Celebrating 100 Years of Lionism in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Lions Centennial Committee held its first meeting in February 2020 to begin planning a celebration of 100 years of Wisconsin Lionism. Seventeen interested Lions attended that meeting at the Lions Pride Office. Each District appointed at least one Lion to serve on this Committee and there are currently 14 Committee members and another 14 consulting members. The Committee has been meeting monthly since by WebEx and now Zoom. IPID Connie LeCleir-Meyer is the PR Chair. The PR Committee of five are also meeting monthly by Zoom. While COVID-19 has presented many challenges, the Centennial Committee has been very busy with promotions through club interviews.
The Committee has identified the following for the Wisconsin Lions Centennial celebration; Wisconsin Lions Centennial Plans Announced
a. The celebration time frame is 1/1/2021 through 6/30/20 22.
b. The theme is ‘Reaching Touching Improving Lives’.
c. A logo was approved through Bee-Seen Promotions and MD27 Pin Chair Brian Overturf.
d. The Centennial Pin will be the MD27 1922 pin.
e. Promoting ‘100 Acts of Kindness’.
f. Providing a PowerPoint Lions Trivia program.
g. Producing a 100 year centennial magazine to be made available at the 2021 MD27 Convention in Green Bay. The magazine will include Wisconsin Lions history, but highlights of the first nine clubs chartered in Wisconsin from June 1921 through May 1922.
h. Centennial tree planting.
i. Regular Wisconsin Lion newspaper articles.
j. Memorial tree and recycled plastic memorial bench at the 2021 Convention site.
k. A Centennial flag will be designed and available through Bee-Seen Promotions.
l. Obtain a Wisconsin proclamation for the 2021 Convention.
m. Design and purchase three pull-up display stands.
n. Centennial shirts available from Bee-Seen Promotions, along with many other promotional items.
To accomplish all the above, the Council of Governors approved a budget that also allowed the Committee to contract with Salty Earth Pictures of Fort Atkinson to do several YouTube videos. The videos will also be able to be used at Conventions and special gatherings. Salty Earth will be videoing Lions service projects, as well as clips of the Lions Camp, Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin and Restoring Hope Transplant House, as well other state wide projects. They are also videoing several Lions Clubs service projects like perhaps serving meals at a homeless center, building wheelchair ramps, vision screening etc.
As it is safe to do so, Committee members will be attending as many District Conferences as possible, with booths, booklet ads and some seminars when possible.
In these Wisconsin Lion Centennial articles, we will feature a small look at one of the first nine Lions Clubs Chartered in Wisconsin in each issue. Look for the first one in the March/April issue featuring Wisconsin’s first Lion Club, Milwaukee Central.