District Governor Visits Laveen Lions Club

District Governjor Margie Tellkamkp visits Laveel Lions

First I wanted to thank you again for having me as your speaker at your club meeting, I had a great time.

My Goals for the year:

Three new clubs with everyone in 21-A helping.
Each club get a net gain of 3 members this year.

21-A had a very bad year last year with so many deaths and Lions leaving, we have to bring 21-A back to what it used to be. We are the Awesome District so lets get going so everyone will know we are.

As your District Governor I have been given such great opportunities I feel very blessed. My first opportunity was being sent to Boston with my husband and being installed as District Governor. We were there for ten days and I was in school for four days and hopefully I learned a lot. We met and had pictures taken with International President Jimmy Ross and got to listen to him speak and I must say he is very insperational.We toured Boston with friends from Lake Havasu who were from Boston, so we got an inside look.

My next opportunity came when Bob and I were sent to Leader Dogs for the Blind School. At your meeting this is what I spoke about the most. This place is awesome. Everyone there is so dedicated and they love to come to work. I know if I lived back in Rochester, Michigan I would be volunteering all the time. Bob said that is why we won't be moving there because he would never see me.

I told about the breeders that take the dogs to be bred and then go home to have the puppies and then bring them back when they are seven weeks old and the raisers come and take the puppies away for the next fourteen months and then have to bring them back and say here. I could not do this job.

Everyone says it is the saddest day at Leader Dog School when a raiser brings back the puppy. The puppy then is given a physical and the trainers pick the dogs they want and start their training. There is one Deaf/Blind trainer who trains the dog only with hand signals. The student come and it takes 3 1/2 weeks for the students to get trained. It is the most amazing place I have ever been.

My last story was about my Visually Impaired Group that I have been the chairman of since 2000. During the summer we have about 30 members but during the winter we have over 55. We meet at the Senior Center and one day in March we had a field trip to the Library.

From the Library we went to the corner of our busiest street in town where the street department had just installed new traffic lights. We all walked from the Library to the corner, I had a lady on each arm and one behind me hanging on to my shirt. We made it fine but it wasn't a cool day for March and we had the newspaper reporter, the head of the Street Department there and everyone felt and listened,to him talk and to the new Street lights. The button you pushed so the light would change vibrated when it was time to cross the street and it would also announce when you could go.

We finally finished and we started back, I had my lady on each arm and one hanging on my shirt which was damp because it was hot. Well the lady behind me started rubbing my back and I asked if I had a bug or something and she said no. I asked then what is wrong. Nothing is wrong I was feeling if they have started to grow. I asked what? Your angel wings. I have never had anyone say anything so sweet and loving to me, besides my husband and parents. Everyone of you in this club are going to have angel wings start to grow because of all the love and help you give to your community, state, and world. We are blessed to be doing what we do,lets spread the word so more people can feel this great. God Bless you all.

For more information about joining the Laveen Lions Club, contact Lion George Anderson.