BIENFAIT — The new district governor for Lions Clubs International’s south Saskatchewan district has been sworn into the role and is looking forward to the upcoming year.
Shelley Carroll of Bienfait travelled to the international convention in Hong Kong with her husband Paul in July. She noted nearly 17,000 Lions gathered to celebrate the service group. More than 140 countries and territories were represented.
“Every day was filled with information and opportunities to learn more about Lions as well as meet with Lions members from all over,” she said.
Lions International currently has 1.4 million members and has an objective of 1.5 million, she said. Recruiting is important, but retention is just as critical, as clubs want to ensure members are happy and engaged.
On the final day, she said incoming international president Mark Lyon was sworn in. His first order of business was announcing that all of the district governor-elects, including Carroll, were officially district governors.
“The room was electric as everyone was shaking hands and hugging one another,” she said.
In addition to forums and experience-sharing sessions, community service activities were organized, she said, including visits to elderly people, community outreach initiatives, and the promotion of foot care and health awareness.
They also set a new record by having more than 10,000 people from six continents join together for tai chi.
She said she heard a lot of things from the convention that she will take back to the district, which is known as 5SKS.
Carroll has been a member of the Bienfait Lions Club for 23 years. Her husband was already a member when a long-time Bienfait Lions Club member, Ted Fai, asked her to join. By that point, her kids were older so she had more free time.
“I knew that Lions did great things around Bienfait. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure what we did internationally, but I liked what we did around town,” she said.
Carroll said she likes meeting and helping people. The club has hosted a community dinner theatre for many years and it has a Bingo once a month that people enjoy. The Lions were also “instrumental” in the opening of the town's current swimming pool, she said, and in making the previous pool happen.
As district governor, she will travel throughout southern Saskatchewan and hear success stories from the different clubs.
“I am basically the link between the international president and all of the clubs in my district, to let them know what is going on, what our beliefs are,” said Carroll.
She hopes to visit most of the clubs over the next year, but due to the size of the district and the number of organizations, she said it’s not possible. The district's first vice-governor, who is on the west side of the 5SKS, will help Carroll with those clubs, and the district also has a second vice-governor.
If awards are to be handed out, Carroll will assist with those, and a couple of clubs have special anniversaries this year she will attend.
“It’s like celebrating a wedding anniversary. It is a great milestone to have a club anniversary,” she said.
Carroll noted 5SKS has 71 clubs and more than 1,300 members. Communities as small as Alida and Ceylon have clubs.
“It doesn’t matter how big your community is, it’s people in the community that want to help you out,” said Carroll.
The district is named 5SKS because District 5 includes all of Saskatchewan and the Dakotas, while SKS reflects southern Saskatchewan. 5SKS includes communities as far north as Maryfield and Moosomin in the east, and Kindersley, which is a new club in the west.
She was also tasked with selecting the site for the district convention, which will be at the Kenosee Inns and Cabins in Kenosee Lake on Oct. 23 and 24. Carroll said the gathering has been trimmed to a day and a half to make it more affordable for members, and to allow Lions to spend time with their families. Meetings, inductions into the Lions Hall of Fame and other activities will happen.
Carroll is looking forward to the upcoming year. She knows she is going to be busy, and she is looking forward to helping as many people as possible.
“I have a great team behind me that can help me out in any way,” she said.
