LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION REPORT

by Lion John Ochoco, Past President of East Kaua'i Lions Club

Associate Member, Baguio City Host Lions Club

Increased Life Member fee: Why I voted NO . . . . Standing O’s for Laura Bush . . . . Obama recognizes eleven Lions as Champions of Change . . . . Garmisch-Partenkirchen, WHAT?! . . .

President’s Report, International President Lion Wayne Madden, 1^st Plenary Session:

LCI logged 73,000 Reading Action Program projects affecting six million lives. RAP espouses to tenets that “every child around the world has a right to read;” also, “reading every day actually improves your life.” [With poverty and illiteracy highly correlated and poverty being as ubiquitous as it is in Philippines, International Twin Baguio City Host Lions Club did numerous Reading Action Program projects in schools, led by then-President, Lion Jackie Acoba-Ver.]
We treated 121 million children for blindness.
We did five million cataract surgeries in China alone.
President Obama recognized eleven Lions as Champions of Change.
Lions changed lives around the world expressed in grateful emails every day.

Passing of Resolutions:

Reinstate the title, “executive administrator,” and add the title, “senior executive administrator,” as administrative officers in order to distinguish the titles and responsibilities of administrative officers from the title and responsibilities of international directors.
Increase the one-time fee payable by Life Members from $500 USD to $650 USD.

Both resolutions passed.

Why I voted NO on Resolution #2: Several Delegates expressed indifference on Resolution #2. They said they’d vote YES as their clubs did not do Life Members. Other clubs give Life Member awards to Past Presidents and other worthy Lions upon twenty years of service, and $650 rather than $500 from administrative funds could present a budgetary challenge. It was $300 when I was awarded Life Member. Thus my NO vote. Its adoption might affect clubs that do Life Member awards, such as BCHLC’s International Twin, East Kaua’i Lions Club. The jury will be out on this.

Election of International Officers and Board of Directors: All Lions on the ballot for international officers and directors were voted in by official delegates, including myself. Elected as International President was Australian Lion Barry J. Palmer. He was described as “part Outback, part Sydney, and all Aussie.” If his exuberant personality and high energy are true, Lions Clubs International is once again in good hands in keeping this huge organization [208 countries] inspired and moving ahead.

Keynote Speaker and Guest of Honor: Laura Bush, wife of George Bush, former two-term President of the United States of America, graciously lauded our achievements. She especially referred to our Reading Action Program, being a school teacher by profession with her own reading initiatives. She was interrupted often by rousing ovations. Personally, I thought it phenomenal that a woman of such extraordinary stature should come to Hamburg just to tell us we’re good.

Flag Ceremony: LCI presented South Sudan as the 208^th country to join its ranks, the flag of South Sudan first to be unfurled onstage. Caught unprepared to photo a beauty of a flag, I substituted two other flags in this report as an impressive sampling of 208 flags. Impressive from my point of view as a Lion! For this is who we are, individual Clubs serving community and world, 208 countries associated collectively under the Lions banner to perform miracles. WE SERVE.

Post-Convention Adventures: After one week in Hamburg for convention and a couple of tours of this truly beautiful, well-laid out, immaculate city, I spent an additional two weeks in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, Munich, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, site of 1936 Winter Olympics held high in the Bavarian Alps, Winter Olympics structures standing like sparkling new after 77 years! Pride of the Germans!!

Need for District 301-C International Convention Committee Chair-Lion: Aside from givens of Lions information, Lions activities, and Lions fellowship, a proven benefit of going to conventions is travel at lower-than-usual cost through group tour arrangements. This can be done by a District 301-C International Convention Committee Chair. At the present time, none exists. In numerous Districts, this is a standard Cabinet position, and District Governors dutifully appoint Lions accordingly, thus enabling group tour arrangements in addition to facilitating District participation in all activities, including the great international parade.

Acknowledgement: My home Club, entitled to two Delegates [one Delegate per 25 members, Lion Sandi Sterker being the other Delegate], paid registration fee of $100 for both of us from Club Convention Fund despite tight budgeting for District convention, primary purpose of this fund. I am very grateful to EKLC Convention Committee in its efforts to make this happen.

This concludes my LCI Convention Report for Baguio City Host Lions Club. WE SERVE!