District33Y Announcements

International Director Candidates

This year at the 85th Annual Massachusetts Multiple District 33 State Convention in Sturbridge, May 4-6, 2012, delegates
will be voting to endorse a candidate for the position of International Director of Lions Clubs International.

The 3 candiates are PCC/PDG Charles Manard, PCC/PDG John Pettis, and PDG Donald Hebert. All three candidates
have shown a dedication to Lionims. Pleae take the time to download their brochures.

If you have any questions, they will be more than happy to answer them for you. Contact information is on the brochures.

PCC Charles Menard brochure
PCC/IDG John Pettis brochure
PDG Donald Hebert brochure

Lions Orthoptic Clinic Records

The District 33Y Lions Orthoptic Clinic closed its doors after serving Western Massachusetts for over 50 years.

Shelley Klein Weiss, our former Orthoptian, can be contacted at Tufts, New England Eye Center, 800 Washington Ave.,
Box 450, Boston, MA 02111, 617-636-6769.

The records of former patients can be obtained by contacting PDG Jean W. Martin at 172 Hope St., Greenfield, MA 01301,
413-774-5925 or jwmartinhl@yahoo.com.

Please download the authorization form, complete, and mail to the address indicated, or scan the signed document and
email it to the email address indicated, to have your records transferred. Please allow 2 to 3 weeks for the records to be
transferred.

Lions Cross Walk Signs

If you were at the 1st Advisory Meeting of 2010 at the Bluebonnet on Sep. 20., 2010, you heard about (and saw) the cross
walk signs that the Northampton Lions Club provided for the CIty of Northampton. There was mention of it made in the Lions
Magazine a number of months ago, others have commented on them, and the district would like to help other clubs provide
these to their communities.

Proceeds from last year's district fundraiser, the Glowball Tournament, will be used to purchase the signs for District 33Y
clubs. If your club is interested, contact CST Todd Cromack and he can give you some details.

Sri Lanka Eyeglass Project - Lions Give Sight to 30,000

In 1927 Helen Keller had a dream and challenged the Lions to become the Knights of the Blind on a crusade against
darkness. The Lions accepted the challenge and have dedicated themselves to fighting preventable and reversible
blindness around the world.

On December 26, 2004 Sri Lanka was hit by a devastating tsunami that displaced a staggering 2.5 million people, and
thousands lost their eyeglasses and the Lions wanted to help. At the Lions International Convention in Hong Kong, in July
2005, three Lion's District Governors (DG) in training had a dream. DG Rafel “Lucky”Wijeyeweera of District 306 C1 of Sri
Lanka requested DG Jean W. Martin, of Greenfield in District 33Y Western Massachusetts, and DG George Hart, of East
Bridgewater in District 33S Eastern Massachusetts, to assist his people by collecting and shipping 30,000 pair of used
eyeglasses to him, for distribution in Eye Camps by his local Lions Clubs.

“In the United States we often take things for granted, such as walking into a store to purchase a pair of glasses whereas in
Sri Lanka residents travel hundreds of miles and wait in lines for days just to get a pair of eyeglasses” said Lion Hart.

The Lions of Massachusetts traditionally recycle used eyeglasses however they had never done such a large volume, nor
been responsible for the entire recycling process. “We thought this would be a relatively simple project, but when the
glasses started piling up, we realized what a huge undertaking it actually was” said Hart.

In order for the glasses to be ready for shipment each pair need to be “processed” which includes the initial sorting and
cleaning (about 2 hrs per 500), reading to determine the strength, bagging, sorting by prescription and boxing for shipment.
Of all the glasses received only two thirds received are complete and usable.

Over 50,000 pairs of glasses have been received from 100+ Lions and Leo clubs across the two Massachusetts districts.
Although every Lion or Leo who handled the glasses are responsible for the success of this project, Lions Paul & Ann
Snow, Gary Lewis & Larry Whalen of 33Y, and Lion Ed Olney, DG Joe Rizzo and the Dighton Lions of 33S were integral
players in this project.

Most glasses were moved via Lions during trips to scheduled meetings however, some of the Lions went above and
beyond with weekly deliveries or traveling across the state to get the glasses where they needed to be. In all 3,100 Lions
throughout Massachusetts contributed over 5,000 volunteer hours in the effort to provide this gift of sight to the people of Sri
Lanka.

The Lions received donations in kind from Commonwealth Packaging of Chicopee, Stevens Elasto-Merics of
Easthampton, Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, Ophthalmic Instrument Co. of Stoughton and the Acushnet Lions.

The following companies donated their time in assisting the Lions in “processing” & shipping the glasses: Lens Crafters,
Florence Optical of Northampton, Dr. John Galt, Girl Scout Troops 496 & 501 in Palmer, Barnstable County Sheriff’s
Correctional facility, Quadrant Softwear of Mansfield, students from the New England College of Optometry, Extra Space
Storage, Glancy Crane and Rigging Co of Avon, Paul Wolfe Motors of East Bridgewater, North American Terminals of
Holbrook and Go Global Logistics. These companies and individuals made it possible for the Lions to make this dream
come true.

“We’d like to thank them for their donations and assistance with the shipping process” said current 33S District Governor
Joe Rizzo.

For three years the Lions of Massachusetts have worked to get these glasses ready for shipment and on June 17, 2008
about 20 Lions from Districts 33Y and 33S joined together to deliver the 30,000+ glasses to North American Terminals for
the glasses to begin their four week journey to Sri Lanka.

DG Joe Rizzo of 33S worked with the Sri Lanka embassy and worked out all the final details with incoming DG Dr.
Senarath Rekogama of District 306A1 to receive the shipment and have the customs and duty taxes waived in Sri Lanka.
The glasses were shipped by Go Global Logistics via boat on June 24th and will arrive at the Lions Gift of Sight Trust, c/o
The Gift of Sight Hospital in Ratmalana, Sri Lanka on July 15th, 2008.

The greatest demand in Sri Lanka is for reading glasses, however all types of glasses have been sent. It is the
responsibility of the Lions of Sri Lanka to distribute the glasses to the many needy individuals at Eye Camps, where
Optometrists and Ophthalmologists will perform vision testing and provide glasses for free. The Lions of Sri Lanka will most
likely contribute at least 5,000 man-hours on this project and some shipping costs to complete this “Dream”.

This International Lions project is an example of how each Lion and Leo (and every individual who donates a pair of
glasses) makes a difference, no matter how big or small their contribution. 30,000 people will have greatly improved lives
because a dream at a Lion’s International Convention.

“I am so proud of the Lions: never once did they question why we were doing this project or doubted the fact that it could be
done. We are lucky to be part of Lions, the largest service organization in the world, which allows us the opportunity to help
others fight blindness” concluded Martin.

Family Dues Structure

The new Lions Clubs International Family Dues Initiative kicks in on January 1, 2007. Read more about it on the Lions
International Website.

Lions Clubs International has reduced the dues charged to clubs by 1/2 for the second through fourth Lions living at the
same address. (This change does not effect the District 33Y or the Multiple District dues each club pays on behalf of its
members. It's up to the club to decide what they will do with their own dues structure.)

You can download the Certification Form there: http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/common/pdfs/tk30.pdf

State and Country Flags Location

Over the years, Multiple District 33 has purchased many flags of countries, states and geographical areas in which Lions
are active. We also have some other flags relative to Lions. These flags are available to Lions, Lioness and Leo clubs for
use in parades, at anniversary parties and other events the clubs wish to have them at. This is the source of the flags we
use at the Big E Parade, at Midwinter and at the State Convention.

Bryan Murphy of the Woburn Host Lions Club has taken over the task of storing the flags. Any club that wishes to use the
flags should contact him. His contact information is bryan@dustpipe.com of the Woburn Host Lions Club, PO Box 316,
Woburn MA 01801. Woburn Lions Tel: (781) 933-8297 weekdays 9 AM - 4 PM or answering machine 24/7, Fax (781_
933-2099 (24/7). There is information on this on the WOburn Lions Club's web site:
http://www.woburnlionsclub.org/District33FlagProgram.cfm

There are many geographic areas for which we do not yet have the flags. For anyone wishing to purchase a flag for the
Multiple District, the cost is $210.00 for an in-stock flag and $250.00 for a custom flag. (A stock flag means a flag that is in
stock and standard design; a custom flag means the flag needs to be custom made due to color and design.)

Many 33Y clubs and persons have purchased flags in the past. The donor's name will be documented on the flag pole.
When an International Director from that area is in office, that flag is displayed at our state convention and the name of the
donor announced during the flag ceremony.

MD33 Resource Guide

The Membership and Extension Division of Lions Clubs International has just the right resources to help you put the pieces
together.

All puzzles begin as a jumble of pieces. Each piece is an essential part of the whole picture, but until the pieces are
properly assembled, the true potential of the picture cannot be realized.

Like a puzzle, a great Lions club is only as good as its individual parts. Separately, there are many interesting pieces, and
when properly working together, the result is an active club making a significant difference in the community.

Putting together the pieces of a successful club is not difficult. It involves taking a good, hard look at your club; creating
appropriate, measurable goals; obtaining the needed resources to meet your goals; creating an action plan; and following
through with the steps necessary to meet your goals.

The pieces are all right here. Simply choose the ones that are right for your club and assemble a successful membership
picture that will benefit your community and your members for years to come.

The Resource Guide is available is available on the through the Multiple District website:
http://www.lions-md33.org/Resources/MembershipResource06.pdf

Media Contact Information

PDG Pamela Hodgkins has provided us with an excel spreadsheet that is a very complete listing of all the media
addresses for our area. Feel free to use them to get your club information out to the public. You can download the list by
clicking on this link: http://www.lions-33y.org/forms/MediaAddresses.xls (22 Kb)

Y.A.N.K.S - How it came to be

PDG2 Jean W. Martin has gotten onto the trail of the naming of our sub districts after receiving the question: " How did our
districts get the Y-A-N-K-S designations? Here is her answer, thanks to the help of PID John Hoyle and PID L. Doug Sime:

Prior to 1949 the state of Massachusetts had 3 districts: A, B, C.

At the 1949 State Convention, held in Magnolia, MA., June 17 - 19, a resolution proposing the division of District 33 into
five sub districts, to be known as Y-A-N-K-S was adopted.

YANKS was first used as a description for patriots in the revolution, then it became a sort of term of endearment. Since this
change was just after World War II, the word YANKS was a popular slang word for American Troops serving in Europe, and
since we now had 5 districts, we needed names for our districts, and Wendell Ring of Leicester, MA proposed the names
Y-A-N-K-S. And, it was voted that way.

So that's the story, and we're sticking to it.

Lions Eye Health Program

"The Lions Eye Health Program (LEPH is a community-based education program that allows Lions Clubs, other community
organizations and individuals to promote healthy vision in the United States. "

Information is available on the Lions International website:
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/lci-foundation/our-programs/sightfirst/initiatives/lcif-gr-lehp.php