(Click here to go to our website) Call to Order – President Weldon Garrelts called the meeting to order and led in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Invocation – David Hunter: Dear heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this food and these friends. May our food sustain us, our friends entertain us, and our club provide help in every way that we can. Amen. Vittles – Ham loaf, mac and cheese, mixed vegetables, salad and toppings, rolls and butter, Lemon Bars, tea and coffee.

Attendance – 19 members. Birthdays – none.

Guests – Three, our speaker, Marne Fauser and her two children.

Lions Report – Our condolences to Byron Balbach, who lost his mother. If you are ill or know a fellow Lion that is under the weather, please call Pat Bryan at

Lottery – Frank Duff won the $10 lottery.

Announcements – Weldon Garrelts announced that April 1 is our Board Meeting. Friday, April 4th is our lunch relay for Lions International and challenged us to bring a friend. Our Wed meeting will be moved to Friday, April 4. We should all bring a guest and they will eat free.

Rich King handed out forms to use for inviting people to attend. The International event will kick off at noon in New Zealand. As Lions clubs around the world host lunch events in different time zones, the Lunch Relay will move around the world. Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world. Its 1.35 million members in more than 46,000 clubs are serving communities in 208 countries around the world.

Program – Sam McGrew introduced our speaker, Marne Fauser, Coordinator for the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute (CGTI), which is a program of the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association.

CGTI has been around for 4 years.

CGTI is a statewide substance abuse prevention and leadership development program for middle and high school youth.

In this capacity, she collaborates with school and community leaders across the state to promote drug free behavior, develop strategic partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders, and deliver presentations to a wide range of audiences.

She asked, “Have you ever said I am glad I am not in school today?”

Nearly every hand went up.

She asked why? (Wait for it. Wait. Wait.)

There were many comments regarding availability of drugs, bullying etc.

She gave several examples of how the program helped students to build skills for dealing with communication problems and healthier lifestyles.

This year they project about 400 youth of High School and Middle School will participate along with 100 adult counselors.

Most of the students involved in fights, when interviewed, said they didn’t have anyone to talk to.

Marne is not a fan of legalization of drugs, because of the negative impact on children.

Operation Snowball is a sister organization, which is more community and school based. See it at

Marne brought some things for us.

which were distributed by her children.

One of Omer’s Philosophies of the day: “Raising teenagers is like nailing jello to a tree.”

Tail Twister – Omer Benn asked Jay Hoeflinger to carry the bucket.

He fined Frank Duff for having won the lottery;

Everyone at David Lin’s table who was not wearing their Lion’s pin;

Sam McGrew bragged by reading an interesting comment on God’s creation of the mid-west and then paid for it.

And then he fined our President, Weldon Garrelts, as the fisherman said, “Just for the halibut.”

But that good ol’ guy did not fine David Hunter, our beloved Chatter Editor.

Mar 26 – Kathleen Marie Spegal - Radio Readers Greeter: Byron Balbach Apr 4 – FRIDAY! Lunch relay for Lions International at The Windsor of Savoy Apr 9 – Business Meeting - Know Your Lion Click here to Sam McGrew and let him know what you would like to see in a Lions Club program some Coming up

Thank you for watching Editor Rex Hess Publisher David Hunter To Dave with your suggestions, click here → To go to our website, click here →