Poulsbo Lions provide bikes for quintuplets

Lion Larry has been instrumental in getting Poulsbo Lions together to refurbish bicycles for a local family that includes five 3-year-olds.

The kids received the new-looking bikes for Christmas.

You can see and read about the daily activities of the quintuplets at http://www.stevensonquints.com/blog/index.html, including a recent event where 7-year-old Lilli gave two of her sisters a haircut!

You may also order 2010 Stevenson Quints calendars on the site. Calendar sales generate modest funds for the family. The funds are for the children's benefit.

Marines gather Toys for Tots

Poulsbo Lions gathered December 8 for their annual Christmas party and dinner.

In addition to a gift exchange, Lions bring gifts for the Toys for Tots program. At right are the Marines who showed up for the toys.

Merry Christmas to all!

Our twin club in Tanzania

Poulsbo Lions Herb (standing, left) and Elda (next to Herb) exchange banners with our twin club in Tanzania.

Lions Jim and Godwin also visited in November 2009.

Below, the twin club logo designed by Lion Godwin.

Happy Holiday shopping

Lion Dan shops for holiday food baskets at a local grocery store. The Poulsbo Lions have three teams of Lions at three different stores to do the shopping, starting at 7 a.m.

Spaghetti feed successful raising funds

Our club planned a hasty Spaghetti Feed in November to raise funds for a former veteran, Pat Momany, to travel to Germany to cook barbecued food for our troops there. Poulsbo President Mike passes a banner to Pat, along with Lion Karen.

In addition, Lions Dotty and Ginger (along with little Nicolette) were working to sell extra Lions Cookbooks that's been a new fund-raiser for our club.

Click on the link to view a slide show of the Spaghetti Feed. Everyone had a great time! There was even enough spaghetti and salad left for our next lunch meeting!

http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/pictures/slideshow?site=tatubbq&page=tatubbq&album=994

NKHS LEOS holiday sign

Relief for Samoa

LCIF is working with local Lions to respond to massive tsunami that hit Samoa around dawn on September 29. The tsunami was triggered by a powerful earthquake, measuring between 8.0 and 8.3. As of October 2, more than 168 people are dead and many more are missing in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga. The U.S. $10,000 emergency grant has been awarded for New Zealand, 202-K, as American Samoa and Samoa are allocated in that district. Lions from New Zealand are distributing the funds to the areas impacted.

Everyone around the world can help by donating to the designated account for this specific disaster.

US donors can:

Mail a check to LCIF, 300 W. 22^nd St., Oak Brook, IL 60523, USA, Attn: Donor Services.

Make a credit card donation with a MasterCard, Visa or American Express by calling LCIF at 630-571-5466, ext. 517 or 518. Call between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CST.

Donate online at www.lcif.org/donate. Select Disaster and include “LCIF Samoa Tsunami Relief” in the comments section.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Fund-raising cruise benefits NW Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center

Each year for the last 5 years, the Northwest Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center has sponsored a fund-raising cruise. For 2010, the "SEE Cruise 6" will be a river cruise down the romantic Danube River.

The good news is that not every Lion needs to participate to make this fund-raiser a success. For detailed information about the cruise, please visit http://vacation-4-you.com/lerc.htm or e-mail Lyell Clark at lyell@vacation-4-you.com.

Annual picnic August 20

Lions and their guests shucked corn at the Poulsbo Lions Club annual picnic August 20.

Below, Lions Dennis and Chuck were smoking hot while barbecuing burgers.

Branch club holds early vision clinic

The Evening Pride Branch of our lions club held an early vision exam clinic during the Touch-a-Truck event August 15.

The event took place at Poulsbo Village Shopping Center.

That's our new mascot with Lion Dick in the first photo, and lions Neil and Larry with a young girl and her mom.

I think our mascot will be popular with the kids

Nicoletta was happy to get a hug from the Poulsbo Lions' newest mascot, Leo, a.k.a. Lion Ginger, at the Aug. 6 meeting.

Lion Roger cuts ribbon at grand opening

Lion Roger, chief financial officer of the new Poulsbo Liberty Bank, helped cut the ribbon at the bank's grand opening Aug. 6. He's the one in the suit at the far left.

Poulsbo Lions have new mascot!

Lion Ginger was instrumental in our club acquiring this terrific-looking Lions costume. Look for it at the August 15 Touch A Truck event at the Poulsbo Village, as well as other Poulsbo Lions events.

A Basque guest

Teen-ager Ane Lopez from "Basque" northern Spain (near France) has been the guest of Lion Rick and his family this summer. She's here to experience American and perfect her English. She speaks Basque, French, English, and Spanish.

A group called Summer in America helps with the reservations and arrangements, but the students (ages 15-18) pay their own way.

Lion Rick and his family take care of Ane's expenses while she lives with his family.

This is an outreach program from six churches in Kitsap County, as well as three in Poulsbo.

Lion's 26th book in bookstores

Poulsbo Lion June Cotner's book Serenity Prayers: Prayers, Poems, and Prose to Soothe Your Soul is available to purchase wherever books are sold.

According to June, Serenity Prayers is a timeless collection of prayers, poems and prose that will leave the reader feeling more at peace, relaxed, hopeful, and encouraged.

All of June's books are 20 percent off at www.junecotner.com.

Here are a few excerpts:

Renewal

Imagine not that life is all doing
Stillness,too, is life;
and in that stillness
the mind cluttered with busyness quiets,
the heart reaching to win rests,
and we hear the whispered truths of God.

--Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro

Yes

Yes was the best answer to every question.
Frank McCourt, Teacher Man.

So I said yes to everything, yes to the green hills
rolling out ahead, yes to the hayfield tied up in rolls,
yes to the clouds blooming like peonies in the sky's
blue meadow, the long tongue of the road lolling
out before me, yes to the life of travel, yes to the other
life at home, yes to the daisies freckling the ditch,
to the sun pouring down on everything
like Vermeer's milkmaid and her endless
jug of milk, yes to the winds that pulled the clouds
apart like taffy, then turned them into a classroom
of waving hands punched into fists: yes yes yes

--Barbara Crooker

Everyday Blessings

As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday
blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness -- just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day, and a cool breeze when the day is warm.

--Laura Ingalls Wilder
(1867-1957)

Poulsbo Lions at Camp Leo

Lions Dennis, Larry and Sandi get the milk out for a meal for campers at Camp Leo in July.

Below, Lion Lynnea (sitting) oversees the kids fishing.

Make room for stacks of flapjacks

Our club is cooking up a great weekend of breakfast May 16 and 17 during the Viking Fest celebration.

The breakfast will be held in the Armory on Jensen Street in downtown Poulsbo. In addition to pancakes, there are eggs and sausage, coffee, milk, and orange juice.

All funds raised go for high school scholarships, so bring your extended family and friends.

Also, the LEOS will be riding a float in the parade, handing out candy, so look for these great kids as well.

The photo is from last year's pancake breakfast and includes Lion Elda with flapjacks.

Sharing White Cane Days photos

White Cane donations totaled $3,958.00 for the May 1-2 weekend. LEOS will be trying to get more donations at Viking Fest.

Right: Lion Lainie puts up with a little rain to bring good White Cane cheer to downtown Poulsbo. She brought in the highest total of donations.

Below: Lion Mark gets his White Canes from Lion Dottie and gets ready to hit the road.

Bottom: Lion Chuck shows why he is the king when it comes to collecting cash for sight conservation.

NKHS Leos bring in $111 with car wash

And Les Schwab Tire Center matched the $111 in funds raised for a grand total of $222.

April 25 was a busy day for fishing and for the NKHS Leo Club, which held a car wash at Les Schwab.

Lion Lynnea took a photo of Leos Stacie and Molly. Four other Leos were there, but not pictured.

Hooked on Fish winner gets tackle box

A girl named Allisa won the first hour of Hooked on Fish with a 14-inch fish; unfortunately, there's no photo.

This photo, however, is of Connor, age 8, and his brother Teagan, age 4. Connor won a nice tackle box with a 13 1/4-inch fish. His brother netted an 11-inch trout.

Photo courtesy of Lion Lynnea.

Hooked on Fish celebrates 25 years

Our Hooked on Fish event saw 300 kids coming out to fish for trout. It also netted $70 in donations.

Lion June got these photos. To the right is Gray, holding two fish, and his friend Daxton. Both boys are from Poulsbo.

We co-sponsored this event with the NKHS Future Farmers of America, shown in the second photo with some KHS FFA students.

Come hungry and bring your friends to breakfast!

The Poulsbo Noon Lions Club will host its 41st annual Viking Fest Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, May 16-17, 7 am – 1 pm at the Poulsbo Armory on Jensen Way.

The breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, eggs, milk, juice, cocoa, tea and coffee. The cost of the breakfast is $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 10. Purchase tickets at the door.

According to Lion Michael, breakfast co-chair, “Last year we raised over $12,000 from this event and it all goes to scholarships for North Kitsap and Kingston High School seniors, which are awarded in June.”

Lions on the prowl May 1 and 2 for White Canes

Members of the Poulsbo Noon Lions Club will take to North Kitsap streets on Friday and Saturday, May 1-2, to raise funds as part of the annual White Cane Days.

All donations from the community will go to the Northwest Lions Foundation for Sight and Hearing in Seattle, where 2,500 corneas were transplanted last year. In addition, the Foundation helps low-income families pay for sight-related surgeries and equipment.
According to Linda and Dottie, project co-chairs, “We raised around $5,000 last year and hope to meet or exceed that goal. Regionally, 95 percent of the Lions clubs in the states of Washington and northern Idaho will be out in force on May 1-2. With so many good causes needing help in North Kitsap, any donation, no matter how large or small, is greatly appreciated. You are truly helping Lions make a difference in our community.”

Shown in the photo is Lion Lainie in downtown Poulsbo during White Cane Days.

Hooked on Fish Derby coming up April 25

On Saturday, April 25, the Poulsbo Noon Lions Club and North Kitsap Future Farmers of America will host a Hooked on Fish Derby for children 11 and under, 7 am – 1 pm at the horticulture pond behind Poulsbo Junior High.

The event is free and bait is provided. Fishing poles are available on a first-come-first-served basis, so if children have poles, please bring them along.

The pond will be stocked with about 500 rainbow trout. Prizes will be awarded for the largest fish in each age category. Parents are encouraged to help, but not fish.

This is a fun-filled family activity that can help children develop a lifelong passion for fishing. Complimentary fish cleaning will be provided by NKFFA.

Stevenson quints celebrate skating birthday

On March 29, the Stevensons celebrated their quints' 3rd birthdays at Skateland in Bremerton. Their actual birthday is March 30.

Lions Larry and Hiromi, along with Nicoleta, attended the bash for the quints - Scarlett, Aniston, Cami, Weston, and Belle.

It was a festive affair with lots of kids and lots of action everywhere, all the time! All of the kids wore skates. Their abilities varied from pretty good to "don't let go!"

Older sister Lilly, age 5, is a good skater who apparently has inherited some of her dad's skating abilities. He was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team on the roller speed-skating demo, which was a demonstration sport at that Olympics. The kids' grandfather is co-owner of Skateland.

The Stevensons have their own website: www.stevensonquints.com.

More trees for Fish Park

A group of 23 people, including five North Kitsap High Leos and Lion Lynnea, showed up March 21.

Hood Canal Nursery donated the trees, which included Western Red Cedar, Western White Pine and Western Hemlock. A total of 140 trees got planted.

St. Patrick's dinner a success story

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with corned beef and cabbage and genuine Irish soda bread?

Here are a couple of photos from the Poulsbo Lions Club's First Annual St. Patrick's Dinner Celebration March 14.

Our club put in approximately 130 hours of labor for this project and raised more than $2,000 for Lions projects in the community.


We also had four Leos from North Kitsap High and five from Kingston High serving dinners.

Lion Joyce (in green, of course) was the head chef. In the middle is LEO Taylor from Kingston Middle School, with Lion Tom adding cabbage to plates (pictured on the right).

Below, Lions June and Chuck fill up plates with potatoes and carrots, and the Risley clan eagerly awaits their food.

O Lutefisk singers net second place

Here's a report on Spring Conference from King Lion Karl:

"Even though Poulsbo came through with a brilliant effort, we were once more judged to be a 2nd-place club. Our Poulsbo singers took 2nd place in the musical comedy section.

"The new vice district governor is Dan Comsia of Lakewood First.

"I am happy to report that Poulsbo took 1st place in the achievement speech about our Fish Park boardwalk and the camaraderie of our club. Poulsbo also receive the 1st-place award for club scrapbook. Our club newsletter won a 4th-place ribbon.

"A big thank you to all the Poulsbo Lions that came down to sing and came Saturday (March 7) for the nominating and voting."

Upcoming events

Lion Chuck is rallying Lions and everybody else to attend the March 14 Irish feast of corned beef, cabbage and soda bread.

If you need tickets for the feast, please contact Lion Chuck at (360) 710-6093.

Other events include:

Thursday, June 11: Installation Dinner at the Kiana Lodge;

Saturday, Aug. 22: Zone Picnic at Lions Park in Bremerton.

Lion Lloyd celebrates 29 years as a Lion!

Lion Lloyd proudly announced that the month of March marks the 29th anniversary of his stint as a lion.

Lion of the Year for 2007

Just catching up on some photos from the past.... This is Lion Larry being named the Lion of the Year by then King Lion Sandi.

Lion Larry becomes 2007 Melvin Jones recipient

Lion Larry (blue, flowered shirt) was the honored recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellowship in 2006. Standing with him in the top photo are other Melvin Jones recipients (from left to right: Lions Jim, Herb, Manny and Dick).

The Melvin Jones Fellowship is recognition of a commitment to humanitarian work. It is not an award in the tradition of Lions awards presented for specific accomplishments.

The fellowship is an honor given to individuals who contribute the equivalent of US$1,000 to LCIF, and persons for whom such donations are made by others.

The fellowship is the foundation's highest honor and represents humanitarian qualities such as generosity, compassion, and concern for the less fortunate.

Melvin Jones Fellows receive a lapel pin and a personalized wall plaque in honor of their commitment to helping others.

The fellowship was created in 1973, and is named for the founder of Lions Clubs International, Melvin Jones.

This photo shows past Melvin Jones recipients: Lions Dick P., Manny, Dennis, Jim, Herb and Dick R.

Melvin Jones recipients for 2006

The Melvin Jones award is a huge honor. These photos date back to 2006 when Lion Chuck (pictured with then King Lion Sandi at right) and Lion Dennis (shown below with then King Lion Sandi and his wife Sonda) received the honor.

January Lions of the Month

President Karl (middle) presented Lions Bev and Kent certificates and "We Serve" pins for their contributions to the club for the month of January.

LEOs wrap shoebox gifts for holiday

Though it's been a few months, this photo shows Leos at Poulsbo Middle School with Lion Lynnea wrapping shoebox gifts for the needy.

Poulsbo Lions are advisors to three different Leo Clubs in the North Kitsap area.

Holiday food basket shopping

Bellringer shopping brought out scores of Poulsbo Lions to help fill holiday food basket orders for North Kitsap families. Shopping took place at three area grocery stores.

Pictured from top to bottom: Arlene and Manny; Mike; Larry and Pauline; Hiromi; John, Dennis and Joyce; Eric and son Chase, Joyce; Lynnea and Doug.