Greetings!

Cookie and I have enjoyed a number of fantastic Lions events recently. Hilton's Armchair Horse Race was well attended and a lot of fun. If you've never been to one, they are a great fundraiser. I'm sure Hilton President Joe Lee, PCC Jim Schiebel, or PDG Marv Hankinson would be glad to speak to anyone who would like to know more about them.

Congratulations to the Dansville Lions on a very successful minstrel show, as well as the Andover Lions for another terrific Maple Festival. These events have a rich history and both have been held in their respective towns for the past 36 years. I know their communities look forward to them each year. It was nice to see a number of Lions from neighboring clubs (and some far away) supporting these activities.

Thanks to those clubs who have already submitted their PU-101 forms for next year's officers. This really helps VDG Terry get a jump on his district directory, so please keep them coming. Remember, they are due in to Lions International by April 15th.

I know some of the recent ACM meetings have had exceptionally good turnouts and lots of information was exchanged between the clubs. My thanks to our Zone and Region chairs for their preparation and setup as well as to the Presidents, VPs, Secretaries, and Membership Chairs who are participating. Just a reminder that incoming officers should plan to take advantage of the training sessions being offered in Wellsville and Kendall the first week of June. Both sessions will be held at their respective schools and feature internet access so you can learn how to find information on the Lions International, MD20, and District 20E-1 websites as well as file reports electronically.

By now, club secretaries should have mailed their delegate forms for our MD20 Convention in Niagara Falls to the state office. If you did not complete the form but will have members attending convention, please let me know who they are ASAP. Please remember we have not had a dues increase in 11 years and really need it to maintain the budget and continue to provide training and leadership materials for our Lions. Please vote "Yes" for the $5.00 dues increase that will occur over 2 years ($3.00 and $2.00, respectively). This is less than a penny a day.

Reminder: Three (3) NYS & Bermuda Foundation Raffle Tickets were sent to every club secretary. There are several prizes and if you sell all 3 tickets, it entitles you to present a Robert J. Uplinger award to someone in your club or community. The Foundation has provided generous grants toward the purchase of our vision screening equipment (among other things), so let's give back in return.

It's not too late! You still have time to contribute toward making Camp Badger ADA compliant by May 1st, even if you can't join the work weekend scheduled for April 12th & 13th. If you would like to work any day(s) or weekends after that, it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact:  Lion President Diane Hankinson (dhankin1@rochester.rr.com ) or phone 585-225-7104, or Lion PDG Marv Hankinson (bigsid18@rochester.rr.com ) or phone 585-964-5231.

Our District CSFII 3-5K walk (2-3 miles) is scheduled for 11:00 AM on April 19th rain or shine at SUNY Geneseo. Light refreshments will be served and participants will receive a special hat (see flyer in this newsletter for details). Remember, we would like at least one representative from each club to walk. Please come out and walk, enjoy some refreshments, and help us get one step closer to our goal of 100% of the clubs in our District supporting the CSFII campaign.

It has been a wonderful year and I would like to invite everyone to my Testimonial brunch on Sunday, May 18th. Our fourth and final cabinet meeting will be held immediately following the celebration. Please see flyer in this newsletter for details.

Hope to see you at the CSFII walk!

YIL,

DG Terry