Happy New Year Lions,
 
Kindness Matters. Over the holiday season, I read news stories about how a simple disagreement lead to someone’s injury or death. One such story was about an argument over what to watch on TV; someone was shot and killed over this. So why would I start my first article of the new year, with such a sad commentary?
 
Kindness Matters. It lead me to consider the times over the past year when I have been less than kind. Most of the time these acts of perceived unkindness were not intentional. Sometimes, I was unkind as a gut reaction to something someone had done; such as shutting someone down for interrupting a presentation I was giving. Yet, there was one act of unkindness that stands out among all the rest and that was to one of my club members, Lion Ray. It doesn’t matter why it happened, it just did. I embarrassed Lion Ray in front of some guests he had at a club meeting. While I apologized to Lion Ray afterwards, the harm had been done – I had not been kind.
 
Kindness Matters. So do words and actions. As we begin this new year, let us resolve to be more kind to our family, friends, neighbors, and fellow Lions. Past Council Chair David Radtke (who by the way is running for International Director at the February convention) tells the story of how each day he puts on his Lion pin (you know the one you received when you became a Lion) upside down. It remains that way until he does an act of kindness. Sometimes simple gestures keep us focused.
 
Kindness Matters. The acts of kindness I am referring to are those sincere acts. We are kind because we want to be, not for ourselves, but for the people we are kind to. I ask each of you to join me this year in being kind. The more acts of kindness we do, the more we will discover our world is a better place to be.
 
Together leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
1st VDG
[email protected]

“The Party Line” I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house growing up. And as most young children, whenever the phone rang I ran to pick it up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always a call for my grandparents. Back then they had a party line phone, which meant they shared a telephone line with another phone customer. Depending upon the type of ring, the incoming call was either for you or the other party. And it was common to wait to make a call until the party on the other end completed their call. My parents were part of the modern age and had a single line phone. No waiting for us.
 
Over the years, we have all experienced a lot of technological and social changes, some good and some not so good, depending upon our personal values and lifestyles. When I left home for college, I asked for an electric typewriter. Not that I was able to type, only now I would be able to not type faster. While at college, I charged fifty cents a page to type papers for other students, and $1 per page if I needed to use carbon paper. When erasable bond came out, we all thought it was a miracle. If I made a mistake typing, all I had to do was erase it away. This was followed by liquid paper. I was living in the fast lane now. Then the 1980s came along and I was introduced to the personal computer. Things haven’t been the same since.
 
As we all get a bit older, we sometimes lament the “good old days”. And some of us take an enormous amount of pride if we leave our mobile phones home for a day. Others get hives. Like most technological and social changes, they have their good features and their bad features. It is our choice how we use the technological tools we have today, and how we respond to social changes. It is our choice to look for the silver lining or to accept the dark cloud of gloom.
 
I do not miss the party line phone, but I miss my grandparents. And I know for them the phone itself was a life changing event. It shook up their world and allowed them to converse with relatives across the street or across the Atlantic to Portugal (to their native country).  As we celebrate this season with our family and friends, let’s take a moment to consider how our lives have benefited from these changes, and remember that whether these changes are good or bad is determined by how we respond to them.
 
Together leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
1st VDG
[email protected]

Hello Lions,
 
One day I was listening to a lecture on American business practices and the speaker stated that one difference between Japanese and Americans is the Japanese look for patterns while the Americans look at the detail. I do not know if what the speaker said is true or not. What I do know is many people get so bogged down in the details they do not see how the pieces are interdependent. This leads them to fix the piece with no care or understanding how or if it will affect the whole. They cannot see the forest for the trees.
 
This year we are seeing the forest and beyond. District Governor Randy just keeps sayin’ “We work for you.” “It not about us, it’s about the clubs.” Always ask “is it good for the district”? “Mark, my truck is dirty, get the hose!” For some people, these are just a tired old phrases; for Randy, they are real and heartfelt. He wants each of us to succeed.
 
When I was elected 2nd Vice District Governor, one of the many things that initially came to mind was, “Cool, now I will not have to worry about getting a seat at an event.” Quickly, I realized that the seat saved for me, was not where I should be sitting. I should be sitting with club members learning more about them. As part of the governor team, I have come to appreciate what it means to help Lions find answers to questions, direct them to the person or group that can best help them, and represent them at the Multiple District.
 
We see the interdependent pattern of Lions working together to make our communities better, one service project at a time. We see the forest and recognize that as District Leaders, we need to relight the flame of Lionism in some clubs, encourage clubs in their efforts, and share our successes throughout the District. When we do, we all benefit. We understand this is a multi-year effort that will continue to strengthen us and allow us to continue serving people for years to come.
 
Together leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
1st VDG
[email protected]

Hello Lions,
 
The other day, a friend reminded me of the “Ham Story”. There are various versions of this story; essentially it goes like this. Paulette was preparing to cook a ham for the holidays with her daughter Susie. Susie watched her mom cut off the ends of the ham and asked why. Paulette said “I don’t really know why. Grandma always did this.” Later in the day, Paulette called her mother and asked why she cut the ends off the ham only to be told, “I don’t know way, my mother always did that.” A few days later Paulette saw her grandmother and asked her why she cut the ends off the ham. Her grandmother replied, “I did it because the roasting pan was too small and I needed it to fit.”
 
Traditions are customs or beliefs passed on from generation to generation. Traditions provide comfort, even when we have forgotten the reason for establishing the tradition in the first place. In the Ham Story, the tradition evolved from a practical necessity that is no longer necessary.
 
We tend to do this from time to time; continue with traditions even when we do not understand why we are doing so. In Paulette’s case, it was a family tradition passed down by the women in her family. Are we doing the same thing in our clubs and at the District?
 
This year District leadership has turned the pyramid upside down. Clubs and members are at the top and District leadership is at the bottom. We now have an online directory, we are taking the website to the next level, we are communicating directly to Lions in the District, we kick-started our efforts to identify emerging Lion leaders, and we are taking to heart, “Joining Hands in Service”. In taking these actions, we are eliminating long held traditions and beliefs, not because they are not valuable, but because they have run their course and times have changed.
 
As we move into the second quarter of our Lions year, take the time to think about the traditions your club has. How many times have you cut the ends off a ham? Ask yourself, “Is it time to start new traditions?”
 
Leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
1st VDG
[email protected]

Hello Lions,
 
I do not like change, mostly because I have no place to put it after leaving the drive thru. Of course, this is not the change I am referring to. Change makes me uncomfortable, I like routine and I like things staying the same. Recently, I purchased a new recliner because my old one had seen better days. I patiently waited for it to arrive, and when it did, I sat down looking forward to feeling the new plushiness. Imagine my surprise when it didn’t feel the same way as the old one. I was disappointed, upset, and angry, because it was not what I wanted. I wanted the comfortable feeling I have when I sit in the old chair. The old chair knew me; it wrapped around me like an old friend. Now I had two chairs, one old, one new. What was I going to do? I could remain in the past and enjoy the comfort of what I knew; or I could jump into the future and make the new chair a comfortable reclining experience.
 
The same is true of our clubs. Many of our clubs and members are satisfied to remain in the past. The past is comfortable. We like doing the same projects each year, with the same members in charge. We like believing we are still serving the needs of our communities, without really knowing if those needs are still valid. We like the people we have been with for the past 10, 20, or 30 years. We aren’t comfortable with the occasional new member who asks too many questions, or wants to do something other than flip pancakes. We aren’t comfortable when a new member sits at our table, in the seat Joe always sits at. We aren’t comfortable when someone tells us our club is going to fade away; even when it actually is.
 
Each of us as Lions and each of our clubs, should take an honest assessment of why we are Lions and why our club(s) exist. We should ask ourselves if we are happy being Lions. If not we should work to understand why and then finds ways to resolve it. Clubs should ask if they want to exist in the next 5, 10, or 20 years from now. If they do, then clubs need to understand what it will take to do so.
 
Change for the sake of change is not a good approach. We need to take the best of our past and our traditions, embrace new technologies and understand current community needs, and forge a path to the future. We need to understand that when people say, we need younger members, we are not just talking about people in their 20s and 30s. Younger members are people in their 40s and 50s, and for some clubs people in their 60s. Everyone wants to feel they are contributing to the needs of their communities regardless of their age or gender. We are all Lions. We can all Serve.
 
By the way, each day I sit in my new chair it gets more comfortable.
 
Leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
1st VDG
[email protected]

Welcome to the start of a new Lion year 2018-2019! The Governor’s motto this year is “One Team One Dream, Lions in Action to Serve”. Governor Randy, 2nd VDG Steve, and I are ready to make this motto a reality by working with each club to be successful in serving their community. We look forward to doing this by working together as a district officer team, sharing the successes of other clubs, and encouraging clubs to Join Hands in Service.
 
The motto reminds us we are all on the same team regardless of which club we are in, and we all share the same dream, which is a commitment to serve our communities. We will accomplish this by focusing on the best of what we do, which is providing service to those in need.
 
There is a simple equation which demonstrates what a successful Lions club is:
Service + Leadership = Membership. Service comes first in the equation, because it is the essence of why we are Lions. Without service there is no reason to form a Lions club. Leadership is necessary to plot the course of each or our clubs to ensure the that the service projects we do are planned and executed in a way which demonstrates to our community our Commitment to Excellence. If we focus on Service and Leadership, we will effortlessly attract new members and retain existing members.
 
Clubs with few service projects make it difficult to keep members engaged. Leadership is required to ensure the club has service projects that are aligned with the direction and needs of their community. Times change and so do the needs of communities. Ask community leaders what is needed and design service projects to meet those needs.
 
Members are needed to effectively serve the community. Active and engaged members are more likely to stay with the club, because they have something to do. Clubs want new members to provide more service and ensure the club will exist in the future. And much like in the movie Field of Dreams, if we have sufficient service projects and strong leadership, members will come.
 
“One Team One Dream, Lions in Action to Serve” is more than a motto, it is a way of Lion life. So I encourage each of you to start out this new year and create your own Field of Dreams.
 
 
Leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
2nd VDG
[email protected]

I hope you are all enjoying your springtime and have great plans for the coming summer. It is interesting the Lion year runs from July – June; kicking off and ending in summer. In literary terms, summer represents youth, which makes sense when you realize spring represents birth. It is during springtime when we select and elect those Lions who will take the leadership helm for the coming year.
As kids, we enjoyed the coming of summer, no school, fewer obligations, and the opportunity to enjoy ourselves with family and friends. We begin our Lions year with a breath of fresh air and the youthful joy summer brings. We end our Lions year with this same joy. There are many Lion events during summer when we connect in meaningful ways with our communities.

A great thing about life is age doesn’t matter; we can all enjoy our summers, time when we can take advantage of the rebirth of spring and renew our thinking for the coming year. What matters is attitude. We choose to be happy or not; our clubs can do the same.

This coming Lions year, we encourage you and your clubs to choose a happy attitude. Take the time now to encourage your officers to create goals and plans for the coming year. Put to rest divisions, conflicts, or slights you may have experienced. Focus on the good we have in common. When we focus on the good, when we serve with a smile on our face, when we have fun - we show the world there is a better way. The Lion Way.

This coming Lions year make a conscious decision to “Do good while having fun.” Let’s remember the lyrics of that famous song:

                                                    When you're smilin', when you're smilin'
                                                    The whole world smiles with you
                                                    When you're laughin', oh when you're laughin'
                                                    The sun comes shinin' through
 
                                                    But when you're cryin', you bring on the rain
                                                    So stop that sighin', be happy again
                                                    Keep on smilin', 'cause when you're smilin'
                                                    The whole world smiles with you
 
Choose to smile.

Leading our legacy into the future.

Hello Lions,
 
This month I would like to focus on attitude and perspective, not only for leaders but for ourselves. Too often we get caught up in the day to day issues of life and when we do, we might be drawn to looking at things in a negative way. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, it is important to check ourselves and focus on those things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute.  Focus on those things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

I have met many good people during my time as a Lion. One Lion stands out as a symbol, for me, of someone who focuses on things that are excellent and worthy of praise. He is always light-hearted, lavish with praise, and exemplifies leadership through his actions and enthusiasm.  He is Foothill Region Chair Lion Mike Shaw.

Recently, I saw Lion Mike at a meeting and immediately noticed he was not his jovial, talkative self. Speaking with him, I learned he is having serious medical issues and he knew he would have to curtail some of his Lion activities. I could see the concern in his eyes as he shared this information.

I met Lion Mike several years ago at a district convention and since that time he has become a friend and supporter.  He tells awful jokes, he smiles a lot, and he plays games on his phone during boring meetings. A Lion for seven years, he has held numerous positions in his club Ontario Host Lions and at the District-level. Lion Mike is a former teacher, and a collector of Tarzan memorabilia (though I cringed when he told me he ran around the house in a loin cloth – just kidding, or am I?).

Thinking about Lion Mike, reminds me of what being a Lion is all about. Lion Mike is the kind of Lion leader I would like to be: caring, compassionate, considerate, and kind. Lion Mike, know that you are not only in my thoughts and prayers, you are in the thoughts and prayers of Lions throughout the District. We wish you a speedy recovery.

The next time you feel a little down, or your attitude is not what you want it to be, change your perspective. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Think about Lions like Lion Mike and know that the best is yet to come.

Leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
2nd VDG
[email protected]

Happy New Year! We are entering the next six months of the Lion year 2017-2018. Let’s look at the next six months as a beginning; a beginning of setting the stage for the continuation of serving our communities. Though officer and director terms may end, your club’s service to the community continues. Are you preparing your club to continue its legacy of service?
 
In preparing your club for the future, what type of leader will you be? Let me offer one possibility – become a servant leader. A servant leader is an approach to leadership where you are a “servant” first, focusing on the needs (not feelings) of others before you consider your own needs. As a servant leader, you recognize and acknowledge the perspectives of others and provide support they need to meet their goals. You involve your team (i.e., club members) in the goal setting process and decision making (as appropriate). This is done to create a sense of trust and community in your team.
 
There are 10 key characteristics of being a servant leader: Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the growth of people, and Building community. How many of these characteristics do you have, which do you need to development, and which do you need to strengthen? (To learn more about these characteristics visit this link: https://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/jvl/vol1_iss1/Spears_Final.pdf).
 
Being a servant leader is a process refined over time and practice. While your term as an officer or director may come to an end, the leadership you provide your club continues. Start now in identifying and developing leaders in your club to take the helm in July. Take the steps to lead your club’s legacy into the future.
 
Leading our legacy into the future,
 
Mark Piva
2nd VDG
[email protected]