MONTHLY LETTER '

 

 

Why They Are Proud to Be Lions in
Cuyahoga Falls

(From The Lions Meat, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)

A question which is asked by many people you meet is ‘Why
Are You a Lion?” The reply you can give is something you
ought to be proud to relate.

The first point is: because you come in personal contact and
have made intimate friends with Lions who are affiliated with
different groups, Catholics, Jews, Gentiles; and-you are all
working for the same common cause. Lionism has grown to
own a bigger place in their lives, almost without éxception.

The smile of friendship predominates whenever you meet.
It is as if the souls of men have blended themselves together
to do the things that should be uppermost in their hearts, help-
ing some unfortunate, extending the long arm of friendship
with a hearty greeting apart from the material help that you
give to them.

The second point is: because we hear from week to week,
programs that are both educational and entertaining, pre-
sented to us by people who excel in their different vocations.

These people are willing to do this. Why? Because a Lions
Club in any town or city is respected and admired for its high
social and philanthropic work, and because of this fact it has
grown to be the largest service organization in the country.
Its work has been recognized as one of the outstanding fea-
tures of the present time.

Public opinion all over this country and Canada has grown
to admire and respect you and I, as members of a Lions Club.
These are only two reasons why we belong to a Lions Club.

What better story can you relate?

District Governor to Be Honored
Third Week in October

As announced in the Club Programs for October, published
in the August Monthly Letter, the third week in October has
been designated as District Governor Week.

An outline for a special District Governor Day meeting was
included in the Club Program suggestions, and further details
concerning plans for special observance of this week will be
sent to club officers the first part of October.

The District Governor, chief officer of his district, and head
of the widespread District Governor’s Organization, fills a
position requiring many sacrifices of time and interests during
his term. His aim is to strengthen every Lions Club within
his jurisdiction, and to increase the value and effectiveness of
Lionism in his district. He will visit each of his Lions Clubs
during his term of office, and in addition will meet heavy
demands on his time required by correspondence, special meet-
ings, and conferences.

It is fitting that he should be honored during the early part
of his term of office, and that each club should pledge its
whole-hearted support to his program of development.

The third week in October has been designated for this pur-
pose, and every Lions Club is urged to observe this occasion
by a special meeting.

Who Should Pay the $10.00—President,
Secretary, or the Lion Who
Cashed the Check?

A Lion is short the amount of $10.00, represented by a check
which bounced.

The Lion would like to have all Lions Clubs warned against
the individual who thus imposed on him.

In the August issue of the Monthly Letter, received by all
Lions Club presidents and secretaries during August, a com-
plete warning against the activities of this individual was
published. The man’s name was given, and the name of the
club in which he claimed membership. It was also announced
that the man was not a member of that club, nor ever had been.

The president of a mid-western Lions Club received this
Monthly Letter. So did the secretary.

On September 5, however, a member of their club was ap-
proached by the same man, using the same name and claiming

membership in the same club as reported in the August Monthly
Letter. The member, having received no warning, cashed a
$10.00 check. He still has the check.

The officers of this club had been informed regarding the
individual who cashed the check. It is assumed that in all
such cases information of this type is passed on to the club
members, either at a meeting, or through the club publication.

In this case, neither method was used. The club membership
was not informed.

It did not cost the club officers anything; but it cost a
member $10.00.

Several such instances have occurred within the past few
months. To protect their members—who elected them to ex-
ecutive offices—club officers are urged to take the following
steps.

First, advise all members against cashing checks for strang-
ers, claiming Lions Club membership, until identity has been
established. Lion literature does not constitute identification.
A Lions Club membership card should be produced, and_ it
should be up to date. Confirmation of the membership of any
Lion can be secured quickly by wiring Lions International, 332
South Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

Second, club officers should see that when warnings are
published concerning individuals posing as members of Lions
Clubs, this information is made available to every member of
the ciub.

THE LARGER CLUB

When the Lions who drafted the model form constitution
for Lions Clubs chose as the first of the club objects, “To form
a body of men thoroughly representative of the business and
professional interests of the city .. .” they gave the formula
for the permanently successful and influential Lions Club. A
thoroughly representative membership is the foundation of a
good Lions Club.

Faithful adherence to this object provides a club with a
membership that is comparable to the population of the city,
one which does not suffer by comparison with the size of
other service clubs in the community. This means a great
deal to both your club and its individual members. To the
club that has a large membership of high standing come
great prestige and influence, which attract the best men in
the city to it while greatly enhancing its importance in the
eyes of the citizens.

To the member of such a club come the benefits which he
has the right to expect. When you go to your Lions luncheon
meeting you should expect to meet there the architect, the
banker, the doctor, the minister, the engineer, the lawyer, the
railroad executive, the newspaper editor, the professor, the
insurance man—at least one man from every important busi-
ness and profession.

You, in common with every other Lion, want to meet once
each week with the leading men of your city. The prestige of
a club of such men, and the honor that comes from being a
member of it, are of considerable worth to any business or
professional man; and the acquaintanceships and contacts
made there have real value to most of the members, far over-
shadowing anything the small club has to offer. It is also
true that with more men in the club, and a greater variety,

.

_the fellowship between them means more.

To the president and secretary, also, come greater rewards
from the greater membership, for who would not rather be
president or secretary of the largest club in the city than the
third place club?

The large, representative club has other advantages. In
this club there is no operating on a “shoestring’’; no trouble
in getting good speakers and entertainment features, or in
paying for them; no recurring petty worries about keeping a
small group of men interested in struggling along against
odds; no difficulty in finding support for club projects; no
doubt in the minds of members about the value of their mem-
bership or the prestige of their club.

A test of the undoubted value of a large, high quality mem-
bership in service clubs can be made in any city where there
is more than one club. Pick out the major service organiza-
tions, not the comparative sizes of their memberships, and
then ask a few business men which of those clubs they would
prefer to join. The answers of the majority will show that a
large, representative membership counts with them. They will
pick the large club. Do you see any danger of them choosing
some club other than yours?