The Jungle Jargon

MEETING SCHEDULE

July, 2009

June 30 - Board of Directors Meeting - 7:00PM, President-Elect John Kobland's House

July 15 - Regular Meeting - as previously advertised, this meeting will be held at Trenton Thunder's

Riverside Stadium in Trenton, before the All Star Game; attendance is by pre-reservation only.

August, 2009

August 18 - Board of Directors Meeting - 7:30PM, Boy Scout Room (Town Hall)

August 19 - Regular Meeting - 7PM, Cranbury Station; Dinner: Baby Back Ribs

Program: (Tentative) Our speaker will be Mr. Kevin Graham, who will advise us on how to create successful fundraising with a Casino Night program.

Things To Know

Congratulations and Welcome to our New Officers and Board of Directors

The 2009-10 Board of Directors met on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, and President John Kobland advised that his goals for the Cranbury Lions Club for the coming year would consist of a 6-point program to foster growth through promotion and membership. These are:

• Humanitarian Service, through our upcoming commitment to Habitat for Humanity; perhaps an outreach program for those in need; and (possibly) a "coat collection" drive for the needy, to be delivered to TASK or some other "hands-on distributor of need".
• Club Membership, starting with our upcoming presentation at Four Seasons, but continuing through the efforts of every member through association with family, friends, business acquaintances, and others.
• Leo Clubs - not just the planned Leo Club at Jamesburg, but perhaps one at the High School which will help our youth pick up their required volunteer service credits.
• New cultural and fundraising activities/events - widely publicized - to provide a larger Lions stamp on the community.
• Leadership Development, through which President John will ask ALL members for their ideas for creating new service and fundraising events, regardless of how large or small the activity or event might seem.
• Public Awareness - after 77 years in Cranbury, there are still people who don't know what we stand for or what we do.

President John reiterated what has been said by most all Past Presidents; this is a Club, not of individuals, but of friends, who have come together through a common bond - to help those who may not be able to help themselves, and by doing so, serving the local and general community. We cannot move forward unless we all come together - each in their own way and each to the best of their ability.

And while moving forward with whatever International program comes about, we will continue the "Challenge to Change. Members should attempt to attend as many meetings as they can, but, the Board is hoping to attract members no less than once a quarter, and preferably (and at least) once a month. And at these meetings we hope to hear your ideas on how we can make the Club better for our existing Members and more appealing for any potential members.

President John and the Board of Directors are looking forward to a dynamic and productive year, and hope that the Membership will come forward to help change the Club into the visible community organization we once were.

Summer dress rules are in effect through July and August; With the July meeting at the All-Star Game, feel free to dress as you would for any baseball game. For the August meeting, Members are permitted to wear appropriate summer attire, including shorts, to the meetings. Remember that we meet in a restaurant and a little decorum is still required. No tank tops or sleeveless shirts, please.

We'd like to remind all members to PLEASE share the Jargon with your Spouse, so that our events may be better scheduled on your personal or family calendars for better attendance. Please Note that Spouses are invited not only to attend the meetings, but to become Members under the Family Membership Initiative. In any event, Spouses are wholly encouraged to attend "Spouse Night" meetings.

As a token of our appreciation and for the exceptional job he's done for the last two years, the Club, through the Board of Directors, has awarded Past President Mike Kaiser with his first Progressive Melvin Jones Fellowship Award. Congratulations Past President Mike on becoming a Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow, an honor that can only be attained through Service to your Club and your Community!

Our Annual Trenton Thunder 50/50 on Friday, June 12, was a "thunderous" success. Ten of the eleven volunteers met at the stadium to watch the Thunder trounce the Mets, and while we were there we sold over 1000. A laurel and hardy handshake to PDG Bob and his crew for their hard work and efforts.

Unfortunately, when the last Jargon went out we didn't have a date for the Annual Cranbury Lions Family Picnic, but as many saw from the recent Club e-mail, Suzanne and Lion Joe Carroll have, once again been generous enough to open their lovely home and spacious yard for the Picnic on Saturday, July 18 from 6PM to 10PM. Lions are encouraged to invite prospective members and their families, as a guest. Burgers, Hot Dogs, Salads, Soda, Coffee, Beer, and Wine will be provided; please bring a dessert to share. Adults are $20, Children $5, and children under 5 are free. Lion Joe is forming - and needs volunteers for - 4 committees: Set-Up, Grilling, Games, and Clean-up. Since it is too late for a sign-up sheet for attendance (we need a count for food and beverages), please RSVP via e-mail or phone to PDG Bob with the number of people you expect to bring; or, RSVP directly to Lion Joe at 609-409-9682.

The date of our Annual Golf Outing has been changed. It will no longer be on July 23. The new date has been tentatively set as September 14. More information will be available in the next Jargon.

Our Annual Baseball Outing will be on Saturday, August 22. We are looking to sell at least 50 tickets and urge you to attend this game, with your family and friends. These tickets are also available to every resident of Cranbury and their families, so feel free to do some word of mouth advertising around town! The Trenton Thunder has been a friend and loyal supporter the Cranbury Lions for more than a decade, but if our ticket sales don't increase for this one game, we may be in danger of losing our preferred 50/50 night in future years. Please don't let that happen - order your tickets today - Reservations can be made right now! Contact PDG Bob to place your order for tickets.

The New LEO Club at the Jamesburg Home for Boys is still "in process", but hopefully moving forward! The Lions Directors of the Jamesburg Board have been able to develop a project that may be acceptable to School; Jamesburg is considering a program whereby dogs will be brought into the institution for training as assist dogs. The dog training could serve as a service project for this proposed LEO Club. This program has not been finalized, as Jamesburg needs to get approval from the State. We will be kept informed as to the status of this proposal. A LEO Club must be chartered by a Lions club, but due to security precautions, most, if not all, of the Club's advisory work will be done off-site, with an on-site employee/advisor who will work with a "Contributing Club Contact". Any Members who would like to volunteer as a LEO Advisor should contact President John or PDG Bob immediately, so that we can "hit the ground running" when the project finally comes to fruition.

The Board of Directors agreed, quite some time ago, to try to start a new Club in Plainsboro. Once again, we are starting the year with a call for volunteers who can commit to contacting local businesses, local government employees, and perhaps run a membership drive in the shopping plazas and the new "downtown" area to gather local residents as members. This would not be unprecedented; the Cranbury Lions sponsored the Hightstown Club, as well as the (now defunct) Hamilton, Jamesburg, and (former) Plainsboro Clubs. There's no doubt that this will be a large undertaking, but the satisfaction obtained at the completion of this project will make every Cranbury Lion proud! As it is with all our projects, the more volunteers we can get, the easier the task! Interested Lions should contact President John, Membership Chair Jon Goldstein, or PDG Bob.

A quick notation about the USA/Canada Leadership Forum this coming September 24-26. If, in addition to learning more about our Association, learn new methods for increasing Membership, and, generally, discover how to become a better Lion, you'd like to ride a Mississippi Riverboat, visit the birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll, catch the Blues at a hot club, see Graceland, visit the National Civil Rights Museum, check out pandas at the zoo, or just have the "World's Best Barbeque", this year's Forum is in Memphis, TN ... and it is expected to be one of the best Forum's on a never ending list of great Forums. For more information see the article in the April 2009 issue of "The Lion" Magazine; for an application, see PDG Bob.

Coming Soon...

The Board has approved our Club's participation in a new fundraising effort, to which we have been invited, in Cranbury, tentatively scheduled for October; more information will be provided as it becomes available.

Habitat For Humanity is preparing to begin a new "project house" in Hightstown, the BOD has discussed having a warm weather "Service Day" by helping with this project. Discussions will continue after we have obtained additional details.

Membership - Membership - Membership

As we've said above and so often in the past, membership is the key to our survival! New members will rejuvenate existing members and help to keep us ALL young-at-heart, active, and viable! Cranbury Lions Club President John is asking ALL members to assist Membership Chair Jon Goldstein in attracting and bringing in new members. One program planned for this August as a Membership Drive at Four Seasons. But we don't want to stop there. Some of our members have said that the reason it took so long to become Lions was that no one asked! Ask your friends and neighbors if they would like to give a little of their time to serve and to give back to the community, while having a good time doing it with new friends. To get information about membership options or to obtain membership applications contact Membership Chair Jon, Secretary Bob, or President John. In any event, we MUST begin a proactive campaign to bring in new Members and keep our Lions Club from being Cranbury's "best kept secret".

...And Attendance...

Meeting attendance is still a problem and President John is picking up where Immediate Past President Mike left off by asking EVERY Cranbury Lion to provide suggestions on how we might be able to CHANGE the meetings to appeal to a broader range of the membership, in an effort to build a stronger Cranbury Lions Club. Please provide your suggestions to President John directly.

Reminders

Do you know of an interesting speaker? You may be an interesting speaker! Please advise Program Chair Frank Marlowe with any and all suggestions for speakers at our meetings.

Any member who learns of the sickness or death of another member, or in a member's family, or any other similar incident or emergency, should contact Lions Frank Marlowe (Chair, H&W) and/or Dave Cook ("phone tree"), and/or Bob Virgadamo (e-mail notifications) so that all members may be notified as soon as possible.

Member Pick-Up - Ed Lawson (5 S. Main)

Lion George Smith has volunteered be the "permanent" pick up driver for Lion Ed; Lion Frank Marlowe has volunteered to be the "permanent" back-up driver. Drivers: if you cannot make your pick-up, please notify President John as soon as possible. Riders: please notify the assigned driver if you cannot make a meeting.