Lions attend state convention

Council Chair Lion Nancy Oehler Love attended the Multiple District 9 State Convention that was held May 5 -6 at the Diamond Event Center in Cedar Falls, IA.

Some of the highlights of the convention for Council Chair Nancy included the formal International Banquet which was held on Friday night. It opened with the procession of the dignitaries, the International guest Allen Snider and wife, Susan from Ontario, Canada, Past International Directors and the current and future District Governors from across the state. It was followed by the posting of colors and the singing of the National Anthem and O Canada. After dinner, International Director Allen addressed the group on the futureof Lions International before the presentation of the Presidential Awards.

Council Chair Nancy said, "To say I was astonished to have heard my name called to receive an award at the MD9 State Convention is an understatement." It was the International President's Award, an engraved medal, which is the second highest honor from Lions Clubs International for dedicated service to those in need.

Saturday morning, Council Chair Nancy conducted a Memorial Service for all Lions who had passed in the last year. She gave the bell an extra ring in Memory of Arvid Anderson, 70 year Charter Member of the Crawfordsville Lions Club who had been her mentor in all things Lions for nearly twenty years.

Following lunch, there was a time for the presentation of four more Presidential Certificates of Appreciation, the fourth highest award in Lionism. These four recipients were chosen by Council Chair Nancy as Lions who had made a difference to her during her Council Chair year.

The afternoon speaker was Dr. David Dickens from the U of I Stead Family Children's Hospital on pediatric cancer, one of the focus areas of the Lions Clubs International Foundation.

The business meeting followed and it must be noted that Lions, especially Iowa Lions are very generous and willing to dip into their pockets when the Council Chair's gavel or bell mysteriously disappears. They raised $190 for the Iowa Lions Foundation to buy back Council Chair Nancy's gavel so she could adjourn the convention, which, in its tradition, ended with the singing of "God Bless America."