Belton Lions Club

2.  Club Secretary Challenge: Prize is a hand-made, one-of-a-kind fused & stained glass kaleidoscope (pictured below) – for the Club member who brings in the most number of Bike Ride sponsors – regardless of sponsor level.  Minimum number of sponsors to qualify is five (5) – regardless of sponsor level. Deadline for sponsor submission will be Friday, April 2nd.  Award will be presented on April 8th.  Challenge competition standing as of today:

Lion Dossman – 1 sponsor
Lion Corsi – 1 sponsor
Lion Matthews – 1 sponsor

3.  Thank you to Belton Lion(s) Tuma, Shaw, Knight, Dossman, Listi, Stagner, Corsi, Hickerson, and Fontenot for inspecting our inventory of flags – preparing the inventory for our renewing participants in this USA Flag Program.  We replaced seventy (70) worn and torn flags.  We have an inventory of 193 flags at the Journal; 15 at Lion Listi’s; 7 at Lion Shockley’s, 1 at Lion Griffin’s  & 3 at Lion Knight’s = Total of 219 flags ready for distribution. We evidently lost a few flags when we did the pick-up.  In week 1, we received thirty-one renewals; two moved out of the area; two declined; over a dozen requested information on the flag-pole lights. Within the first week and a half, we have received 25% renewal payment orders. In note: we should keep an inventory of 100 new flags; which cost us about $500.00 (just under $5.00 each) – when we order 100 at a time. Keeping in mind that 219 flags @  $30.00 annually = $6,570.00.  Thursday’s Mail:  We received an additional fifteen (15) renewals.  Journal, this week, has the picture from our Saturday work day with brief info on the program – with a link. We are proposing to place the ad for Feb. 4^th or Feb. 11^th.  Possibly, we can get Lion Tuma to do an article about the history of the program and why we do it.

4.  Thank you Lion Listi for coordinating to get the old and tattered flags to Scout Troop 153.  They will plan a ceremonial retirement burn for them.  … a great opportunity for the Club to go to the ceremony in support of the Troop.

5.   Facebook Suggestion Made to spotlight one Club Member each week or month on Facebook to let people know “who” our members are and “why” they are Belton Lions. We will present this idea at the 2/4 BOD meeting.

6.  District 2-X3 and Texas Lions Camp Club dues were paid this week for Regular and At-Large members.

7.  Belton Lions Foundation (74-2494272) IRS e-postcard 990-N filed this week.

Program – President Harrison invited Matt Bates, Director of Belton Parks and Recreation to give us an update; and we received a bonus speaker!  Matt brought Katrina Townsend, Event Coordinator for Parks and Recreation for introduction; and to share her presentation on the history of Yettie Polk Park, Yettie Polk and the Polk family.   In 1914, The Belton Journal wrote: “… the park will be an object of civic pride, a place whose beauty will appeal to all, a place in which all citizens of Belton have an equal and common pleasure …”. You just had to be there to see and hear the history with visuals – from 1911 to today – including the 1913 flood.  Then, Matt Bates provided an update on Heritage Park, the Ball Fields, Family Camp Out 2020, Miller Springs Nature Center, the Youth Advisory Commission and more.  Congratulations to Belton Parks and Recreation for their recent awards: Best Department Marketing Award; and Truck & Trailer Winners in the regional Maintenance Rodeo!