MONTHLY LETTER CLUB PROGRAMS FOR DECEMBER I. Community Welfare II. Committee Meeting —SAFETY Ill. Aviation Program VI. Christmas CALENDAR EVENTS: December 14-—King George’s Birthday (Canada) 17—Development of Flying Machine (anniversary) 25—Christmas Day 31—New Year’s Eve I. Community Welfare Christmas is observed and celebrated in every community where there is a Lions Club, and this first meeting in De- cember can be set aside for development of the plan to be followed by the club for Christmas celebrations. in the community. Lions clubs throughout the Association take the lead in developing community-wide activities, which may include decorating the streets, conducting a home decorating con- test, arranging for a community Christmas tree—or four of them—on the most prominent corner in the community, pro- viding a program of Christmas carols for the whole com- munity, including the shut-ins, the underprivileged and the blind, and a talkie for the boys and girls of the grade schools on Saturday morning before Christmas Day, and arranging special services in many of the churches. Many clubs from year to year carry on a series of Christ- mas activities involving the whole community. For the benefit of new clubs, or those which have not in the past participated in this type of activity, suggestions for a complete program are available from the International Office. . At the first meeting in the month committees should be appointed to handle the details of Christmas activities. Where the Lions Club has selected a welfare organization to assist with its program, a representative from that group should be invited to attend the committee’s meetings. II. Committee Meeting—Safety No letdown in the work of the Safety Committee can be expected at any season of the year. During the winter months there are slippery pavements and sidewalks in many sections of the country. These create a condition requiring additional attention. In all sections there are still the prob- lems of traffic safety. One object of this meeting should be to bring to the atten- tion of the club members the diversified work of the Safety Committee. Invite as your guest speaker either the chief of police, the fire chief or the safety expert who is in close touch with all phases of safety in and about the community. Clubs not carrying Safety on their program as one of the eight major fields of activity recommended for Lions Clubs may wish to obtain suggestions as to what a Safety Com- mittee can recommend to its club. The International Office will supply this material. Christmas time, when boys and girls as well as adults will be handling electric lighting equipment, special candle ef- fects, et cetera, presents a good opportunity for bringing to the attention of the community the idea of “playing safe.” In cities where fireworks are customary during the holi- days, the thought of Safety should be uppermost in the minds of those using them. The handling of fireworks is always dangerous. As the work of the National Safety Council has shown us that a city can be much safer where fireworks are pro- hibited, it would be a good idea to remember that fact dur- ing the holidays. It is suggested that if fireworks are to be included in Lions Club celebrations, they be sponsored by the city offi- cials, or a responsible sub-contractor be employed who is a specialist in such things. In the event a sub-contractor is employed, a waiver of liability should be secured through him, and the club should insist on his producing liability in- surance coverage for the event—$20,000 on individual claims and $50,000 on group claims. Lions cannot exercise too much care in such matters. A little forethought may avoid considerable trouble. III. Aviation Program The week of October 17 is the anniversary of the invention of the airplane. Most Lions Clubs are located in close proximity to air- ports, landing fields or general offices of air transportation companies. These companies have considerable data which is usable for a meeting based on aviation. Motion pictures on air travel and transportation are also available. Arrangements for their use may be made through local representative of the airline companies or by getting in touch directly with the main offices. If it is desired to use moving pictures for the program, it is suggested that you make your plans far enough in ad- vance to be assured of films for showing on the date des‘red. IV. Christmas For the meeting held during Christmas week a club might well follow the plan reported by the Middletown, Ohio, Lions Club last December. The report reads: “Each member purchased a gift that could be used by a boy 14 to 18 years of age. These were exchanged at the Club’s Christmas: Party held several days before Christmas. At the close of the party the gifts were collected for the boys at the detention home and given to them on Christmas morning.” é The Central Lions Club of Chicago at their Christmas meeting exchange gifts with each other (not to exceed 50c value and distributed to the members by Santa Claus). Later these gifts are collected and taken to the Montefiore School where they are given to the boys who get little else in the way of gifts at Christmas time. The club also puts on a special banquet and program for the school. Many clubs plan to make this meeting a Ladies’ Night party, each Lion and Lioness being host to one or more underprivileged child of the community. Such a party usu- ally includes a Christmas tree with its bright lights and sparkling ornaments, and a Santa Claus who distributes fruit, candy, nuts, popcorn, etc., and useful gifts. Christmas carols are sung and the old legends and stories are told. Christmas morning the baskets are distributed to the poor families of the community; so that those who remained at home during the Lions club meeting may be remembered in the name of the club. Have You a Key Member You Don’t Know About? A Lion is anxious to become a Key Member, and even has brought two fine Lions into his club; but the achieve- ment went unnoticed. He didn’t receive his Key. Such things can happen. They can be prevented, of course, and many good Lion Secretaries have taken steps to insure that they do not hap- pen, or should such a thing happen once, it is not repeated. Naturally everyone wishes to see that hard working mem- bers are rewarded—and none is more worthy of reward than the Lion who qualifies for a Key, Master Key or Grand Mas- ter Key award. A few precautions on the part of the secretary can insure that proper recognition is given each member as soon as he qualifies for it. Facts the secretary should have on tap are: The number of new members each Lion has sponsored. How many more are needed for each Lion to qualify for Key or Master Key Membership. Rules and regulations governing issuance of Key awards —to explain clearly when a member inquires. Periodic check of Key Membership credits, to insure the members who have qualified, receive their awards. A supply of the proper forms prevents delay in securing the award. Try a check-up, Lion Secretary, and see if some of your members have not qualified for a Key—or whether several members are only a single new member from qualifying.