandwiches, which was a personal highlight of the day despite its lack of "imparted knowledge" compared to the other things happening that day.
Below are some pictures taken during presentations. I do not know whose head is prominently featured in these shots, but they were a great subject nonetheless. I will be updating these photos with captions as soon as I am able to.
Second Annual Vintage Guitar and Instrument Sale
A message from the admin: My apologies for the significant delay in posting this update. I was out of the country almost immediately after this event for about a week. After I came back home, I was busy with other things that needed doing. But now, without further delay, you can all finally enjoy the pictures of the event!
On September 1, the Colborne and District Lions Club hosted their second annual Vintage Guitar and Instrument Sale. This was an immense success last year, and as such we decided that it would be a good idea to make it annual (at least for now). We can confidently say that it was even more successful this year. We had many more vendors, to the point where we could barely fit them all in the Colborne Curling Club's ice surface. At our most recent meeting, we discussed moving the event to a larger venue (namely, the Keeler Centre), but we didn't make a concrete decision. This is because the member that spearheads this event was unable to attend the meeting, and we didn't want to make any decisions without first hearing their input.
But enough of the boring bureaucratic stuff. People want to see pictures, and pictures they shall have:
This is a shot down the length of the venue showing most of the vendors (some were a bit late, but we accomodated them all the same). This was taken just before we opened the doors to the public.
This was the setup of Riverside Music out of Trenton, who was our "flagship" vendor so to speak.
A small contingent of Lions ready to serve up food to the public.
This was a shot of the event from the curling club's lounge room overlooking the people milling about. On a side note, the lounge room was much less "lounge-y" than usual since we took all of the tables and chairs out to the ice surface to accomodate the sheer number of vendors.
Some shots up and down the venue showing the vendors chatting with the public. There were many, many neat guitars for sale among the tables. Every skill level was catered to. Some vendors had beginner guitars at very inexpensive prices, and this expense scale went all the way up to a 1950s Fender Stratocaster valued at $42000.
My one regret is that I didn't get a picture of the winner of the door prize. You see, at this event, the Lions have a system where we will watch a vendor's table so that they can go use the washroom or get a hot dog (or just stretch their legs; we don't judge). When the winner was drawn, I was watching someone's table and chatting with a customer of theirs that had stopped by. But I am told that the winner had come with the intent of picking up a guitar so that they could learn how to play. So, really, it couldn't have gone better than that!
In the end, we had another supremely successful event. It had seen a ton of growth from our first year in 2017. In fact, as previously mentioned, it has grown so much that we feel it's time to make use of a larger venue. Preliminary discussions are taking place to use the hockey ice surface at the Keeler Centre in Colborne, which would provide us with more than double the space we would have at the curling club. So stay tuned for updates on next year's guitar sale!
Castleton Corn Roast - Pictures
On August 26, the Colborne Lions helped to host the annual Castleton Corn Roast at the Castleton Sports Club fields. Residents enjoyed hot dogs, fries, and, of course, corn. Live musical entertainment was provided by the Colborne Library Ukelele group and by local musician Michael Tremblay. The Castleton Sports Club also had a slo-pitch softball tournament going on. Additional things to enjoy included an activities area set up by the Cramahe Fire Department, a kids play area with bubble blowers and other outdoor toys, and carriage rides.
Dedication to Lion Frits Scheltema
On August 16, the Colborne Lions formally unveiled the new plaque honouring Lion Frits Scheltema, who passed away last year. He was instrumental in the project that brought the new flagpole and flag to the Colborne Cenotaph in the park.
Castleton Corn Roast
On Sunday, August 26, the Colborne Lions will be at the annual Castleton Corn Roast. There will be live music performances and, of course, corn. For the first time, this event will take place at the Castleton Sports Fields next to Northumberland Hills Public School.
Guitar and Instrument Sale - Revised Poster
I was asked (long ago...) to upload the corrected version of the Colborne Lions Vintage Guitar and Instrument Sale poster. Here it is below:
.PNG)
We have new and exciting updates for the event being posted on our Facebook page for the event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2215054978776990/
The Last Month of the Lions Year
June marked the end of the Colborne Lions meetings for a few months. As such, we had our last formal meeting on June 4 with the installation of next year's cabinet:
The installation was done by Region Chair Elect Mark Kelso. We also had a fun and spirited last hurrah with the tail twister activities with our friends from the Trenton Lions club, as our outgoing tail twister Eileen Coombs became a target for human ring toss:
We also extended our sincere thanks to the Ladies Auxiliary of the Colborne Legion Branch 187 for their service in providing our dinners each and every Lions meeting:
The Colborne Lions club also received their award for second place in the Visitation Contest for visits by a club to other clubs.
Along that same topic, Lion Wendy Carr received her certificate for most visits to other clubs by an individual Lion.
Our year end wrap-up party came one week later, when we gathered at The Big Apple for a pizza dinner. We celebrated our successes for the year and expressed our optimism for Lions things to come. It was at this meeting that we awarded the Doug Galt Lion of the Year Award to Sherrill Richmond, who helped out with pretty much every event we did during this past year, as well as a ton of things behind the scenes otherwise.
I have also been asked to pass along the info for this year's Guitar and Instrument Sale. Last year was a tremendous success, so we're anticipating even better things this year. Anyway, the info as promised:
"This event raised close to $3000 for Dog Guides in just its opening year in 2017. We feature a beautiful Canadian-made LG Signature Godin guitar as a Silent Auction Item, showcasing it as a home-grown instrument that is used, but in amazing shape and ready to play. We obtained this guitar through the wonderful folks at Long and McQuade in Cobourg, who are going to sponsor another auction item for this year! We vet this guitar through Long and McQuade and another respected local Luthier who specializes in vintage electric guitars to ensure all its parts are in great working order, and give it a 3 month warranty to the winner. This year’s 2006 model Godin has a gorgeous tiger maple butterscotch finish and the unusual feature of locking tuners for tight tuning control.
The vendors pay only $25 to sell anything they want in musical items, gear, guitars, or any other instrument, new or used. Last year we had items ranging from CDs for a buck or two to a $45,000 custom made Mosrite guitar, and lots of items in-between. The effect for musicians is that of a “candy store” of cool vintage, used or new instruments and gear, so there are lots of people that just come in for a look. Admission is only $5 per person, so it is a fun way to spend a bit of time in Colborne on a Saturday morning.
The Lions will have plenty of sausages and hot dogs barbecuing, and there are musicians playing for anyone who wants to just relax and enjoy the atmosphere. For the vendors, we keep it really friendly and easy to manage. We provide Canadian flags for each table, so that if a vendor wants to take a break, look around, or follow an expensive guitar to a secure trial area to showcase its features, they just have to “raise the flag”. One of our Lion members will take over their table while they take care of a major sale or just take a break.
A fun and friendly event for the Labour Day weekend!"
Greetings Lions! It has been a while since the last update. The admin has been busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger. And his computer bit the dust, meaning he had to spend a lot of time getting a new one set up. But all is well now, and updates can finally be posted once again. For the last month, the Colborne and District Lions have been quite busy doing the following:
Mother's Day Breakfast
On Mother's Day, some of the Colborne Lions volunteered to serve breakfast at the Colborne Legion. Due to our intended photographer being... less than technologically capable, we had to rely on Google Assistant to take a photo of us.
Donation to Camp Lift
On May 21, the Colborne Lions made a donation to Camp Lift, which is a program run by the Colborne & Cramahe Fire Department for girls aimed at promoting positive self-esteem and positive goals. The program was a great success last year, and we imagine that it'll be even better this year.
Apple Blossom Tyme Festival
On May 26-27, the Colborne Lions helped run events at the Colborne Apple Blossom Tyme Festival. We ran a MusicCafe indoors, which was just a place for people to gather and watch the live entertainment, and the Walk for Dog Guides, which helped to raise money for the Canadian guide dog program. The Walk especially is a prominent activity for the Colborne Lions, and one of our prime examples of philanthropy that we like to display to other clubs.
The Colborne & Cramahe Fire Department helping us fill the cooldown pool for the dogs.
E-Waste Recycling
From April 21-28, the Colborne Lions will have an electronics waste container at the South Works Yard, located at 28 Victoria St. in Colborne. You can drop off any used electronics lying around your house taking up space. These will then be sent away to be properly recycled. However, we cannot take anything containing freon. So no dehumidifiers or old fridges. We even have a protocol in place for dead batteries. In addition to all of this, you can drop off used clothing.
April 7 Roadside Cleanup
On April 7, the Colborne and District Lions Club participated in a roadside cleanup event in our community. We went along County Road 21 between Colborne and Brighton and picked up loads of garbage from the ditches. Pictures of the day are below:
Upcoming Events and Other Lions Activities
Roadside Cleanups: On April 7, the Colborne Lions will engage in a much needed cleanup of County Road 21. Then, on April 21, they will partake in a roadside cleanup of County Road 41.
E-Waste: Between April 21-28, there will be a bin for residents of Colborne and the surrounding area to drop off dead, outdated, or otherwise unwanted electronics for safe and proper disposal/re-use.
Lions Learning Day: Although the Colborne Lions are not running it, some will be participating in the Lions Learning Day activities in Havelock on April 28.
Apple Blossom Tyme Festival: On May 26-27, Colborne will be hosting its annual Apple Blossom Tyme Festival. This is a town-wide event with some things downtown, and the bulk of activities and vendors on the grounds of the Keeler Centre. The Lions will be hosting a MusiCafé, and the details of this will be made available once they are finalized. As well, the Lions will be in charge of the Purina Walk for Dog Guides, which starts on the Keeler Centre grounds and takes walkers on a route through the town. The Dog Guide Walk is always a flagship undertaking for the Colborne Lions Club in particular.
Zone Meeting at Colborne
On Monday, March 5, the Colborne and District Lions Club played host to members from various clubs in Zone 43S as we met for our latest zone meeting. Prior to the meeting, each club was asked to provide one struggle and one success of their club for discussion amongst everyone. Colborne's struggle, for instance, was a likely possibility that our orientation was insufficient or was otherwise unable to properly explain exactly what it means to be a Lion. Our success was being able to partner with other groups in the area and use our combined numbers and ideas to run good events and other endeavours in the community.
Music in the Square
Despite rumours to the contrary, Music in the Square will be returning to Colborne this year. Details will be shared when they become available.
Wellington Trip
On January 24, a group of Colborne Lions visited the Wellington Lions Club for their Chase Away the Winter Blues gathering. It was a dinner and meeting themed around summer and vacation. They discussed their club's business and plans moving forward. We would like to extend our thanks to the Wellington Lions and their president John Whyte for the fun time.
Canada 150 Draw
Also on Jan. 15, our club drew the first winners of our Canada 150 Draw. This draw consists of 150 tickets presold last year. Three winners are drawn each month, winning $40, $30, and $30 respectively. Then their tickets are put back into the draw for next month. So it's technically possible to win a bunch of times! In December, there is a single draw for $1000.
Our First Proper Meeting of 2018
On Jan. 15, we held our first proper club meeting of 2018. This occasion was marked by the rare occurance of two guest speakers. First was Barrie Wood from the Colborne Art Gallery, who talked about their new exhibit: Paddle, Sail, and Steam. This exhibit highlights the history of the great lakes regions through the lens of watercraft. Our second speaker was Carly Cunningham from the Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre in Cobourg. Her discussion educated us on the processes, costs, benefits, and legacy of the centre. She even had a story to share with us about a former client of theirs that saw a successful life turnaround with them.
Barrie Wood (Colborne Art Gallery)
Carly Cunningham (Cornerstone)
December Festivities
A bit of fun news that somehow escaped last month's updates was the Dec. 4 Festive Meeting, where we hosted District Governor Bill Zwier, his wife Linda, and members of the Brighton and Trenton Lions Clubs for a relaxed gathering. We had festive-themed snacks and drinks, and were entertained by the Colborne Library Ukelele Band.
As well, on Dec. 18, we had our annual club Christmas party at the Peters household. This was meant as just a fun get-together to celebrate the year as a club without all the usual "business talk" of club meetings. We had a white elephant gift exchange that saw heated competition and rampant white elephant theft over pairs of hand-knitted socks. Also, we threw inflatable rings at our Club President in the name of revenge festive fun.
In June 2017, a new Administrator was named for the Colborne and District Lions E-Clubhouse page. Due to circumstances, updates had not been posted here for quite some time prior to this change. Therefore, there is a large gap between the last events posted and the events that will be posted from here on out. We are a busy club though! Be sure of that!
Additional 2017 events and activities will be added to the homepage and the Calendar page when more details are available.
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.
