1702 Plainfield Road • Darien, Illinois 60561
www.darienlions.org
March 2010 Newsletter
Now that I have our
stationery on my computer after 8 months, I can make this look official.
Congratulations of the highest order go to Lion Ray Krusinski, recipient of the
2010 George Lazansky Distinguished Award in District 1-J. This award is given to
Lions who have not only excelled in their contribution to their Club and
community, but have served and demonstrated Lionism at the District and State
levels.
Lion Ray served as
our Club President in 2002-2003 and was named Lion of the Year for 2003-2004. He
is a Lions of Illinois Foundation Fellow and has received the International
President’s Award. He has served as
Lions of Illinois Foundation Trustee from District 1-J, served on the District
Cabinet, and was one of the founders of the District 1-J Walk for Sight. He has
also been a mentor and inspiration to those of us who have succeeded him on our
Board; I have sought his advice on several issues and
he has been obliging every time. He sent
me this quote from Helen Keller just a few days before I was notified of the
award: “Many people have a wrong idea of what
constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but
through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” Ironic, yes? I guess timing IS
everything. I’m sure all members join me in congratulating Lion Ray and thanking
him for his contributions to the Darien Lions Club, District 1-J, and the Lions
of Illinois.
Next on the praise
and recognition list for this month is Lion Ed Burjek and his fantastic Pancake
Breakfast committee. I was there all morning and I do not think the line got any
longer than to the projection screen. We kept up on pancakes with 2 griddles
rather than 3. I heard compliments from many of the members as well as the
public attendees. I do not know the financial or attendance numbers yet, but
from everything I saw and heard, it was an unqualified success. Thank you, Lion
Ed, for taking on this event, and for the excellent job performance by your
committee. And thanks to all the members and volunteers who worked to make this
another successful Darien Lions Club event.
The March dinner
meeting at Home Run Inn is often cited as a favorite of many members. I’m not
sure if it’s the food or the fact you can’t hear the President speaking, but it
is a great one. As Lion Joe stated in his Sick and Visiting report, Lion Rick
Biehl was more upset about missing the dinner than going through surgery. So,
Lion Joe added “Meals on Wheels” to his job description and made a pizza
delivery to Lion Rick after our meeting. Lion Rick was most appreciative and
thanks to our friends at Home Run Inn for their gracious consideration toward
our homebound Lion.
We saw that Lion
Kooch is doing some role-reversal being nurse to Nurse Marilyn. I understand
that diverticulitis can be very painful and recovery lengthy. We hope she is
back to normal as quickly as possible.
Last week also
brought the passing of Lion Sam D’Agostino after a long stretch of several
illnesses. As Lion Joe reported, his dedication to our Club and his
accomplishments were exceptional. Our condolences to his wife and family.
You may remember
once or twice this past year I’ve commented on our attendance at meetings
seeming to be improving. This was just a generalization on my part, and maybe it
only seemed that way being up in front for the whole meeting. However, Lion
Ralph Beardsley, our Membership Chairman, has some empirical data to support
this. He will present it at Thursday’s meeting. Thanks to all for the commitment
and effort.
As our business
year winds down, and our committee reports are fewer, we will try to get a few
speakers in during the next few months for informational talks. A representative
from the Illinois Bank will be at the April business meeting.
With Pancake Day
behind us, we now have Night at the Races and the Golf Outing ahead of us for
some fun. Let’s all get going on the Big Raffle as well; it’s our largest
fundraiser of the year!
Thanks, and see you
Thursday.
Lion Wayne