May 24 Bench Press
Steven Snow is the executive director of the Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Steven was born deaf and is the 4th generation of a member in his family that is deaf. He has four kids who can all hear. He said his children can medically hear but are culturally deaf. He grew up in Gooding right across the street from his school. Steven was one of Lion Arden’s students. He went to Gallaudet University in D.C. which is the only university specifically for the deaf and hard of hearing. He worked at the university then came back to ID to help make changes in his state. There are over 200,000 deaf and hard of hearing people in ID. Over half of them are seniors. He and members of a board, including our Pres. Gayle worked to get the interpreters license law passed. All interpreters must have a license to interpret. One of those interpreters is our own Lion Jill. The council has 5 categories of service: 1. advocacy, 2. provide resources for the community, 3. Analyze the needs of the community, 4. Provide workshops for the deaf community and training for first responders, 5. Provide education for the deaf and hard of hearing. There are over 200 different sign languages in the world. Website: www.cdhh.idaho.gov
May 10 2023 Bench Press
Charlee Draper gave the members a brief history of the Old ID Penitentiary. The old pen was a territorial prison first. Back in the mid 1860’s it was the Wild, Wild West with the Silver City Mine and pioneers and lots of crime. The name penitentiary came from the criminals had to “serve their penitence”. Criminals were sentenced to hard labor. They spent 14 hrs. in their cells and 8 hrs. working. 1872 were the first prisoners with multiple escape attempts. The fence went up in 1877. 1890 it became the state prison, why you ask? Because ID became a state. Unfortunately, over population was always a problem so the cells were overcrowded. Check the website for the interesting story about Douglas Van Vlack. The dining hall was built in 1898 which was the first building planned and built by the prisoners. 2 house built in 1911 was the first cell block with electricity, buckets for toilets and geothermal heat. Women’s ward built in 1920 which often times sat empty. Check the website for the notable women who stayed there. 3 house 1928 - Harry Orchard served 49 yrs. Cooler in 1923, Siberia 1926 - solitary confinement. Chapel 1942, burned down in 1973. Go to history.idaho.gov/oldpen
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May 3 Bench Press
Coach Colby, the head basketball coach of the College of ID, spoke to what he thinks is the reason they are such a winning team. They were crowned the national champions of the NAIA conference this year. They are the only men’s basketball team who won 30+ games in a season in the last 5 years! The Yotes are “Legacy Driven”. “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” Their road map to success: Communication builds trust, Trust generates commitment, Commitment fosters teamwork and Teamwork delivers results! Coach mentioned that when they were in Kansas City for the BB tournament, their team and coaches never ate fast food. Yes it is more expensive but they feel eating healthy and together gets results for all. They focus on serving just like the Lions do. They work closely with all of the Caldwell elementary schools. They challenge the K-5 students to serve their community and give back to others. The students are rewarded with a ticket to one of the games for serving. They spend a lot of time working on communication. They are a solution based program and feel they are bigger than basketball. Website: collegeofidaho.edu
April 26 2023 Newsletter
Doug Holloway the director of Boise’s Parks & Rec. shared there are 6 departments that make up the Parks & Rec. Admin, Zoo Boise, Rec, Parks, Comm. & Marketing and Foothills & Open Space. They wouldn’t be able to keep up with all they do without the 600+ seasonal and temp workers 16 yrs. old. They are in dire need of these workers so tell everyone you know to go to the city’s website and apply. They cover 94 parks 1,600 acres, the greenbelt 25 miles, trails 200+ miles, 13 open space reserves, 11 community centers, 7 swimming pools, 3 skate parks and 3 cemeteries! Their guiding principles are social equity & inclusion, community & employee experience, the environment, and community health & wellness. They have made improvements to many of the parks and remodeled the fountain at Ann Morrison. Boise set a goal to have every household within the city limits be within a 10 min. walk of a park or open space. They are at 69% of fulfilling that pledge. They have a partnership with Ridge to Rivers and they have a forestry team. One eventual goal is to connect Hwy. 21 to Hwy. 55 with trails. City of Boise - creating a city for everyone! Check out the city’s website: cityofboise.org
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April 19, 2023 Bench Press
Gene Peacock is the Zoo Boise Director. A new lady Lion has been added to Zoo Boise. Her name is Ahsoka, after a Star Wars character. She was born in CA and they are working to acclimate her to ID weather and eventually introduce her to the male Lion Revan who is also named after a Star Wars character. The Lions have been “talking” to each other but they want to introduce them gradually so when they are introduced he doesn’t kill her which does happen. Gene said Zoo’s all over the world serve as an “ark” for animals in our world. Last year they had 345,000 visitors from Oct. 1 - Sept. 30. Zoo Boise is healthy, their summer camp registration opened last Monday and are already full. During Covid they put together a massive 20 yr. master plan which will go in three phases. The first phase will focus on the older exhibits that were built back in the 60’s. They will build new modern exhibits, an education facility, a new penguin and red panda facility just to mention a few. Zoo Boise will remain open during construction. Check out their website zooboise.org for more information.
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April 12 2023 Bench Press
Jeff Kirkman is the creator of Free2Succeed which is the ID Dept. of Corrections community mentorship initiative. The total incarcerated residents in IDOC is 9,008 with 7,709 males and 1,299 females. The current supervision population is 19,198 covering the whole state of ID. About 35% of the released residents return to prison! There is a long list of challenges for the released inmates. Jeff shared a couple of mentor stories. After 15 yrs. of prison a man walked into Walmart and went into sensory overload and froze. He called his mentor who told him to find a seat and he was on his way over. The mentor literally held his hand and walked him thru Walmart explaining and showing him all of the new things. Another mentor received a phone call from his mentee who was heading to SoCal to take his life. The mentor talked for quite a while with the mentee but he hung up continuing to head to SoCal. A wonderful turn of events happened, the mentee showed back up in ID and called his mentor and they met with his parole officer and worked things out. That mentor saved the mentee’s life! If you feel this is a calling for you, you can speak to Lion Arden who has been a mentor to several people or email mentoring@idoc.idaho.gov and check out their website www.idoc.idaho.gov
April 5 2023 Bench Press
Marianne Batten is the VP of the Boise Pickleball Club. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the world. It is a cross between badminton, ping pong and tennis. There are lessons available in the valley thru parks and rec. Pickleball started in WA by 3 men and it has been rumored the name came from one of their dogs whose name was Pickle. He kept stealing their ball. With bored children at home, they sought to play badminton on an old badminton court but couldn’t find the proper equipment so they improvised and Pickleball was born. It is now the state sport in WA. There are beginners, intermediate and advanced players. Most recreational players prefer the round robin tournament type. If the tournament is sanctioned, they provide referees. There are many locations in the area to play pickleball. Hobble Creek has 12 dedicated courts and 4 dual purpose courts. Settlers Park has 3 dedicated and 20 temporary courts. There are new ones at Kleiner Park. There are approx. 9 tournaments a year in the Boise area with registration between $40-$50. Check out boisepickleballclub.org
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March 29, 2023 Bench Press
Dr. Jennifer Shalz works for St. Luke’s Lifestyle Medicine. The U.S. ranks 45th in life expectancy with the age of 78.5. Health care costs yearly in the US are largely spent on Diabetes $237B, Cancer $89B, Heart disease and stroke $199B, and arthritis $140B with $159B spent on prevention. These are staggering costs! 6 in 10 Americans have a chronic disease and 72% are overweight. The list of risk factors poor diets, inactivity, tobacco, alcohol, genetics, overweight/obesity, emotional distress, adverse childhood events & toxic stress, poor sleep and age. Lifestyle medicine focuses on 6 areas to improve health. 1. increase consumption of whole (not processed) plant-based foods. 2. increase aerobic activity and strength training. 3. optimize sleep for your needs. 4. decrease use of substances that negatively impact health. 5. foster close relationships in your life. Discover and maintain a sense of purpose. 6. learn skills to manage symptoms of anxiety and depression. “Lifestyle is Medicine” Check out stlukesonline.org, go to search and type in lifestyle medicine
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March 22, 2023 Bench Press
When we have 5 Wednesday’s in the month, we use one of them for Lions information day. Our program chair, Lion Rick asked me to speak about my vision for my upcoming DG year starting July 1, 2023. First off, I need to give a big shout out to DG Betty, she has been a great mentor. At Midwinter, we voted in a 1VDG and a 2VDG. A big thank you to Lions John Hand from the Meridian Lions and Peggy Hess from the Rupert Lions! I look forward to working with them. The BB Lions have stepped up in a very big way by agreeing to be on the district team. We are on this journey together and we’re going to have fun serving district 39W. I have 5 team leaders for the 6 global causes. I just need one more for the “other” service cause which happened to serve 189M in the 21-22 yr. Let me know if you would like to step up to the plate for that cause.
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March 15, 2023 Bench Press
Cherie Coonce is the past president and now board member of the non-profit Wish Granters. She lives by “To those who are given much, much is required.” Wish granters work hard to provide wishes for adults, 18 and up, with a terminal illness. A hospice or social worker nominates a person. At this time they are serving Ada, Canyon and Gem counties. The average cost of a wish is $1800. The youngest wish recipient so far was 19 and the oldest was 90. To date they have granted 375 wishes. One of the recipients wanted to see a Clydesdale horse in person. Another recipient wanted to donate to the Special Olympics. One recipient wanted to get up close and personal with an elephant. They have granted fishing expeditions and a glamour shoot. They create and orchestrate all of their events. Their upcoming event is in Kuna at Indian Creek. There will be wineries, music and food trucks. Check out their website: wishgranters.org
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March 8, 2023 Bench Press
Greg Kaltenecker is the director of the Intermountain Bird Observatory through BSU. He spoke about the river restoration at the Diane Moore Nature Center. This program at BSU is in its 30th yr. Through the power of partnerships and 10 yrs. later their vision is being realized. There are more than 500 acres which BSU now controls 22 acres. They have worked to build the habitat by removing fallen debris, adding gravel trails, elevated boardwalks, wildlife viewing structures and interpretive signs. They created a self-sustaining side channel to restore the historic river function that had been lost. A magical thing happened. The wildlife and fish returned and they are working on the regeneration of the cottonwoods. They have planted more than 5,000 different plants and trees. The late Diane Moore felt strongly that IBO’s work with children is vital. She valued every effort to interest and engage children in nature, the great outdoors and “all of God’s creatures.” One of LCI’s global causes is Environment. Check out boisestate.edu/ibo
March 1, 2023 Bench Press
Kenton Lee from Because, International founded and started in Nampa, ID. While Kenton was living in Kenya, he volunteered in an orphanage. One day while walking to church, he noticed a little girl who had on the smallest shoes which she had cut open at the toes so her feet could grow and many of the other children didn’t have shoes on. He started thinking about if there could be a “growing shoe”. This became a passion project that took his team 6 yrs. When they finally had a prototype, they made 100 pairs and sold them instantly. He also learned many schools have a school uniform that includes shoes so if the children don’t have shoes they can’t attend school. Their shoes can grow to 5 sizes from XS, S, M, L and XL. All of their shoes are made in their factory in Kenya. Their hope is to open more factories in other countries where there is a great need. They have distributed almost 400,000 pairs of shoes so far! Because International received the patent for humanity award. He said, “Shoes are a small thing that makes a big difference!” Check out more of their story on their website: becauseinternational.org
February 22 2923 Bench Press
Lions Curt Kelley and Jay Lugo presented SMART Goals. At the beginning of the Lions year, our club did a SWOT analysis and came up with the following: Our clubs Strengths are strong leadership, fellowship and active members. Our clubs Weaknesses are not enough younger members/ more diversity, not visible enough, and mentoring. Our clubs Opportunities are contact community leadership for project ideas, more public exposure/marketing, and just ask someone to come to a meeting. Our clubs threats are young people not interested in joining clubs and people who still do not know what Lions do or who they are. SMART goals are Specific - ensure that the objective is very clear. Measurable - Benchmarks and progress must be measurable. Actionable - Each goal must be achievable. Realistic - Challenging but achievable. Time bound - Schedule of progress and deadlines. We broke up into 5 groups and came up with 5 goals that must be completed in 6 months. Here are the 5 goals: Service work, volunteer at zoo Boise, children’s triathlon, volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House and grow the BB Lions by 4 new members. Lions Curt and Jay will be sending all of the details for each goal soon and each group leader will be reporting back to the club with their progress. Way to go BB Lions you are so SMART
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February 15 2023 Newsletter
Kevin Zielinski spoke to us about a very tough subject, Stop Human Trafficking! The ID anti-trafficking coalition aided 115 individuals in the first six months of 2022. On a national level, it is understood that self-identifying as a victim of sex trafficking is extremely low. From their data, 41 individuals self-identified as a victim of sex trafficking. There are 26 subsets of crime victimization categorized by the ID Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance. Out of the 115 individuals aided, there were 408 counts of crime victimization. There are 8 subsets of special classifications categorized by the ID Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance. Out of 115 individuals aided, there were 79 counts of special classifications. Traffickers often prey and target vulnerable populations. These populations carry a heightened risk of being exploited. The ID anti-trafficking coalition works with 65 community partners to try and make the needed systemic changes. Do your part by educating your children/ grandchildren on how NOT to be taken! Check out their website: idahoatc.org
January 18, 2023 Bench Press
Officer Steve Bonas and his sweet K-9 Endy. Endy is a 5 yr. old Belgian Malinois/ German Shepherd from Slovakia. He is a dual purpose police dog. He was trained by Officer Steve in narcotics and apprehension. It typically takes 3-4 months to get the dogs ready for duty. Endy was an over achiever who certified in 23 days! The police department purchased Endy for $12,000. The need for police dogs is unfortunately going higher with the war on terrorism. They are so busy now with narcotics in our area and Endy has had several apprehensions of bad guys. Endy’s best weapon is his nose. Officer Steve called himself the chauffeur, he gets Endy where he needs to be to work with the SWAT team. Luckily, Endy hasn’t gotten hurt. He lives with Officer Steve 24/7. When their dogs turn 9, they are evaluated every 6 months to make sure they can do everything that is expected of them. Endy was quite friendly, he loves being petted and chasing a ball for his fun time. The BPD has 5 dual purpose dogs, 4 bomb dogs and 1 single purpose dog.
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January 11, 2023 Bench Press
Michael Clay owner, operator and lead trainer of Guardian Physique and Renee Dachtyl partnered trainer and strength coach spoke about their journey. They both worked for the Treasure Valley YMCA for many years then Covid hit. Their department was liquidated and they didn’t know if they would be asked to return so they opened their own clinic. Michael is a certified personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist and a powerlifting and strength training coach. Renee is also a certified personal trainer, balance and coordination specialist and weight loss management. Their tagline is “Giving Strength a Voice”. He asked the members what is the main source of pain for most people? The Back They focus on the whole body and partner with a Chiropractor and massage therapist. They have started a new program “Mahipp” which will focus on hip issues/problems. Michael said, “Movement is life and the more you move the better you live.” Check them out on Instagram: guardian_physique
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January 4, 2023 Newsletter
Natalie Nathan is the Health Promotion Program Manager of SW ID Area Agency on Aging sometimes referred to as the triple A’s. They receive federal and state funds to run the agency. Boise is in area 3 which covers 10 counties many of which are rural communities. There mission is to provide comprehensive info, assistance, advocate for seniors and planning efforts. Most programs are for 60 and up. Their services are targeted to assist seniors, caregivers, and people with disabilities in achieving and maintaining their highest possible level of independence. The access program answered approx. 15,000 calls in 2022. The agency served thousands of consumers meals working with the Metro Wheels on Meals program. Their Homemaker service helped 354 consumers. Their caring for the caregiver agency helped serve 144 caregivers with 11,610 hrs. of respite help in 2020 which has increased substantially in the last 2 yrs. Check out their website: a3ssa.com or call 208.898.7060
Members present: 33 Attendance: Lion Joyce Schram won the money! Yahoo!
December 21 2022 Newsletter Last one of 2022
President Gayle presented PP Tom the Club Excellence Award and pin. The BB Lions submitted the application during PP Tom’s year. He looks so excited to get another picture taken or that could be the picture taker. Way to go BB Lions! Members present: 29 Attendance: Lion Sam Storck sadly he was not present last week. Program Chairs needed for March, April, May and June Please email Lion Cliff, cao43053@gmail.com to sign up for the next 4 months. Foodbank food box delivery: December 27th, sign up with Lion Gayle Chaney. January 18th - New member orientation at Envision. Salvation Army is in dire need of bell ringers. Call or go on their website boisesalvationarmy.org to sign up for a shift. Lion Karen Wood broke her hip. She has been moved from St. Luke’s to a rehab facility but we don’t know where. If anyone knows please let me know. You can text/call/ email 208.570.0845, lynne6659@gmail.com Guests: Blas and Lucia Ortiz the parents of Lions Dan and Patty’s godchildren. Lion TT LaDawn read an “Aww” moment with tears in her eyes to the members to say how special we all are! She went around the room and pointed out what we all do in our community! And we said “Right back at ya”! To remind us we should all feel proud of what we have accomplished over this past year! Christmas funnies: Who delivers Christmas presents to pets? Santa Paws What do you get when you cross a bell with a skunk? Jingle smells How do Chihuahuas say Merry Christmas? Fleas Navidog How do sheep greet each other at Christmas? Merry Christmas to Ewe Some of the wonderful a cappella Borah High School choir members sang to us at our last meeting of the year. They were so kind to come during their crazy day of finals and holiday time. Thank you so much for coming
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December 14, 2022 Newsletter
Jason Billester VP of Development for the Boise Rescue Mission spoke about the mission’s 5 shelters. The River of Life Men’s Shelter, City Light Home for Women and Children, Sonrise Manor, Valley Women and Children’s Shelters, and Recovery Lodge. They have a ministry center warehouse where items can be dropped off. They opened the Lighthouse Rescue Mission/Ukrainian Welcome Center and they have next step transitional housing apartments. Right now, more than 300 homeless guests stay at the Rescue Mission every day and night and they serve more than 600 hot meals per day. They give away 2,000 items of clothing per month. Over the last 10 yrs., more than 400 people each yr. have transitioned out of homelessness. See pg. 2 for their December needs list
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December 7 2022 Newsletter
Jennifer Muslivy is the public information officer for the BLM fire program part of the National Interagency Fire Center. She did it all from fighting fires to public relations. The NIFC campus is 55 acres with 9 agencies working hand in hand. Boise was chosen because of the close proximity of the airport. The NIFC has a huge partnership with the military. They also have the largest communications system in the world. During 911 they supported logistics with NYC. Many coordination points, not just for fires but floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and domestic attacks. They use a 3-tier response: the NICC dispatches the closest, most cost-efficient resources across the geographic area. They mobilize additional crews, equipment, and aircraft from within the geographic region. With an initial response to incident by local firefighting resources. 10 geographic areas in the U.S. Fire season starts in the South and works its way up North. They use lots of college kids throughout the summer and into early fall. Smoke jumpers are located throughout the west. Check out their website: https://www.nifc.gov/about-us/ nifc-campus
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November 30 2022 Newsletter
Lion Curt presented his membership Power Point for our club’s informational meeting. Lions International formed in 1917, 1925 Helen Keller challenged the Lions to be “Knights of the Blind”, 1957 Leo Clubs formed, 1968 the foundation “LCIF” was formed, PID Gary mentioned LCIF has donated over $6 million to the people/ country of Ukraine. LCI turned 100 in 2017 and have 5 global causes: Vision, Diabetes, Hunger, Environment, and Childhood Cancer. Envision was founded in 1969 to serve ID and Eastern OR. They have the ID Lions eye bank, the ID Lions vision clinic, hearing aid assistance, eyeglass recycling, financial health care assistance to pay for medically needed eye surgeries, vision and hearing screenings. What the BB Lions do: they partner with the ID Foodbank sorting and repacking food, and food box distribution to local seniors, Camp Hodia children with Type 1 Diabetes, Sleep in Heavenly Peace providing children with beds and bedding, build handicap ramps, Chrysalis House, Found Kids Booth, Blood drive, Friendship food pantry. We are always looking for new ideas for service! Check out www.boisebenchlions.org
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November 16, 2022 Newsletter
Lion Jay Lugo is the executive director of Envision which was rebranded in 2019. Their mission: Humanitarian Service Organization dedicated to impacting sight, hearing and health. Their vision: A humanitarian leader known for advancing vision, hearing, and wellness services both locally and globally. Envision just finished their 5th strategic planning session for 2022-2025. Many BB Lions were involved in the session. Envision has 5 outreach programs: screening, eye clinic, eyeglass collection, eye bank, and hearing. Envision’s eye bank is the only one in ID and they are working hard to keep it that way. The eye bank in Spokane covers the northern part of ID. If you have had cataract surgery, macular degeneration or Lasik surgery, you can still donate. ID is the main focus for cornea tissue, the U.S. then international. If you need a transplant surgery, you would have to wait 2 weeks. In UT the wait is 6 months. 85-87% of Envision’s revenue comes from the eye bank. Envision is in need of couriers to transport corneal tissue and to answer the phones. If you are interested, please call Envision at 208.338.5466. Check out their website: envisionsight.org
November 9, 2022 Newsletter
Retired Col. Pat O’Rorke spoke about his career in the Air Force. He is a native Idahoan. He graduated from Bishop Kelly and didn’t know what he wanted to do. His Dad suggested he join the guard. He started his career as an airman, returned home and was planning to work for the forest service but got a call because a guy failed his physical so they asked if he wanted to go to pilot training. Never flew before but thought why not give it a try. It takes over 2 yrs. of training to be a mission ready pilot. He was very good at his job and placed 1st twice at Top Gun! He flew the F4-G the wild weasel a supersonic jet, the RF-4 reconnaissance fighter and the A-10 warthog which was a significantly slower jet. It was basically a tank killer. He retired September 9, 2001 just before 911. He wanted to jump back into flying for our country but due to his rank they wouldn’t let him fly jets only sit behind a desk. He went on to fly for Alaska Airlines for 11 yrs. His call sign was “Pat O”. Some thought the “O” was for Opie because they thought he looked like him. Being in the military as a fighter pilot he felt he was preserving America for our kids!
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November 2, 2022 Newsletter
Lion DG Betty said the BB Lions are in the top 3 of the district for service reporting. The district has served 70,000 people. 215 service projects have been reported with 7,622 volunteer hours. $23,000 has been donated to LCIF within the district. The marketing department has been working hard to get the word out about our district through social media. The Lion ambassadors comprised of PCC’s and PDG’s co-chaired by PCC’s Doug and Stevie are working with DG Betty to help with membership drives. 3 ambassadors have agreed to help with the Ontario Lions club’s “Frosty Fest” membership drive and to spread the word about Envision’s eye health care initiative. The Sunshine committee sent 2 cards celebrating 2 district members with 50 & 55 years in Lions. The district website is back up and running. DG Betty is so happy with the work of Lions Rose and Billie with the district newsletter! It is awesome! Lions Patty and Peggy are working on a service project for Childhood Cancer for the midwinter convention. The Midwinter convention is March 10th and 11th. Add it to your calendar and plan to go. Check out lions39w.org
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October 26, 2022 Newsletter
Tracy Bryan is the program director at Camp Rainbow Gold whose mission is to provide emotionally empowering experiences to Idaho’s children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Their values are hope, love and fun. Why? It’s all about the children. A child is diagnosed with cancer every 2 minutes. In 2016, 79 Idaho children under the age of 19 were diagnosed with cancer. More children are lost to cancer in the US than any other disease. Siblings of children diagnosed with cancer have more long-term psycho-social effects such as drug addiction, suicide and teen pregnancy than their peers. There are year round programs at their Hidden Paradise location in Fairfield. All programs are provided free of cost to the more than 400 Idaho family members they serve. In 2019, they found their permanent home for Camp Rainbow Gold. This space allows them to address challenges of capacity, longevity and accessibility. They have 300+ volunteers who give more than 27,000 hours each year. They have individual donors, grants, foundations, business and corporate sponsorships, special events and community fundraisers to keep the programs free to the children and their families. Check out their website for more information: camprainbowgold.org
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October 19, 2022 Newsletter
Grant Jones enlightened us on the senior hunger problem in our area. Over a 1/3 of the state’s growth are seniors. 1 in 6 seniors are food insecure. Meals on Wheels has been around since the late 50’s. They were one of the first non-profits in the country who dealt with this issue. They have 3 funding sources: the federal government through the older Americans act, donations and they raise the rest. They are now Meals on Wheels Metro Boise which is part of the national organization. They serve primarily ADA county but have needed to start serving in Emmett, Middleton, Marsing, Kuna, and started helping the outlying areas of Caldwell. That is a whole lot of area to cover for 16 employees and 400+ volunteers. Many seniors are home bound so the delivery of nutritious meals and more importantly the contact with other people is crucial to their well being. They started a partnership 11 yrs. ago with the Humane Society where volunteers deliver dog/cat food to the homebound seniors so they don’t have to share their food with their beloved pets. They are in the process of finding a large location to prepare 1500 meals a day and the 1000 frozen meals they deliver. Grant shared he was raised in Africa where this is not a problem because seniors are revered in that country. Check out metrowheelsonmeals.net
October 12 2022 newsletter
Erin Johansen is the Business and Community Relations Coordinator for ACHD. She gave an overview of the highway district. She asked the members if they knew their ACHD commissioner. Nobody seemed to know that. Get to know your commissioners, you can ask your commissioners help for your subdivision or area needs. ACHD believes in public involvement which is why they have open houses. For example, the 8th St project has gone back to the drawing board due to public input. ACHD covers 6 cities, do you know them? Check out their 5 yr. integrated plan on their website for work projected around these cities. They have a TellUs feature on their website you can use to submit questions, concerns, comments, and compliments. Go to achdidaho.org, click contact us, scroll down and fill out the form. You should receive a response within 48 hrs. ACHD projects have been experiencing 12 week delays due to working with other companies, shortage of materials and lack of crews. They are hiring as well as everyone else. ACHD believes in giving back to the community. They recently had a charity golf tournament and gave $250,00 to First Tee. Lots of info on their website: achdidaho.org
Lunch Oct 5 2022 short newsletter
Newsletter September 28, 2022
Jill Muir retired from teaching deaf students for over 20 yrs. She worked at the ID School for the Deaf and the Blind the same time as our other Lions Arden and Gayle. Part of her job before retirement, she made home visits before they had newborn hearing screenings to help parents work with their children. Imagine trying to communicate with your child when they can’t hear you! Early intervention is key for the families. Jill works part time as a sign language interpreter using the video relay service which is regulated by the FCC and runs 24/7. She signs with people all over the U.S. Most people do not know that sign language is not international. There are only 120 sign languages in the world. The American Sign Language, ASL, is now accepted as a foreign language in college. ASL is the third most used language in the U.S. behind English and Spanish. The deaf community prefers to be referred to as deaf or hard of hearing. Many people think lip reading is easy but it is not. Lip reading is extremely hard to do. She gave us an example by saying “vacuum” and asked if we knew what she said. Most of the room did not know. Fun fact: you an count up to 999 on one hand using sign language. Jill recommended watching the movie “CODA” which means “Child of a Deaf Adult”. Many of the cast members were deaf.
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September 21 2022
Jennifer Mauk is the executive director of BUY IDAHO which was founded in 1986. There are about 1500 members and there are about 57,000 locally owned businesses in ID. She is a one woman show so it is very hard for her to reach out to that many locally owned businesses. Buy ID prints a directory once a year. You can go to their website www.buyidaho.org to see the list of local businesses who are members with their addresses, phone numbers and websites. Their mission is to work hard to retain Idaho dollars for Idaho products and services and create a vibrant business economy for Idaho companies. Being a member of Buy ID gives the company access to networking and referrals, trade shows, use of Buy ID logo, showroom display, social media, website, speaking engagements, labels and other decals, media promotions-public relations to help grow their business. Join a smart network of success oriented ID businesses. Stop by the Buy ID showroom at 404 S. 8th St, Suite B128 where there are displays for their members products. She tries to spread the shop local message. Check out the website: buyidaho.org
September 14 2022 Newsletter
Francoise Cleveland, our speaker, is the AARP Advocacy Director. She explained some of the drug pricing parts of the inflation reduction act. AARP is a non-profit, non-partisan organization for 50+. There are 38 million nationwide members and 185,000 in ID. There were 4.3 million petitions asking congress to address drug pricing. 2022 drug companies will start to pay penalties for big price increases. ‘23-’25 free vaccines for Medicare beneficiaries. Insulin co-pays capped at $35 a month in Medicare Part D. ‘26 co-pays capped at $35 or 25% of the drugs negotiated price. ‘23 Medicare price negotiations with drug companies but will take until ‘26 for it to come to the consumers. ‘26 no more than 10 drugs negotiated in first year, adding no more than 15 drugs in ‘27-’28, adding no more than 20 drugs in ‘29 and beyond. There are 349,000 Idahoans enrolled in Medicare with 251,000 with Medicare Part D. There is a toll free number to call for senior health insurance benefit advising at 1.800.247.4422. There are many other resources at AARP like free tax assistance, financial planning, support for family caregivers, making brain health a priority, increasing safety on the roads to name a few. Check out their website for more info at www.aarp.org/ID
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August 31 2022 Newsletter
Mitch Cutter works for the ID Conservation League. He spoke today about their 4th campaign which is Saving ID’s wild salmon and steelhead. The league was established in 1973, they have about 30 staff and their HQ’s is in Boise. Their goal is to restore ecologically significant harvestable populations of wild salmon and steelhead. The salmon includes Chinook salmon, Sockeye salmon, steelhead and Coho salmon which are already extinct. The rest are close to extinction. Over the last 10 yrs. the salmon have been declining due to the dams, bad genes from mixing with the hatchery fish, delayed mortality and only 15-20% of the salmon making the journey to the ocean survive. Dams provide: energy generation, barge transportation, irrigation and recreation. How do we replace these services? There are better ways to provide energy through wind and solar. Changing from barge transportation to trains and trucks. Modifying intakes and wells for irrigation. We have a 140 mile free flowing river for recreation. Something drastic needs to be done to solve the salmon and steelhead problem. A comprehensive solution: restore salmon, steelhead and orcas, make all communities wholeno one gets left behind and honor promises made to the indigenous tribes. Check out more on their website: idahoconservation.org download the newsletter here for more club news
August 24 2022 Newsletter
Shari Baber is a PK, preacher’s kid, she came to ID kicking and screaming. She has been here for 33 yrs. and has loved every minute of it. Shari’s brother got a football scholarship to BSU, he married a white lady and had kids. Her sister-in-law called and said she didn’t know how to fix her children’s hair and couldn’t find anyone to do it in Boise. Shari is a cosmetologist and was convinced to move to ID. She opened her salon and found out there was quite a need because many white people in Boise adopt brown children. While working with her brown clients, she realized there was another need which grew into her non-profit “brown like me”. Brown like me started 4 yrs. ago and they are serving 170 families. There mission is to help black youth and their families connect to their culture and develop a sense of belonging by creating a community of people that look like them and reflect who they are. They are taking some of their teenagers to DC to help them learn about the US government. The teenagers have to fundraise and serve their community to go on this trip. Shari also runs the Soul Food Festival. She said it will be in Julia Davis Park again next year in August. Check out their website: brownlikeme.org
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August 10 2022 Newsletter
Jeff McElwee is one of many employees at the Birds of Prey that started out as a volunteer. He talked about and showed us many pictures of raptors around the world. The Peregrine Falcon has 16 species. When the US used DDT chemicals, they found it got into the bloodstream of the falcons and caused their egg shell lining to become too thin. Thus their eggs cracked as the baby inside started to grow which depleted the population of the falcons down to 70 in North America. They have since raised more falcons and released over 4,000 back into N.A. Falcons can fly approximately 242 mph! They have a hole in their beak that helps to streamline the air flow for that great speed. One of the Bataleur eagle’s is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the oldest eagle. In the raptor world, the female raptor DOWNLOAD THE NEWSLETTER HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
August 3 2022 Newsletter
Lion Nancy Berto, our program chair, got a call from her speaker. He had to cancel but plans to speak next month. So she brainstormed with Lion President Gayle. Our president Dr Gayle Chaney taught at CWI, she used a questionnaire to get the students to mingle with the other students. They were asked to introduce themselves to a person they didn’t know then ask one of the questions. It helped the students get to know each other and it helped Dr Gayle get to know her students better. It helped our members as well to get to know each other better. Are you a Visual, Aural/Auditory, Read/Write, or Kinesthetic (VARK) learner? Lion Gayle passed around the questionnaire “How do I learn best?” The members answered the questions with the answer that best explained their preference. They could also circle more than one answer if a single answer didn’t match their perception. (you could have heard a pin drop in the room while the members were filling out their VARK questionnaire). The members were also given a scoring chart to find the VARK category that each of their answers corresponded to. It appeared most of the members present were visual/auditory learners. But many were visual/kinesthetic learners. Thank you Lions Nancy and Gayle for teaching us today! DOWNLOAD THE NEWSLETTER HERE
July 27 2022 newsletter
Konrad McDannel from Republic Services showed sustainability in action. Back in 2008 the 128 vehicles in their fleet were all diesel. In 2010 they switched to compressed natural gas. In 2020 they received grant money for electric trucks. By the end of this year they will have 10. Know what you throw: They don’t want shredded paper in the recycle bins because it is so small it falls through the cracks and makes a mess. Put it in your trash bin, it will decompose faster than regular paper. You can’t recycle caps on most items. Leave the lids on prescription bottles as it helps keep the bottles sturdy for recycling. The recycling process is market driven: manufacturing, retail, use, blue bin, material recovery facility and shipment. The soft plastic facility left the area but they hope another company will be back in Boise soon. Composting: leaves, branches, grass, fruit, veggies, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells, pine cones and needles are the only items accepted. These account for 40% of the waste stream which is pretty high. The curb it programs have a purpose: source reduction and reuse, recycling and composting, energy recovery, treatment and disposal. Check out their website to see what items can be turned into the Household Hazardous Waste locations
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July 20, 2022 Member Luncheon
Paige Dinger is the executive director for Faces of Hope which deals with domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, elder abuse, stalking, and sex trafficking. Who experiences abuse? 1 in 3 women and 1 in four men are victims of abuse. In 2021, 4,432 911 calls were logged for domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse. Of the 4,432 calls, 3,617 were specifically for domestic abuse. In 2021, 3,456 victims came through their doors. Nationally the average age of victims of abuse is 25-44. Faces of Hope offers wrap around services all under one roof. Faces of Hope is like the emergency room and the Women’s Children Alliance is for the long term. There is absolutely no cost to the victim. For the victim’s safety, they have law enforcement, ID Health and Welfare, and county prosecutors. For the legal side, they work with the U of I 3rd year law students. Faces of Hope sees a lot of financial abuse. They have educational classes offered after hours like: Going to court with confidence, de-escalating a situation, teen support, empowerment, yoga, and safety planning. St. Luke’s and St. Al’s works with the medical issues. There is also emotional support and help with basic needs. Faces of Hope became that final piece. As soon as that contact was made, it legitimized what was happening to me. I wasn’t crazy, said by a Survivor. You can reach Paige at paige@facesofhopefoundation.org
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July 13 2022 Member Luncheon
Lion Gayle presented Lion Tom his International President’s Certificate of Appreciation and his Past President’s pin. Another picture which he loves so much! He thought he was getting away from having his picture taken. Lion LaDawn’s speaker was unable to come so she told us about the social and cultural sorority she is a member of called Beta Sigma Phi. In 1931, during the Great Depression, there was a need for an organization that could bring women together and expose them to a social, cultural and educational climate that was not available in those difficult times. The BSP members raise more than $3 million for local charities and donate over 200,000 volunteer hours in an average year. Each chapter determines its own service projects and participation is always voluntary. Chapters have created their own International Funds that donate millions of dollars to health research groups, hunger projects, and other worthwhile causes. This organization is known around the world as “The Friendship Organization”. Download the newsletter here for more information
July 6 2022 Lunch Meeting
Donna Brown from the Garden City Community Cat Project shared some great information. She said they don’t rescue cats, they rescue caregivers. They give free spay and neutering to all feral, domestic and free roaming cats. There are about 55 caregivers in Garden City. They have performed over 700 spay and neuters. They have found that low-income tenants care more for their cats than they do for themselves. They are working to control the cat population with community compassion through Trap Neuter and download the newsletter here for more information
June 29 2022 Lunch Meeting
On Lion President Tom’s last day as our clubs president, he shared the PowerPoint he put together with some help from his daughter. He started at the beginning of DG Kathy’s year attending the GMA zoom meetings and agreed to help with reinvigorating our members. He always thought our members just needed a little reminder of why they became a Lion. The PowerPoint touches on Lions global impact just by the huge number of Lions in the world. The mission and vision statements, the 5 global causes then our clubs Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and threats. You will need to see the PowerPoint which shows when we cross over with our strengths and opportunities it should eliminate our weaknesses and threats. I will attach the PowerPoint with the newsletter. Maybe we can take it on the road to share with other clubs in our district. Thank you Tom for being the BEST part of Lions and our hats off to you! Well done
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June 22, 2022
Lion Cliff introduced our speaker with a question; What do they do with your poo? Cindy Busche works in the Education center at the Boise Watershed. The center is quite amazing! They have interactive areas that are fun for kids and adults. What day of the year is our highest flow due to high water use? Super Bowl Sunday, I had no idea! 40 million gallons of waste water flows thru the plant a day. 7,600 lbs. of trash is generated per week. Flushable wipes aren’t really flushable. The companies never checked in with the waste water/ water renewal plants before making them. Only the 4 P’s should go into your toilet: Pee, Poop, Puke and toilet Paper. They work very hard to renew the water they extract from the waste to return it to the Boise river. Why remove phosphorous & nitrogen? To avoid algae build up on top of the river which steals the oxygen from the plants and animals. The renewed water goes back to the Boise river and the solids go to the biosolids 4,300 acre farm in Kuna. How can we help? Compost your food items instead of running them thru your garbage disposal and buy greener cleaners that are biodegradable. If you would like more info go to boisewatershed.org download the newsletter here!!!!
June 15, 2022
Kam Neth and her hubby started Little Heroes in 2007. Kam had a camera in her hand since she was in high school. She went to college, played softball and still didn’t know what to do with her life. Her camera was never far away and it easily came back to help her give back to the community using her gift of taking beautiful portraits. Little Heroes is a nonprofit that offers professional portraits for families with terminally ill children (18&younger) and terminally ill adults with children (18&younger). Local hospitals reach out to Little Heroes Inc. The following is offered to the families: a family portrait session at a location that best fits their needs, digital files, all edited images printed as 5x7, a keepsake slideshow (link to YouTube) and one large family wall portrait of their choice. Little Heroes has received local awards and featured in the ID Statesman 2008, a Seven’s Hero in 2009 and Channel 6 in 2014. Check out their Facebook page and their website www.littleheroesinc.org What a beautiful gift of memories for the families. download the newsletter here
June 8, 2022
Russ Weedon from ID Power started off with some nostalgic information about Reddy Kilowatt. He made his first appearance March 14, 1926 and was around for over 70 years. He is now a collector’s item. For many years ID Power provided purely Hydro power but with less and less water they brought on coal and natural gas. They plan to provide 100% clean energy by 2045. Natural gas is not considered clean energy as it still has some carbon particles but far less than coal. They have closed the Boardman coal plant in OR. There is conversation about possibly converting it to natural gas. They shut down half of the coal plant in Valmy, NV. Before 2020, 17 dams provided 41.7% of the hydro power but now with less water they only provide 32.5%. They are focusing more on solar energy with battery storage and wind energy. They are building a large solar power with battery storage facility in Twin Falls. Russ mentioned Anderson Ranch Dam is now full! ID Power works very hard to not impact the environment. There is a new Niagara Springs sturgeon hatchery next to their steelhead hatchery in the Snake river canyon south of Wendell. Check out ID Power’s website for more information. download the newsletter HERE for more information
June 1, 2022
Chelsea Miller is the director of community engagement at the Wyakin Foundation. Wyakin is a Nez Perce term which stands for Guardian. The Wyakin Foundation’s mission is to provide transitional support to veterans through educational, career, and workforce development in vocational training programs. They have 60 warriors in their program now with 54 alumni. The youngest warrior is 22 and the oldest is 55. Wyakin maintains an alumni program to keep in touch with their graduates. The foundation works with BSU, CWI, CSI and other technical and vocational programs to help get their warriors degreed or certified into whatever career the warrior desires. Their first 5 members were 5 visually impaired warriors who have since graduated from the program. One DOWNLOAD THE NEWSLETTER HERE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
May 25 2022 News
Erika Harmon from the Boise Senior Center shared some great information about the center. It was founded in 1979 and named after past Mayor Dick Eardley who served from 74-86. The Boise Parks and Rec now runs the center and the Metro Meals on Wheels rents/runs the kitchen. COVID affected them hard just like everyone in our community. They were closed for 16 mos. and half of their staff was laid off. They have been open for almost a year now with multiple different programs like Chat & Chew and Lifetime & Leisure. They have many different fitness classes like (Download the newsletter for the rest of the story)
May 18 2022 Newsletter
Joy Miller was the 1998 Idaho Mother of the Year. She was voted that by The Idaho Organization of American Mothers, Inc. Since 1935 this organization is committed to valuing mothers through service and education as an interdenominational, bi-partisan, multigenerational, multi-cultural non-profit. She was the president of the national organization from 2003-2005. She is a mother of 8, 4 adopted with many foster children. Idaho has had one mother from Sandpoint who was voted in as the National representative. Joy’s Philosophy of Parenting: My children...Love the Lord with all your heart. Love the family that created you, and create a family that loves you. Choose where you go and who you become. Do this within our Lord’s limits. Dance. A little freestyle movement around the living room does wonders for your soul. Education is a privilege. Studying is not what we have to do. Learning is what we get to do. Read. Read the Bible; the manual; the Sports Illustrated; the how-to-books; the backs of boxes and cans at the grocery store. Read great novels. Remember always: God and your parents love you unconditionally. Humbly recognize a power greater than yourself. Think, speak, love, laugh, work, give, pray and be kind. And if times are tough, call home collect. Check out their website: americanmothers.org
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May 4th, 2022 Newsletter
Jeff McElwee had a tour business before COVID. They stopped for a while but may start back up again. He is also on the board for the Birds of Prey. He mentioned if anyone is around town on Memorial Day, it is half price at the Birds of Prey. He and his wife, the other half of the tour business, have traveled and toured New Zealand many times. That is their favorite location of all the places they have gone. Before the 1200’s , no people had step foot on this island country made up of two land masses. The Maori Indians are a Polynesian race who run the national parks system in New Zealand. New Zealand, Land of the long white cloud, is named after the strip of white clouds that hangs by their mountain range. The Tasman Sea is named after the first European, Abel Tasman, to come to New Zealand. This beautiful country has over 452 waterfalls, an active volcano, glaciers, bungy jumping, zip lines, the Waitomo caves and more. They usually travel there in March because their seasons are switched from ours and it is like September there. You can email Jeff at irishwriter1916@gmail.com for more information. Download the Newsletter here
Newsletter April 27, 2022
Dale Hartwell is the development manager for the ID Shakespeare Festival. She basically grew up with the festival hanging with her father. She was in the apprentice program and worked in the box office. In this position, she helps raise funds for the festival. The festival started in 1977 with some BSU theater students downtown at the Capital One center, then to Plantation, then Parkcenter and now the amphitheater. They will have 5 productions this season. They believe in educating the young people with their school performance tours. Elementary schools will see “Alice in Neverland” and the Jr. High and H.S. students will see “Romeo and Juliet”. They have an apprentice program where mostly juniors and seniors work over the summer. They have many jobs but also get one on one training with the actors and are taught speech skills. The Cleveland, Tahoe and Boise company’s work together. The Cleveland company builds the set, uses it in the winter then sends it to Boise and they use it in the summer. It also goes up to the Tahoe company that has a shorter season. They would ultimately love to have a permanent building location to have a year round season but the perfect spot just hasn’t been found. Website: idahoshakespeare.org
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Newsletter April 20, 2022
Marcia Tennyson founded Chrysalis House over 20 yrs. ago. She never imagined her dream coming alive as it has over these 20 yrs. Seven women are living on the property they are leasing on Cloverdale. They have done lots of remodeling to the interior of the house. They are working on purchasing that property and have half of the money needed through grants, a golf tournament, individual donations etc. You can follow their progress on Facebook. The BB Lions have helped support the house for over 15 yrs. Almost all of the women's stories have to do with drugs and alcohol and many of these women have tried to take their own lives. Chrysalis’ goal is to provide a place for women to live, feel safe and rebuild their lives after being institutionalized. Beth, who is 36 and from the Boise area, shared her very tragic story. She said it is hard to express the depth of despair she went through! She has lived at Chrysalis house for 6 months and has a full time job. Check out the website for details on their big 20 year celebration at the Grove Hotel on Sunday May 1st. There are 8 BB Lions signed up so far. You can sign up on the website.
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Lunch Gathering April 13, 2022
Launee Wolverton founded Purses with a Purpose two and a half years ago in her garage. She used Facebook to reach out to her people for donations. She started with 48 purses filled with hygiene products, make up products, socks, scarves, hats, gloves, flip flops, nail polish, food gift cards to name a few and is now up to 250-300 purses a month. Her goal is to reach 1,000 purses a month and she will do it as she is that determined. Purses with a Purpose is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and they now have a location in Eagle for $300 a month to use for storing all of the items that are donated and space for filling the purses. Help them fill Purses with what Women in need….really Need! It used to cost approx. $12-$15 a purse now it is up to $18-$20 to fill a purse. Launee was at a farmers market where she had a banner advertising for her organization. A beautiful woman walked by with her children. The woman shared that when she left prison, she was given a purse from Purses with a Purpose which pretty much saved her life. It helped her to feel like a woman again and she got back on her feet and was able to get her children back! Check out her website: purseswithapurpose@boise.org
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Lunch April 6, 2022
Molly Lenty and Matt Thomas are assistant athletic directors at BSU. BSU is quite the powerhouse with 18 different sports programs. Their men's basketball team finished off with a fabulous season and the ladies had a rebound year but they are looking very good for next year. Their softball team is selling out every game including berm seating. They are ranked 23rd in the nation. No new news about bringing back the wrestling program. No new news about BSU hosting the NCAA tournament. There will eventually be a huge, very nice screen on the south end of the football field. Varsity B program with Daryn College. I forgot to ask what that is so...check it out. The new football schedule is out. It was amazing to hear they are scheduled 12 years out. Upcoming event: BSU fan advisory committee will be sharing their initial touch points. This Saturday is the spring football game at 3:30. Parking and admission are FREE! Their E-Sports program is located across from the Grove hotel. They are self-funded and have the National champion in Madden football! Check out BSU’s website: boisestate.edu
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Lunch March 30, 2022
Lion Ken Arnold was a BB Lion for over 40 years, his wife Mary Ann was our speaker today. She re-connected with many BB Lions she hadn’t seen in a while and the newbies in the club got to meet her. She gave us quite the history lesson. The Historical Society of ID Pioneers was created in 1881. It became the ID State Historical Society in 1909. The ISHS is responsible for 61 bldgs. and multiple acres of land across ID. The ID State Historical Museum started in 1951 and has gone through multiple expansions and renovations. After the major interior renovation and expansion in 2018 it became the ID State Museum. The Trailblazing Women of ID exhibit was held at the ID State Museum. It was so popular they kept the exhibit going for a year. The ID territory was created in 1863 and the capital was in Lewiston. The capital moved to Boise in 1865. ID became the 43rd state in 1890. In 1947, the American Friendship train went through ID. 700 boxcars were filled with food and supplies and shipped to France to help the country after WW II. Check out history.idaho.gov
March 23, 2022
Lion Curt spoke to us about the different types of clubs: Traditional clubs like the BB Lions meet in person, full slate of officers and weekly speakers. Cyber clubs meet electronically, different traditions and rules, your club your way. Club branches don’t have a charter as they are a branch of a chartered club, a minimum of 5 members with a president, secretary and treasurer. Funds raised go to their projects. If they reach 20 members they can be chartered as their own club. Cyber branch: meet electronically and may only meet when they are about to do a project. Special interest clubs or branch: there is a diabetes club in 39E which focuses on families with children who have Type 1 diabetes. The Tucson Cyber Lions clubs focus is on eyeglasses for children. The Scholarship club in 39E focuses on scholarships. They have several members in Michigan. Wherever there is an interest, a club can sprout. Check out the clubs website: www.boisebenchlions.org and check out the clubs YouTube channel. Thank you Lion Curt for keeping us visible online! download the newsletter here
Newsletter March 16, 2022 two weeks of news in one newsletter
march 9th program
Maddie Ortiz and Marbeth Soler are retirement counselors with Touchmark. They get to know your life story and your family. They work to educate people on what retirement communities really are. They have 3 different living spaces: Independent Living which offers apartments, villas and cottages. Pets are allowed and they have a dog park. Assisted Living with 2 buildings and Memory Care with 3 neighborhoods. There is a health and fitness center with a pool. They have housekeeping if needed. They have concierge service 24/7, a 9-hole golf course, home health services and home care with an on-site medical clinic. There is a lot of common ground areas with covers, walking paths, gardens and lots of activities. Our very own Lion Tedd Foote lives there so you could reach out to him and get the scoop. Check out Touchmark on YouTube or go to their website: touchmark.com
march 16 program
Lion 2VDG Lynne Burks, Lion VP Gayle Chaney, Lion PCC Dennis Burks, Lion Shelly Shelton when there are 5 Wednesday’s in the month the BB Lions use that extra day for Lions information. Lion Shelly the program chair for March asked Lions Lynne and Dennis to share their DG paths. It was fun and hopefully we didn’t bore anybody
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Newsletter March 2, 2022
Leslie and her mom (party Barb) are both breast cancer survivors so her nonprofit Flock Cancer Idaho is near and dear to her heart. They walked for many years in the Susan G. Komen Cancer event so when it went away, she thought why not start something similar here in Idaho. Last year was the first walk, they had over 400 participants and raised $25,000 which they gave to the YMCA Oncology Recovery Program. With the success of last year’s walk, she has scheduled this year’s walk which will be on May 7th from 10-2. Once she gets the registration information put together you can sign up. They walk on Harrison Blvd. There is no start line or finish line. You just park and take a stroll on the street. The neighborhood supports the walk with pink decorations, there is a Pink party the night before or Estrogen Fest whatever she chooses to call it. This year she hopes for more participants and has chosen 2 organizations to donate to this year: YMCA Oncology Recovery Program and Bustin’ Out of Boise. Her website: flockcanceridaho.com
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Newsletter Feb 23, 2022
Our speaker Jamie Weishar a physical therapist at Modern Rehab spoke about Fall Prevention. Some facts about falls: most falls go unreported and can be prevented. The CDC website states 1 out of 4 older people, 65+, fall every year. And 1 out of 5 of these falls cause a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury. More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling, usually by falling sideways. In 2015, total medical costs for falls was more than $50 billion! Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of those costs. Here are some risk factors: lower body weakness, Vitamin D deficiency, difficulties with walking and balance, medications, vision problems, foot pain or poor footwear and home hazards (broken or uneven steps, throw rugs, cords) Three specific exercises to work on: 1. Sit to stand, 10 reps, 3 sets, 7 days a week. 2. Lateral monster walk (walk sideways) with resistance band, 3 sets, 7 days a week. 3. Tandem stance (one foot in front of the other) with support, 3 sets hold for 30 sec., 7 days a week. download the newsletter HERE
Newsletter Feb 16, 2022
Abigail Breidenbach is the Family & Mission Ministry Coordinator. She also runs the Friendship Food Pantry at the First Presbyterian Church. There are 3 main places she gets food donations for the pantry. The Franz Bread Outlet donates 200+ bread items every week. The Rolling Tomatoes donate the bakery items from Starbucks that aren’t used but still have a good shelf life. And the ID Foodbank. She picks up 2000+ lbs. of food from the Foodbank every week. They get donations from the church and community like the BB Lions. They serve in an average month: 280 families, 369 children, 427 adults and 89 seniors. Over 50% of the people coming to the pantry are immigrants. She uses Google translate to communicate in the different languages. The pantry gives out recipe cards to help the immigrants learn how to prepare items like potatoes. When school gets out for the summer is their highest time of need. Check out their website to donate: fpcboise.org download the newsletter HERE for more information
Newsletter Feb 9, 2022
Our speaker, Blaine Patterson, is the director of St. Luke’s Emergency Services. He started out as an EMT then went to nursing school. He was in Twin Falls but has since come to Boise. The Magic Valley Paramedics receive approximately 12,000 911 calls in a year. Add Air St. Luke’s to that and it is over 20,000 calls. EMS - providing care, respond to the treatment then transport to the closest appropriate facility. Air St. Luke’s (helicopters) and they have access to a jet on very rare occasions have multiple teams who can fly with them. EMR’s, EMT’s, Adv. EMT’s, Paramedics, RT’s w/advanced credentials, Critical Care Nurses, Physicians and other specialty teams. Blaine started flying in 2001. They carry blood on the helicopters along with 64 different medications. Blaine said it appears ambulances may be going to telemedicine in the field using Getac computers to treat people in place in hopes of alleviating transporting to a hospital if not necessary.
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Newsletter 2/2/22 Two's Day
Our very own BB Lion Arden Schmitt was the speaker. He taught at the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind for over 40 yrs. He signed most of the time while he was talking to us. He showed us an amazing array of pictures from his many, many projects. All of his projects are made with recycled or repurposed materials. He believes his vision for recycling and repurposing came from his mother who was raised during the depression. He learned you can find a purpose for everything.
Speaker on Jan 26 2022
Our speaker last week was Professor Jennifer Pierce from the Department of Geoscience at BSU, Climate Control. She discussed climate change and what causes it and what the effects are of the environmental impacts facing us today. She touched on allergies, water quality, biochemical, malnutrition, and other areas affecting humans. She started with land. The fire seasons are lengthening and the fires studied are more severe when conditions are hot and dry. She said it took her studying for a PHD to discover that. She then jumped to agriculture. Environmental conditions are changing what crops we grow and when we can begin planting them. The number of consecutive dry days is increasing. Water is affected by the levels of snowpack and the amount of summer precipitation. The water levels are affected by snow on snow vs water on snow in the spring months. This results in a more rapid and early snow melt. Surprisingly, the mountains are the largest reservoir of water in the state, not man made structures. By 2080, Bogus is predicted to receive no snow. Zero. Zilch. Warming of the climate is projected to increase 6 to 11% in temperature. The low river flows will get even lower in the future. Smoke from fires will increase 2 to 3 fold by 2050. The smallest particles are the most harmful and most likely to damage lungs. Nationally, 84% of wildfires are man caused. The CO2 has increased from 280 Parts per million in 1750 to 408 parts per million in 2019, a 40% increase. She said Idaho could be the poster child for renewable energy if we would only put our effort into it.
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Newsletter January 19, 2022
Dave Wagers, President of the Board of Trustees for the Boise School District grew up in a Rotarian family and married into a Lions family. So he is well versed in service organizations. There are 5 out of 7 trustees up for re-election this year. The district serves 25, 527 students. 42% of the students qualify for free and reduced lunches. There are 4 City of Boise Community Centers and 4 Pre-K schools. 6 designated community schools providing parenting and family programs. In 2017 the district passed the largest bond $172.5 million. 22 capital projects in the works. The average teacher’s experience is 14 yrs. 72% of those teachers have master’s degrees. The high schools are ranked in the top 11% of the nation. All elementary students learn music. 100+ STEM courses for junior and high school students. Most national merit scholar semi-finalists in ID. 200+ sports, activities and student led clubs. There are 31 advanced placement offerings per high school. 67% of the students go on to college within 2 yrs. Way to go Boise School District! Download the newsletter for even more information
Newsletter January 12, 2022
SWOT’s UP? Lions Tom and Curt led a great discussion about rebuilding our clubs membership. On July 1, 2016 our district had 880 members and 33 clubs. On January 10, 2021 our district has 798 members and 29 clubs. What is SWOT? Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths: What currently exists? What do we do well in these areas? Weaknesses: What don’t we do very well? What can we improve? Opportunities: Where do we have opportunities to expand? What’s happening outside of the organization? Threats: What’s happening outside of our clubs that may impact our success? Group activity: Each table had a small sticky note pad and pen. Each member at the table was asked to write down the clubs strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Below are the top 3 for each category. Strengths: 1. Strong leadership 2. Fellowship 3. Active members Weaknesses: 1. Not enough younger members/more diversity 2. Not visible enough 3. Mentoring Opportunities: 1. Contact community leadership for project ideas 2. More public exposure/marketing 3. Just ask someone to come to a meeting Threats: 1. Young people not interested in joining clubs 2. People still don’t know what Lions do or who they are. Download the newsletter HERE for more fun facts.
Newsletter January 5, 2020
Our speaker Paul Vinci is a physical therapist who has been practicing for 25 yrs. He spoke to us about increasing our physical activity. The CDC guidelines recommend exercising 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day with 2 of those days dedicated to weight training. Sadly only about 8% of people meet those guidelines. We need to challenge our hearts for great health! We must get up and move as risk of falls becomes more prevalent as we get older. Work on your balance by improving your quad strength. One way is to place a chair behind you so you can stand and sit 10 times to build your strength. Resistance bands are highly recommended which can be used for weight training. To help with neuropathy he suggested getting your heart rate up for 10-15 minutes constant to get the blood flowing to your hands and feet. Physical activity helps with so many things in our bodies. So let’s get moving BB Lions! download the newsletter here for even more information
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