40 Years in Service... We're Stronger than Before

40 Years in Service... Stronger than Before...

Some say this tagline as the theme for the year is kind'a SS (aka Syok Sendiri).. but come to think of it.. after 40 years of rendering services to the community.. oh well... We wanna be proud of it.. My question is.. "Why not?!"

As the District Chairperson for the 2nd term this year, I would like to state that Stronger than Before is a theme I chose to instill pride in the work that we all do. I seriously feel that it is important that we all take Pride in whatever we do. It is only then, we feel the strength to continue to do what we do best!!!! It is very important that we believe in the work that we do, take pride.. and then walk the talk whenever we do anything in the line of duty!

Further more, being a Leo, besides serving the community... there's a whole lot more reasons why one join! Just the reasons of Fellowship, Self enchancement, character development and team-building alone justify every single reason why we join the Leo Club! Hence.. after 40 years of the existence of the Leo Program in our District, and even our Multiple District 308 (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei)... why not shout out WE'RE STRONGER THAN BEFORE!

This is seriously not an SS moment. Let's justify:

1) Existence:
We had 1 club formed (Anderson School Ipoh) back in 2nd September 1970....today District 308B2 stands at approximately 90 clubs.. and the MD308 has more than 200 clubs in total!

2) Projects
I cannot recall every single fundraising project in our MD last fiscal year, but the few in our District that really caught my attention would be the Fallen Stars Project in Ipoh and Penang that both collected Rm25k for kidney patients!!! Sri KL's Charity concert raised RM20 000 alone.. and we are talking about just 3 projects combined we have exceeded RM45k in fundraisers alone. What about others? I dare shout out no less than RM100k in total throughout the fiscal year for MD308?

How about projects last fiscal year that caught the attention of the media? The ICCP in Penang? The Kinta River Clean-up in Ipoh, the HOPE project in PJ, and the tons of other projects in Kedah that got into the media limelight? Bernama TV interviewed our IPDG Choong Kwei Loi during the ICCP... Kinta River Clean up was also covered by TV1 News and 8TV Celebrity Chat and HOPE on TV1 news too!

3) Community Service
From my record alone, and I'm pretty bad in maths.. I believe I have counted not less than 100 community service based projects in our District last fiscal year that included visits to welfare homes; bringing kiddos out for movies or picnic, family days; Sight First projects, health related projects that included seminars, exhibitions, visits and many more!!!!

4) Membership Drive
We saw an increase of not less than 15% of our Leo membership in the last fiscal year! How about that?

Hence.... with all these, in a summarized point... shouting out 40 YEARS IN SERVICE... STRONGER THAN BEFORE is justified before we even shout it out!

I am very proud of each and everyone of you as you have all excelled so much in character building and you MADE A DIFFERENCE in your life.. as well as others! Let's make things happen this fiscal year! Instead of an annual guideline, here's a quarterly one that you might want to look at:

1) Organize projects for others also.. not just amongst yourselves!

a) Fellowship Projects
We have seen many IR or IU days being organized, especially in the Klang Valley. International Relationship or International Understanding... is a term that is used to instill more fellowship amongst one another. Well, the only problem that I see is.. these projects are mainly organized for and amongst Leo members. if you want to organize a fellowship project.. can you involve others too? For example.... invite your scouts, st. john's ambulance, band boys, Interactors or any other clubs in your school to join in the fun! Let's do more with Fellowship projects this fiscal Year! Let's not just have your own SS moments (Hahahah).. let's have a more seriously fun project for your school students. For the alphas.. why not organize a Family Day in school where you invite parents and teachers to join in the fun too? (for those who smirk and start thinking... ahhhh this wont work... then shame on you! Have you ever tried it? if you havent.. then shoooshhh away that thought and start planning!)

b) Community Service
have you ever thought that your members might just be extremely bored with those visits to welfare homes where you would actually do the following:
i) Chat with old folks
ii) Sing rasa Sayang to the Children
iii) Read a stroy book
iv) Clean up the grill, window panes bla bla bla

Why not bring them out for a picnic? Why not organize a Zoo visit? Why not bring them for a movie? Why not bring them out of their homes and sponsor them to a play.. a concert? a Show? whatever! Think of something different this time round!!!

c) School Services
Please do more school services this fiscal year! Haha. Nuff said. yes. it's important. Well, law of nature teaches us this very simple fact. you want your teachers and School authorities to love you,... you must first love them! This is the theory of reciprocity! meaning, you give first.. then you expect a natural giving-back response! hence, if you start doing more school service projects... and one day, you seek for approval to go somewhere or do something else from your school authorities... the response might be different!

A task for Omega Leos....
the District projects that I intend to conduct this fiscal year would be mini- Leo Forums for the respective Porfolio Chairpersons... i.e. Environmental and Health Convention; Community Service Convention bla bla bla. Maximum of 2 days 1 night retreat where we train your young Alpha Leos on their portfolio jobs....For example.. the Health and Environmental Convention, we invite all the Health Chairpersons + Env Chairpersons... there will be workshops planned... seminars.. trainings etc etc.. on their portfolio.. giving them a chance to learn something new, and go back to their clubs... to spread the word around!! This is very preliminary. Any Omega Leo Clubs who wish to chair one of the respective portfolio Conventions.. you are more than welcomed to send me an email and we shall take it offline aye!

i) Health
ii) Environment
iii) Community Services
iv) IT
v) Fundraising
vi) Membership
vii) Public Relation

Well... we are kind'a all set!

40 Years in Service Mega Scale Celebration

I am also looking for 40 Leo Clubs, be it Alpha or Omega, to organize projects around our District....marking the official launching of the 40 Years in Service term!!! As we are marking Eco and Go Green in our calendar too this fiscal year... we shall go with 40 Green Projects nationwide!

All you need to do is to propose an Eco project, be it small, medium or large scaled.. to be done in your own state. It could be planting of trees, clearing of rubbish in school, exhibition, seminars etc etc.....! As long as it is an Eco-focused project, that'll do! We need 40 of such Eco projects to be done concurrently throughout our District! yeah.. no kidding!

You need to invite your sponsoring Lions Clubs to be present, and atleast 1 school official (teacher or senior assistants or principal) for the Alphas. To those clubs who are interested, please send an email to Leo Justin Yee (justinyjw@hotmail.com), who is also the Leo Cabinet Region 4&5 Co-ordinator or contact Leo Justin at 016-566 3736.

Please propose what you would like to do if you are part of the 40 Leo Clubs doing this. The target date is 29th of August 2010, the Saturday before our actual date, at 9.20 a.m.! And on the actual date (2nd September 2010), we shall have an online celebration (more details later!)

Well... discuss this at your BOD meeting...and come up with something ya! Do note that the 40 Clubs will receive special patch for their club banners and all OCs will obtain a special pin for their contributions!

Alright.. this should be enough to keep you all busy for a while! Hahaha...

Good luck in all that you do... and remember... ROARRRRR!!!! to the 40 years in Service!!! Roar! Roar! Roarrrrr!!!!!

Regards

Lion Alan Thoo
District Chairperson for Leo Clubs
Ditrict 308B2 - Malaysia