Global Lions Forum
I thought I would repost this since it has been awhile, with some updates. My fellow Lions, WE HAVE TO CHANGE!!!! Membership has really fallen in the United States in the past 10 years. My own district is now below 1,250 members and multiple has lost 2,700 members in the last ten years. Five Ways to be a successful club in the second century of service from a Millennial Lion Perspective 1. Rebrand your Club – In this new century of service we must show the community that we are first and foremost, a service organization dedicated to helping those who need it. There are two general statements in marketing 101 What are you known for? What do you want to be known for? – We must been known as the community’s leader in helping provide service to our citizens and helping when there is a need.Use the media to show what you are doing in your community and have an open house of sorts to show your community leaders, as well as your fellow citizens that your club is committed to service. 2. Embrace and adapt to new technology – This step is an absolute must in today’s society. When younger generations what to research something, they do not go out the library or look in the newspaper. They simply “Google it.” If they are looking to make a difference in the community, then how will they know you even exist if you don’t even have a webpage? ,I have 44 clubs in my district, only 12 clubs have a website. Of those 12 clubs, 10 of those clubs have membership above 30 members. To me this is a direct correlation. 14 clubs have a social media page. 12 of those 14 have a membership above 30. If you want your club to be successful in this century, you must have a website and social media presence. As they say, “times change, and we must change too.” The best part about technology is that it is a cheaper way of promotion then traditional print sources.3. Let new or younger members lead and embrace their ideas. This is the hardest thing to do in our Lions Clubs. There is always the two phrases I hate hearing.We have always done it this way! We tried that and it didn’t work!I will add a third:We don’t want to do that because it’s not a good idea and it requires a lot of work. We are the most educated generation in American History. We have been taught since elementary school to be critical thinkers, team players, and to also think outside the box.The Millennial Generation is a generation of outside the box thinkers. Look what we have created in the last 10 years that Boomers like: Facebook, Yelp, Google, YouTube, just to name a few. Can you imagine if you let us lead a club? The opportunities are limitless! Let us rethink you in a good way. We would also appreciate it if you mentor us along the way and be there when we need you. Put your arm across out back and help us lead since you have the experience and have been in our shoes before.4. Adapt to the needs of your members.Are you wondering when why have these five new projects that international has come out with? Well back in 2015 they sent out a survey to see what its members we passionate about and what causes its members cared about. Well you can do the same thing in your club. Just as a business has to keep its employees happy, you must do the same thing to keep your members happy. This means adaptation.Paying dues electronically is one way. Also ask your members what they want to do in the club and how they want to contribute to the cause. You always must stay ahead of the curve when it comes to meeting the needs of your members.5. Actively serve your communityThis is the most important step out of the five. If you don’t actively serve your community, your club will fold by not getting new members.Fundraising and check writing are a good source of income and giving to worthy causes are just not what my generation is looking for. I will say they are important but should not be the sole focus of what your club is doing. When I say actively serve the community, I mean going out into your community and getting your hands dirty. It can mean simple things like cleaning a city park, or working at the local food bank. The best one of all is screening children’s eyes through Kidsight USA. Low cost, high impact, high visibility service projects as Jerome Thompson says in his presentations. To me it all comes down to this final step, if you don’t do this, then none of the above steps matters. Its simple, active service leads to new members, which leads to new members, then leads to new ideas, and new idea’s lead to new leaders, which in turn leads to the retention of our members. If you do this then everything else will work. – Lion Paul Fugate
Lions are people who are CRAZY ENOUGH to think THEY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD AND WE DO.
New gold standard for diabetes control – Before 1980, we measured blood sugar levels by how much sugar was present in our urine. If the test showed a negative result for our urine sugar, all that meant was our actual blood sugar was under 200 mg/dl. At the time, that was the best way to measure our diabetes control.The 1980s brought a new standard of care, introducing the A1C and the glucometer. What does the A1C tell us? If you have an A1C of 7.0, that means you’ve had an average blood sugar of 150 mg/dl for the prior 90 days. It was considered state-of-the-art. But … does this method of testing really show us how well we’re controlling our diabetes? Your blood sugar for the first 45 of that 90 days could be running constantly at 100 mg/dl. Then, during the second 45 days, your blood sugar could be running steady at 300 mg/dl. These disparate levels combine to result in an A1C of 7.0. Let’s say, for another example, that your blood sugar level was alternating, daily, between 100 mg/dl and 300 mg/dl. Every other day, your blood sugar rose to 300. After 90 days, your resulting A1C would be 7.0. While the A1C is an important test, it does not accurately report our level of control.The American Diabetes Association in 2019 made important updates to the standard of care that included Time in Range.Time in Range evolved from the introduction of the continuous glucose monitor (CGM). A CGM measures our blood sugar every 5 minutes and sends the results to our phone or insulin pump. Every 24 hours, the CGM provides 256 blood sugar readings. Every 90 days, the CGM records 23,000 glucose results. My personal target range programmed on my CGM is between 100 mg/dl – 180 mg/dl. Each individual diabetic may have a different target range. If you don’t know your range, ask your doctor. The goal is to be 70% of the time or higher of whatever your range turns out to be. So, for example, if your range is 100 mg/dl – 180 mg/dl and your percent is 80% of the time, you’re doing even better than the standard.As for me, I’m a type 1 diabetic. I try not to go too low to prevent severe hypoglycemic occurrences. A type 2 diabetic may want to have a lower range set on their CGM. It depends on their use of insulin. My goal is to have at least 70% of the time my CGM results fall between 100 mg/dl to 180 mg/dl. The ADA standards of care is 70% of the time between 70 mg/dl -180 mg/dl. This is a benchmark, but your target range may vary, depending on your doctor’s recommendation.The only way to measure time in range is with a CGM. Years ago, CGM was considered a luxury for diabetics, but now it’s the standard of care and covered by most health insurances, including Medicare. Most diabetics today don’t know what time in range is. Clinical studies have shown the higher percentage of time in range, the lower the complications from diabetes such as, kidney failure, lower limb amputation and diabetic blindness. To learn more about time in range visit: wheninrange.com LionsDiabetes.org California Lions Clubs | 129 Los Aguajes Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Sent by brian@lionballard.org