February 2018 25G Newsletter

From the Desk of DG Lion Tom Polk

A man was driving out in the country and came across an old barn that was covered with bullseye targets. He looked and saw that everyone had a hole dead center of the circles. He was so impressed he went to the house up the road. A young boy came to the door and the man asked “Do you know who shot all of the bullseyes on the barn down the road?” “Sure” the young man replied “I did all of them”. “Well that’s the best shooting I have ever seen!” the man replied. “Nah – them just hillbilly bullseyes” “Hillbilly bullseye? What’s a hillbilly bullseye?” the man asked. The boy replies “Them the easiest to shoot! – You just shoot the side of the barn and then go draw circles around the hole!

In the July 2017 newsletter I asked you “what is your moon?” and talked about John F. Kennedy’s challenge to the nation to reach the moon before the end of the decade. We are now a little more
than half way thru the Lions year. So, are you shooting for the moon or are you shooting “hillbilly bullseyes” – doing the same thing and not really trying anything. Kennedy’s challenge to “go to the moon” was not a small challenge. It had never been done and the US was behind in the “space race” – but the United States accomplished the task.

As Lions Clubs, we need to not give up. We need to be challenging ourselves and to try new things. We need to explore new ideas, new programs, new methods and things that don’t necessarily make us comfortable. Kennedy said it best – “we do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard”. We need to choose to undertake the mission to improve and expand our clubs. Not looking to others but to each of our members to do what is needed to get to the goal. We need to tell our communities what we do and then ask them to join us to help.

We need to serve with a purpose.