NEXT MEETING- Tuesday, July 21, at 11:30, social exchange at 11:00. TOMORROW. This is a program meeting, and we will be entertained by our brand new District Governor Tammy Rockenbach, assisted by our brand new Vice District Governor Alan Johnson. Let's show them what a Madison Central turnout looks like. The meeting will be a Zoom meeting. If you haven't participated yet, contact Pres DALE for instruction. Pres DALE is also know as the District Zoom Commander.

We are more fortunate than many Lions Club in that, even though our size is gradually eroding away, we have several tech-savvy Board members who can keep some momentum going, using the tools newly available to the times. The HUSEBOE brothers, ELMER NEILSEN, DEAN JOHNSON, HY PARKS, JABO JABLONIC, LEO MERKEL, and even BOB SMITH would be amazed at the prospect of a meeting attended simultaneously by Lion members from over a half-dozen locations, some of which may be 1000 miles away. If you spend enough time on the Lions Global Forum, originated by two of our very own members and a few other Lions, you will certainly see great enthusiasm for new forms of Lionism, assembling and (hopefully) operating by use of the electronic tools of today. Your Editor can see the possibility of great things, but also a sea change in what Lion membership is, and is not certain where all of this is going to end up. Man is a social animal, and a piece of glass is not the same thing as a group of flesh and blood humans who are, or as we used to say in our Membership Induction, “will become your friends.” There is an old quote, in many variations, which said “the only reason I keep on (doing whatever) is to see what the hell will happen next.” Stay tuned.

At the last meeting, presided over by Pres. DALE BURMESTER, there was sufficient attendance to do the formal approvals of minutes and reports. Mention was made that we are planning to do “Stuff The Bus” again this year, on August. 15, at one or more Hy-Vee locations. The intent is to collect school supplies - notebooks, paper, pencils, etc., plus cash donations, which we then pass on to the Madison School District for distribution to students who don't have any. If that seems a little strange for this wonderful City of Madison, note that about half of the students in our schools qualify for the supposedly impossible “free lunch”, because of their level of family income. Think about that one for a moment. And the supplies will be welcomed, even in the very-poosible “virtual classrooms”. Speak up if you want to help.

There was also discussion of a request from a family member for assistance in lawn mowing for a senior resident of Madison. He can't do it any more, and the family member who had been helping now faces problems of their own. We talked about various possibilities - direct physical assistance, locating an affordable commercial LawnMower Guy, or other community help. Pres. DALE is organizing our response, and we will hear more about that tomorrow.

It was also noted that JOHN JENSON has finished the update of our Eyeglass Donation Box list of locations, and it is on our web site. People still do remember that we do this, even tho we have not had a program on the subject in a long time (hint, hint). If you haven't heard some of the stories that come out of this operation, you should. Quote, from a very tired volunteer optometrist near the end of a long hot day somewhere in Central America, “I CAN HELP THIS KID! THIS KID HAS NEVER SEEN A LEAF!!”

And he did.

Calendar:
• August 4 - Business/Board Meeting
• August 15 - Stuff the Bus
• August 18 - Program Meeting