Latest News

37th Annual Lions Club Show Tickets Go On Sale

2010-02-23T11:06:00.000-05:00

Tickets for Go Cruis'n with the Cambridge Lions are on sale now at Country Bits and Pieces

Phone 432-7241

Open Monday through Saturday 10-7 and Sunday 12-5

(Cash/Check only please)

Wild About The Wilds

2010-02-23T09:25:00.001-05:00

�In the last few years things have really been changing at the Wilds,� said Troy Burch to the Cambridge Lions Club. �We want people to be able to get up close and personal with the animals.� Burch is the conservation education specialist at the Wilds in Cumberland.

Photo: Left to rigth - Troy Burch, Conservation Education Specialist at the Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio and Bryce Simmons of the Cambridge Lions Club.

�The new carnivore center gives people a chance to see the cheetahs, African dogs, and dholes,� Burch said. �Dholes would remind you of a red fox.� Dholes are an endangered species of dog found in Southeast Asia.

�We have had the first ever in North America fourth-generation birth of a rhino in a breeding program,� Burch said. �If you�ve never petted a rhino, you should try it.�

�We have different buses for tours. They are open-air buses. Think of a school bus with all the windows cut out so you just have the top over your head to protect you from the sun.�

�If you want to ride on the wild side, you can ride in the back of a pickup truck. We have seats in the back. This way you can get even closer to the big animals.�

�We are looking for interpretive guides to drive the buses,� Burch said. �If you know someone looking for a summer job, this would be a great opportunity.�

�You can come out to the Wilds and stay overnight in one of our yurts,� Burch said. �A yurt is a large tent with wood lattice sides. We have a special deal for two person stays. You get dinner and breakfast. You wake up to a tremendous view of the Wilds.�

�We have family camps and workshops. We have a fall nature photography workshop. A professional photographer will help you get photos of the animals. We have a birding event to take avian photographs.�

�We have summer camping experiences for kids of all different ages,� Burch said. �We have camps for kids 8-9 years old where they can spend five days exploring the Wilds. They get to visit the rhino and the giraffe barn. They can stay in the bunkhouse or in a yurt.�

�Our camp for kids 10-12 focuses on skills. It sometimes takes a lot of patience to get kids to go rappelling over a cliff on a rope.�

�Kids 13-16 can go on a backpacking camp. We teach them how to prepare for their camping experience then they take everything they need with them. We do provide water drops, but everything else they need they have to take with them.�

�We have a special camp for kids who want to pursue careers in animal management, habitat management, or who want to become a veterinarian.�

�We have two full-time veterinarians and on full time veterinary technician on staff,� Butch said. �We also have veterinary interns every year.�

�We have winter safaris on Saturdays,� Burch said. �The safaris are two and a half hours and include lunch.�

For more information about the Wilds visit the web site at www.thewilds.org.

Cambridge Lions Show Rehearsal Cancelled 2/7/10 Due to Weather

2010-02-07T07:56:00.000-05:00

Go Cruis'n with the Cambridge Lions rehearsal has been cancelled due to weather. See you next Sunday!

Frog Pond Farms Intruduces Cambridge Lions to Draft Horse Rescue

2009-12-29T11:24:00.000-05:00

�At Frog Pond Farms we work to save draft horses from neglect or abuse,� said Lisa Gordon, the founder of the draft horse rescue organization. �We network with other people who rescue saddle horses. Since 2002 we have rescued over one hundred sixty horses.� (Pictured Right: Lisa and Bethany Gordon with Lion Tim McKim)

Gordon and her daughter Bethany told members of the Cambridge Lions Club of the organization�s efforts to rehabilitate horses that have suffered from maltreatment. �When we get a horse we have to treat them for their physical wounds,� Lisa said. �We also have to treat them for their emotional wounds.�

�It may take months to rehabilitate the horses mentally because they may have been beaten. We worked with one horse for ten months and wondered if it would ever be able to leave our farm. It would shy away from people because it thought that every person might be going to beat it.�

�We kept working with the horse until we were able to turn it into the perfect family horse. We had to show it that not everyone was going to abuse it.�

�We rely on other people to report cases of neglect or abuse,� said Lisa Gordon. �We often get horses that are in need of major medical care. Sometimes they have been so neglected that they are nothing more than skin draped over bones.�

�We have a veterinarian and a farrier examine the horses to see what medical care they need and to see what hoof care they need. We then evaluate the horse�s personality and temperament. When they have settled in and are healthier we give them a riding evaluation.�

�We go to sale barns and auctions where the horses may be sold for slaughter,� said Bethany Gordon. �We find out about them from people who are neighbors who see these animals being neglected.�

�We also take in horses from people who have been responsible owners but can no longer afford to take care of their horses. Sometimes people go through a divorce or a job loss and it changes their ability to provide for their horse. �

�When the horses are healthy enough we put them up for adoption to people who will take care of them,� said Bethany Gordon. �We have an extensive application that is fifteen pages long.�

�Some people get upset with the length of the application. It�s not an easy process. We want to make sure that we don�t have to go back a second time to rescue a horse.�

�We will check with the (adoptive family�s) veterinarian and farrier to see if they take care of their horses,� said Bethany Gordon. �We do follow up checks every six months. We check the horse�s weight and check on their vaccinations.�

�Part of the application gives us permission from the family to go onto their property at any time to check on the horses. After five years we give them full ownership.�

�We would love to have people who can�t afford a horse of their own to come out and volunteer at our farm on Larrick Ridge Road,� said Lisa Gordon. �Kids can come out and help groom the horses. The horses need to get to know other people and to know that not everyone is going to abuse them.�

Frog Pond Farms will be joining the Guernsey County Humane Society and Pound Partners for a �Paws, Claws, and Hooves� fund raising event on April 17 at Theo�s Restaurant. The event will include a silent and a live auction.

Frog Pond Farms is an Ohio not-for-profit organization. For more information visit the web site at www.frogpondfarmdrafts.com or call the Gordons at 740.255.0853.

Cases of neglect or abuse of horses should be reported to the local humane society or to the area law enforcement agencies.

Secret Santa's Elves Visit the Cambridge Lions

2009-12-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

A couple of Santa Claus�s helpers visited the Cambridge Lions Club to tell about the Secret Santa program. Dave and Marilyn White told the club members about how they make the program work in Guernsey County. (Pictured Left: Dave and Marilyn White with Lion Tim McKim)

�I have a sweatshirt with a picture of Santa that says, �I believe�,� said Mrs. White. �If I even think it, I know something will happen.�

�We had a call from a family that needed a wheel chair for one of the family members. They wanted that instead of toys for Christmas. I thought about how we could fulfill that Christmas wish.�

�I didn�t know how we were going to do that. Then Dave called saying that he didn�t know if we could use it, but someone wanted to donate a wheel chair and wondered if we could use it. That family got a wheel chair.�

�It�s the generosity of this community that makes the Secret Santa program work,� said Mrs. White. �Without the support of the people we would have some children who may not have anything for Christmas.�

�It�s truly a community effort,� said Dave White. �I would �guesstimate� that we have three hundred to four hundred people that help deliver the gifts. Every one of the fourteen fire departments in the county helps by giving their time to help deliver the gifts.�

�Local stores have been great, especially the drug stores. They give us discounts on the toys we buy for the children. Wal-Mart gave us a grant. We get donations from people and organizations.�

�We have volunteers who help wrap presents,� said Mrs. White. �We have a truck driver in his twenties and a woman in her nineties who help wrap them.�

�We have several women who are homebound who make what we call bingo bags, little bags that can be attached to a wheel chair that we give to people in nursing homes. They can put pencils and other things in them when they use their wheel chairs. We visit all seven nursing homes in the county.�

�When we started the Secret Santa program years ago we had thirty-some families in need that requested assistance with gifts for their children,� said Mrs. White. �In recent years we have coordinated our efforts with other agencies that also give them gifts.�

�With the economy the way it is this year we still have five hundred thirty six names of children who are not being served by other agencies. We will continue taking names until Christmas Eve.�

�When we get a call from a parent we ask for the children�s ages. We then select gifts for them. We then divide the gifts up into routes to follow when we deliver the gifts. We separate them into those that go out into the county and those that go in town, said Mrs. White.

�When it�s time to deliver the gifts we start at about 5:30 and we won�t get done until sometime between 12:00 and 1:30 Christmas morning.�

�We have done this for a number of years so we are looking for someone to take over coordinating the Secret Santa program. We will be glad to train someone in how we organize it.�

To donate to the Secret Santa program or to volunteer your time in helping wrap gifts, call the Whites at 740.439.0934 or 740.260.6685.

Cambridge Lions Learn About Recyling Eyeglasses

2009-12-15T11:05:00.011-05:00

Donating your old eyeglasses may help other people improve their vision. The Cambridge Lions Club collects used eyeglasses and sends them to Columbus for recycling. Optometry students at The Ohio State University sort the eyeglasses. (Photo right: Lion Tom Davey with Lagedyk, Braun, and Huston)

Three OSU optometry students visited the Lions Club to explain how used eyeglasses are used to help those who otherwise might not be able to improve their vision. �We will take lenses, frames, and hard eyeglass cases,� said Amanda Huston. �Even damaged frames can be recycled for their metal content.�

"We are members of SVOSH (Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity),� Huston said. �Beth (Braun), Nikki (Lagendyk), and I will be going on a mission trip to serve those who otherwise may not have access to eye care. Last summer OSU students went to Peru.�

�We have a machine at Ohio State that lets us analyze the prescriptions of donated eyeglasses,� Huston said. �We label them and put them in boxes. The students on the mission trip took them along and gave them to people who needed them.�

�Last year the students saw two thousand two hundred patients in four days,� said Lagendyk. �In the area where they went forty-four percent of the people live below the poverty level. Ninety-three percent are illiterate. There is only one doctor for every twelve thousand people.�

�The local Lions Club in Lima, Peru, set up the site, informed the people and provided transportation,� Lagendyk said. �They also made arrangements for places for our students to stay and served as interpreters.�

�The students set up almost an assembly line process to be able to see all of the people in the four days,� said Braun. �One student would do the eye exam; another would put drops in the patients� eyes to dilate them. Another would use the retina scope to see if there were any peripheral damage to the eyes or if there were problems with detached retinas.�

�The results of the eye exams would tell the students what recycled eyeglasses to dispense or what medications to give. If they didn�t have the exact prescription on hand they would give out glasses with the closest match.�

�They also gave sunglasses to all of the people,� Braun said. �A lot of the vision problems come from overexposure to the sun.�

�They did not have an ophthalmologist with them so they made lists of people who may need operations on their eyes for later follow-up visits.�

�World-wide there are between four and four and a half million people who are functionally blind,� said Huston. �The number one reason is cataracts. Here in the U.S. we have no problem getting cataract surgery. In other countries people are not so fortunate.�

�Age related problems from diabetes and macular degeneration are the second leading cause of blindness.�

�Glaucoma is third. It is treatable with medication. It needs long term treatment. This is a problem where medical care is limited.�

VOSH International is a non-sectarian, non-governmental organization dedicated to the elimination of preventable blindness by the year 2020. VOSH provides eye care and vision services for those below the poverty level who have limited access to vision care.

Each year VOSH chapters set up eighty to ninety missions serving over one hundred thousand people. There are thirty-five regional chapters and twenty-five student chapters in the U.S., Canada, India, Africa, Central and South America, and the

Netherlands

For more information about VOSH visit the web site at http://www.vosh.org. For information about the OSU College of Optometry visit http://optometry.osu.edu.

Lower your sodium to increase your life

2009-12-08T15:37:00.001-05:00

�Too much sodium (salt) in your diet may affect your health,� said Cindy Bond-Zielinski to the Cambridge Lions Club. �It can affect people with heart disease or contribute to high blood pressure.� (Pictured left: Cindy Bond-Zielinski and Lion Tim McKim)

Bond-Zielinski is an extension educator with The Ohio State University Extension Office located at the county fairgrounds and serving a multi-county area.

�High blood pressure can also be a contributing factor in strokes,� Bond-Zielinski said. �You should check with your doctor to see if your blood pressure is affected by too much sodium. Sometimes little changes in your diet can have a big effect on lowering your blood pressure.�

�Cutting out one teaspoon of salt in your daily diet can help,� Bond-Zielinski said. �It�s not just the salt you add at the table or when you are cooking. It�s also the added salt in processed foods.�

�If you read the labels on the foods you buy, you may see a lot of sodium has been added. You can cut down on the amount of sodium if you make healthy choices. Processed soup can have a lot of sodium.�

�Prepackaged foods can have sodium added,� Bond-Zielinski said. �Vegetables are good for you, but canned vegetables may have a lot of sodium, and that�s not so good. Preparing fresh vegetables can be better for your blood pressure.�

�You can�t change certain things in your life,� Bond-Zielinski said. �You can�t change your inherited genetic factors that make some people more sensitive to the effects of sodium.�

�You can�t change your age, and aging can add to your risk of high blood pressure. You can�t change whether you are male or female. Males may have a higher risk of heart disease.�

�You can reduce your risk of high blood pressure by making some small changes in your diet,� Bond-Zielinski said. �We don�t always eat high sodium content foods every day. We usually get a variety.�

�You don�t have to give up these foods entirely. You just need to read the labels and reduce the amount of sodium you eat. You need to make healthy choices on a regular basis.�

�Processed meats like salami, baloney, hot dogs, and bacon are high in sodium. Preparing meat with other seasonings rather than with salt can help reduce your daily sodium intake.�

�That�s the key,� Bond-Zielinski said. �It�s how you prepare the food you eat that can make a difference. You can add other spices and seasonings rather than reaching for the salt.�

�You can season beef with marjoram, onion, pepper, sage and thyme. You can use oregano, paprika, rosemary, and other seasonings on chicken. You can use dill, dry mustard, curry powder and pepper on fish.�

�You don�t have to cook with a lot of salt. When you have a sandwich add a little lettuce and a slice of tomato instead of reaching for the salt shaker. You can add other herbs to enhance the flavor.�

�The recommended daily allowances shown on the food labels are for a serving size and based on the average person. An average person is five feet seven inches tall and weighs one hundred fifty pounds. You need to adjust for your own height and weight.�

�The average person consumes too much sodium. We advocate reducing the amount of sodium in you diet by making healthy choices on a regular basis.�

Auditions for "Go Cruis'n with the Cambridge Lions"

2009-11-10T16:53:00.000-05:00

Auditions of featured vocalists for the 37th annual Cambridge Lions Music and Comedy show will be held Monday Dec 7th, 2009 beginning at 7 PM at the First Baptist Church Social Hall on the corner of E. 8th and Steubenville Ave Cambridge.
Once again our judges will be members of the Warsaw Lions Club. Please bring accompaniment music and be prepared to sing the same song you wish to perform in the show. Songs must reflect the theme of Cruis'n, cars, and driving. Flyers and song suggestions are found here.

Show dates are March 25th, 26th, and 27th, 2010 at the Scottish Rite Theater in Cambridge, Ohio.

Call Ben Cahoon to arrange an audition time at 740-630-8509 or e-mail.

Welcome New Member Vic Lagneaux

2009-10-25T16:46:00.001-04:00

Cambridge Lions are pleased to induct their latest member, Victor Lagneaux. Vic is shown pictured with his sponsor Bill Pattison (left). Vice District Governer Tom Cahoon performed the induction ceremony. Congratulation and welcome Vic!

Shon Gress Discusses Senior Citizens Center Levy

2009-10-06T16:29:00.001-04:00

�To provide services to our senior citizens we rely on every one of you,� said Shon Gress to the Cambridge Lions Club. �We are putting a senior citizen services replacement levy on the ballot. We are not asking for a millage increase.� Gress is the executive director of the Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center.

�The levy provides about forty-three percent of our budget. We need to pass it to be able to maintain our services. It will provide funds to both the Robert T. Secrest Senior Citizens Center in Senecaville and the one here in Cambridge. We cooperate to try to find ways to stretch every dollar and not duplicate services.�

�The levy will cost about five dollars per year for a homeowner whose house has a valuation of fifty thousand dollars,� Gress said. �That�s about forty-eight cents a month. We need the levy just to maintain the level of service we offer now.�

�We are constantly applying for grants,� Gress said. �We recently got a grant for ten thousand dollars. The email announcing the grant was forty-six pages. The actual grant was one hundred eighty-six pages. We got the grant. It will help with the increased cost of gas and food. This is important with our growing older-adult population.�

�I lived in Pleasant City when I was little, then we moved to the New Concord area,� Gress said. �I never forgot where I came from. In Pleasant City they had a grocery store, a local school, a post office and a restaurant. Someone was always checking on the older people.�

�Gradually all the little local businesses closed in the outlying areas of the county. The businesses are now located here in town. Senior citizens now have to focus on how to get into town. Transportation becomes an issue.�

�With a growing senior population there is a growing need for transportation services� Gress said. �In the last three years we have been able to provide six vans that are handicapped accessible. We paid twenty percent of the cost and ODOT paid eighty percent.�

�We reach all four corners of the county. We go out and talk to people. We are really focused on those who built our buildings, led our local governments, worked in local businesses and taught in our local schools.�

�We want to help our senior citizens live independent lives,� Gress said. �We want them to continue to be involved in all aspects of community life. We want to prevent the kind of social isolation that can come from life�s changes.�

�Social isolation is especially common among men. They often worked outside of the home. Their work was part of their identity. When they are no longer working they are often no longer socially engaged. So they may sit at home and lead a sedentary life style. That can lead to increased health issues.�

�We provide meals on wheels, but we also provide transportation so people can eat a meal at the center in a social setting,� Gress said. �When you think of how many meals the levy helps provide, you really appreciate it.�

�We also talk to people. We have many people who have outlived their relatives. Some have even outlived their children. Sometimes there is no one else to care for them. It�s nice to know that there is someone available at the senior citizens center.�

Tony Brown on Tax Levy Millage

2009-08-10T11:14:00.003-04:00

�It�s not easy balancing a budget with shrinking revenues,� said Guernsey County Auditor Tony Brown to the Cambridge Lions Club. �The budget commission has to certify that we have the revenue to balance the budget.� �Revenues come from a combination of inside and outside millage,� Brown said. �In 1933 during the depression there was a huge need for revenue. Voters wouldn�t pass levies.� �The legislature passed a law allowing for county and township governments to levy taxes within a ten mill limitation without a vote. This is what is now called inside millage. We still have some townships that can that do not use all of their inside millage.� A mill is an amount of money equal to one dollar for every one thousand dollars of assessed valuation. Property is taxed at thirty five percent of its true value. By law properties must be reappraised every six years. �We are due for a reappraisal next year,� Brown said. �Different counties are on different schedules.� �By law the budget commission is made up of the auditor, the treasurer, and the prosecuting attorney,� Brown said. �The budget itself is made up by the county commissioners.� �The budget commission must certify that money in the budget has actually been used for its designated purpose,� Brown said. Millage beyond the ten mill limitation must be voted on by people in the county or township. Proposed levies must be for a single purpose. Proposed levies must be passed by resolution by a two-thirds majority of the taxing authority. Levies must be certified to the board of elections at least seventy-five days before an election. The taxing authority must show that there is a need for taxes outside the ten-mill limitation. Taxes may be proposed for payment of debt on bonds, public libraries, roads and bridges, police officers and police cars, fire departments, airports, cemetery maintenance, water and sewer services, senior citizens centers, and other services. State law specifies that some levies are for a fixed period of time while others can be continuing levies. �There are some people who want to consolidate some of our townships and counties,� Brown said. �Others want to keep control at the local level. People feel comfortable calling their township trustees. People do not feel as comfortable calling their representatives and senators.� �People feel that local officials know the needs of the local communities better that someone at the state level. They don�t want someone from Columbus telling us which county and township roads need to be maintained.� �If you don�t like the way the township or county officials are doing their jobs,� Brown said, �it is easier to vote them out than some senator or representative at the state level.� �We have township trustees who sometimes spend their own money or donate their time to fix equipment,� Brown said. �One trustee takes his own chainsaw out after storms to help with the cleanup. Another trustee helped fix a snowplow when the township ran out of maintenance money.�

Cambridge Lions Inducts 100th and 101st Members

2009-07-28T16:25:00.000-04:00

Gary Lyons conducted the ceremony to induct two new members, Dana Carley and Jon Black. �Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become knights of the blind,� Lyons said. �That�s still our mission today. We also donate funds to the local diabetes support group. Our recent tractor pull raised over seven thousand dollars for this.� Carley and Black were the 100 and 101st members inducted into this clubs current membership. Dana Carley was sponsored by 13G 1St Vice Governer Tom Cahoon while Jon Black was sponsored by Randolph White. The Lions also wish to congratulate Membership Chairman Lou Prine on reaching the goal of 100 members that he accepted in the fall of 2008. This club is pleased to report they have grown by over 20 members since last year. Way to go Lou!

Casterline and Tommy Guns?

2009-07-21T11:27:00.002-04:00

�I hope there is still time to save our history,� said Rick Casterline. �The decision of the sheriff to sell the Thompson submachine guns has already been approved by the county commissioners. Maybe if people knew what we have, we could get them to change their minds.�

�I know that the sheriff�s office needs new cruisers and we need to support that, but after we sell off our history, how do we pay for new cruisers in the years after that?� Casterline asked of the Cambridge Lions Club. �We have the rarest of the rare in these Tommy guns.�

One of the sheriff�s guns has a serial number of 251 and the others are in the low four digit numbers,� Casterline said. �In 2002 one of these guns with a serial number of 167 sold for one hundred thousand dollars. That one was owned by a hardware store and had all the clips, all the papers, and had never been fired.�

�The four submachine guns were donated to the sheriff�s department. Two others were donated to the Cambridge police department. The police department still has one.�

�The ones at the sheriff�s office are part of the fifteen thousand that were manufactured by Colt in the 1920�s. Of those about five thousand are still in existence. They are sought after by wealthy gun collectors.�

�When they were new these guns cost about two hundred dollars,� Casterline said. �A new Ford in the 1920�s cost about four hundred dollars. You can see that they were expensive.�

�There was unrest in the coal fields in the 1930�s,� Casterline said. �The sheriff was Thomas Gracy. The coal companies had donated the Thompson guns to the sheriff. They helped keep the peace at the mines here.�

�At one time in 1932 Gracy and his deputies, armed with the submachine guns, had arrested thirty two people, most for disturbing the peace. Another eight were arrested for violating an order that no more than a few people could picket the mines at one time. They were housed in the jail that used to be behind the courthouse where the parking lot is now.�

�Private ownership of submachine guns was restricted by the Firearms Act of 1934, said Casterline. �The Firearms act of 1986 prevents the sale of new submachine guns to private citizens. The sale of earlier firearms as collectors� items is still allowed.�

�Maybe if people knew what part the guns had played in our history, they could find another way to pay for the cruisers for the sheriff�s department,� Casterline said.

Guersey County Children Services

2009-07-14T11:22:00.000-04:00

�Please consider becoming a foster or adoptive family,� said Kelly Lynch to the Cambridge Lions Club. �We need our community and our children need us all.� Lynch is the executive director of the Guernsey County Children�s Services.

�We are constantly trying to extend our foster care network,� said Jeff Flaherty, specialized services director of children�s services. �We have a number of grandparents raising kids. We are constantly recruiting people to become foster families so that we can have a wider variety of options to get a better match for kids.�

�We have a number of programs to help families,� said Jamie Miller, community outreach education coordinator. �We have a boot camp for new dads with classes once a month. This is a time when new dads can get advice from experienced dads in changing diapers, in how to handle a baby, and how to deal with other things with a new baby.�

�We have a poster that helps recognize how to avoid shaken baby syndrome,� Miller said. �Shaking a baby can create serious problems that may last a lifetime. Shaking a baby can cause brain damage.�

�The Children�s Advocacy Center is a joint project of law enforcement, the hospital, the prosecutor�s office and children�s services,� said Melissa Keylor, unit supervisor - assessments. �We have a child and family friendly environment where we can video tape interviews of children when we are investigating possible child physical or sexual abuse.�

Video tapes can be viewed by the prosecutor and used as evidence in court. This allows for a one-time interview that can be viewed by the prosecutor and children�s services personnel. The child is spared having to retell the situation to multiple interviewers.

�We also are participating in the alternative response pilot program,� Lynch said. �We involve the family in the decision making process. We recognize that there is no single right solution for every family. For some families it is more appropriate to provide families with support and services so they don�t get to the point where protective services are required.�

Children�s Services will be conducting a Backpack Luncheon on July 23 from 11:00-1:00. People can donate a backpack or money so kids can go back to school in style.

There will also be an �Adopt a Family for Christmas� program later in the year sponsored by children�s services. There will also be an opportunity for kids to select presents for their parents, a project supported by the Cambridge Lioness Club.

Sarah Hickman, intake screener, also attended the meeting. More information about children�s services is available at www.guernseycsb.org. To report cases of abuse or for more information call 740.439.5555.

Cambridge Lions Inducts 99th Member

2009-06-30T11:05:00.002-04:00

Gary Lyons inducted new member Rich Goodwin. �Helen Keller challenged the Lions in 1925 to become knights for sight,� Lyons said. �Since then this has been our main cause for Lions Clubs all over the world.�

Membership Chairman Lou Prine has championed the new member rally for Cambridge, the club answered with 21 new members for the 2008-2009 year.

Pictured right: VDG Tom Cahoon and Lion Rich Goodwin.

"We were challenged by our friend in the Wooster Noon Lions Club to be the first to reach 100 members.", annonced King Lion Terry Losego, "At this rate I am confident we will see 100 before Wooster!". Rich was inducted with the assistance of his sponsor Vice District Governer Tom Cahoon.

Lion McKim Extoles Virtues of School Board

2009-06-30T10:59:00.002-04:00

�How many of you have served on a school board or considered running?� asked East Guernsey Board of Education president, Tim McKim, in speaking to the Cambridge Lions Club.

�I got involved with school issues when our district was in financial difficulty,� McKim said. �They were trying to get support for a levy. There was a lot of misinformation. I started attending meetings.�

(Pictured: left Tim McKim with King Lion Terry Losego)

�One board member was elected in 2005, but resigned shortly after starting her term,� McKim said. School boards are required by law to appoint someone to fill a vacancy no sooner than ten nor later than thirty days after the vacancy occurs.

�The (levy) committee thought that this would be a good opportunity to get someone on the board who had been an active member,� McKim said. �I went around the room and asked six individuals if they were interested in serving on the board. They all said no, so I sent my resume to (board president) Jeff Allen.�

�I had no real idea about what the board did; I didn�t even know where they met,� McKim said. �I got a call that I had been selected to serve, so I went to the meeting. I raised my right hand and swore that I would uphold the Constitution of the state of Ohio and provide for the educational needs of the students. All of a sudden I realized that they took this very seriously.�

I also received a manual about three inches thick that contained the board policies,� McKim said. �The manual is now available on-line at the East Guernsey web site.�

�The role of the school board is often misunderstood by the public. The board sets educational policies and goals. It does not manage day-to-day operations.�

�The board hires a superintendent and a treasurer. The superintendent is responsible for the daily operations, for making recommendations for hiring personnel, and for making sure the board�s policies are being followed.�
�There is a whole procedure for hiring teachers, coaches, and other personnel,� McKim said. �If a person has a complaint about personnel, they need to go through the proper channels. They need to go to the employee�s supervisor first if they have a complaint before it is brought to the school board.�

�We have to follow state laws and contracts with employee unions,� McKim said. �We have to vote with the best interests of the children in mind. You have to be able to ignore the pressures.�

�You sometimes have to make tough decisions. You listen to the impassioned pleas of students and parents. It�s tough to say that a student can�t graduate if they haven�t met all the requirements. But that�s the way life is. Sometimes it�s tough. It�s not fair to the other students who have met all the requirements to bend the rules for a few.�

�It�s also tough to make decisions with people watching you in public meetings. The only time we meet behind closed doors is when we have confidentiality issues or personnel decisions that we are required to make in executive session.�

�It�s easy to make decisions when the members vote five to zero,� McKim said. �It�s tougher when the board is split. I have been on both sides of some three to two votes. Once the board has decided, that�s the policy that we must support.�

�Serving on the school board is sometimes frustrating, but it can also be very rewarding. It�s sometimes scary knowing that every decision you make reflects on the school district. Another thing that is scary is the problem of school funding.�

Roberts Introduces New School Board Student Rep

2009-06-23T10:49:00.001-04:00

�I love my school!� said Logan Kasinecz to the Cambridge Lions Club. �I�m not afraid to ask questions. I can attend (Cambridge school board) meetings and report to the kids. I expect to learn more about how it works.� Kasinecz and Chris Colby are the two student representatives on the school board for the 2009-2010 school year.

(Pictured left to right; Jeff Carroll, Logan Kasinecz, Rusty Roberts)

Last year�s student representative, Jeff Carroll spoke about his experiences. �(The school board members) were interested in what I had to say. It was a very open process; we had good dialogue. I can be very outspoken, but I tried to be politically correct and proper.�

Rusty Roberts, Cambridge school board vice president, gave a brief history of the student representative program. �The 2009-2010 school year marks the fourth year for the student representative position. Last year�s other representative, Jenna Griffith and next year�s representative, Chris Colby, were unable to attend today�s meeting because of other commitments.�

�The first student representatives were Mike Evancho and Mary Brislen in 2006-2007,� Roberts said. �The concept has become very popular state and nationwide. The program has been presented three times at the Ohio School Board Association�s conferences. It has been presented to many other school districts. I�m currently working with districts in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky.�

�This summer the concept will be outlined at the twenty-third annual High Schools That Work National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, and at the All-Ohio Career, Technical, and Adult Education Conference in Columbus, Ohio.�

�The program has nominated twice for the Magna Award from the American School Board Association,� Roberts said. �Maybe this year we will win it. This national award recognizes outstanding student achievement programs used in public education.�

�All of our kids that applied for the student representative positions are winners,� Roberts said. �They have to write a resume, get letters of recommendation, and go through an interview similar to a job interview.�

�We select two representatives. We have found that that works best. Our kids are involved in a lot of activities. If one can�t make a school board meeting the other one usually can.�

Kasinecz illustrated Robert�s point by telling of some of his activities. �I run cross country and track. I am in the band and choir and WHIZ kids. I play in the city band and sing in Cambridge Chordial Barbershop Chorus.�

�It scares some school board members to have kids there,� Roberts said. �Some think it is not a place for kids, but we are there because of the kids. They bring a lot of good ideas to the meetings.�

Club Inducts New Members Davis and Yurco

2009-06-16T10:54:00.000-04:00

Past District Governer Bill Channell inducted new members Kevin Davis and Paul Yurco into the club. �You are joining a club founded by Melvin Jones in 1917,� Channell said. �He asked what would happen if, instead of meeting for business purposes, we met and did things for the betterment of the community and for doing things for other people.� Kevin and Paul were inducted with assitance from their sponsors Randolf White and Barry Ross. (Picutred left to right: Randolf White, Kevin Davis, Paul Yurco, Barry Ross).

Regis Woods Speaks About Ohio Schools

2009-06-16T10:18:00.001-04:00

�People don�t understand Ohio�s school structure. The constitution is a big part of the educational structure,� said Regis Woods, retired superintendent of Cambridge City Schools to the Cambridge Lions Club. �The voters elect the legislators who make the laws governing school districts.�

The Constitution of the State of Ohio provides that the General Assembly shall make such provisions� as� will secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that Ohio�s disproportional reliance on property taxes was unconstitutional. Subsequent efforts by the legislature led to additional rulings by the court that stated it was up to the legislature to correct the problems.

�Federal regulations also affect Ohio�s schools,� Woods said. �You may be most familiar with the No Child Left Behind law. It is well intended effort by Congress, but they don�t fund it adequately.�

�The Ohio Department of Education is responsible for implementing laws passed by the legislature,� Woods said. �They are required to have a funding plan.�

�The State Board of Education operates much as a local board, but they are responsible for the entire state.�

�We have three kinds of school districts in Ohio,� Woods said. �City school districts have to have a city of at least five thousand people within its boundaries. Local school districts have no city with that many people. A third type of district is the exempted village school district such as Barnesville and Caldwell.�

�The old county boards of education have been replaced by educational service centers,� Woods said. �People used to ask why we had a county superintendent and then local school superintendents. The law required that the centers have at least eight thousand people. These centers can provide specialized services that were difficult for local schools to implement.�

�City school districts do not have to participate in the service centers, but they often enter into agreements with them because it is more cost effective.�

�Students at career centers are enrolled in their individual districts, but attend classes at Mideast or at Zanesville. The career centers provide training that give students additional career opportunities.�

�Charter schools were created by the legislature mainly by Republican legislators who believed that it would increase competition in schools,� Woods said. �They are funded like other schools, but they don�t always have to play by the same rules. Some have been extremely successful, but a great many have not.�

In other club business Jim Caldwell reported that the truck and tractor pull at the county fairgrounds had been a great success.

Guests of the club included members of the Buckeye Trail and Cambridge high school track teams.

2009-2010 Officers Installed

2009-06-11T10:48:00.006-04:00

Cambridge Lions and Lioness Clubs Install New Officers for 2009-2010 The Cambridge Lions and Lioness Clubs installed new officers for 2009-2010 at their annual banquet at Mr. Lee�s Restaurant. Lions District 13-G Governor-elect, Steve Thornton, conducted the installation ceremony. Outgoing Lioness president, Kris Tipton, presented the Lioness of the Year Award to Connie Minder and the President�s Appreciation Award to Denise Dearth. Outgoing Lions president, Terry Losego, presented the Lion of the Year Award to Ben Cahoon, this year�s variety show director and web-master of http://www.cambridgelions.com/. Losego presented President�s Appreciation Awards to Barry Ross, Dan Luskevich, Ralph Ray, Tim McKim, Tom Cahoon, Matt Dolan, and Bryant Ficken. �The Lioness Club members have donated many hours of service to the community,� said Tipton. �We donated more that two hundred coats and pairs of boots to children in need. We rang the bell for the Salvation Army. We participated in Magical Moments where kids pick out gifts for their parents.� �Life is filled with memories,� said Losego. �Serving as president has been one of the greatest memories of my life. My officers and all the club members continually supported me. It�s not what I did; it�s what you�ve done to make it possible for our club to continue serving this community.� �Because of your support we were able to continue providing eye care and eye glasses for those in need,� Losego said. �We were also able to provide funds to the local diabetes support group.� Lioness officers for 2009-2010 are Denise Dearth, president; Connie Minder, vice president; corresponding secretary, Charlene Fitzgerald; recording secretary, Carolyn Saft; Teresa Bistor, treasurer; Lioness tamer, Kay Bennett; tail twister, Kathy Doutt; and Peggy Creek, Colleen Wheatley and Gayle Prine, directors. Lions officers for 2009-2010 are Bryant Ficken, president; Ben Cahoon, 1st vice president; Matt Dolan, 2nd vice president; Roger Gotcher, 3rd vice president; Barry Ross, secretary; Dan Luskevich, treasurer; Ralph Ray, Lion tamer; Rick Casterline, tail twister; Mark Oliver, membership chairman; and Gary Lyons, Tim McKim, Dennis Dettra, and Bryce Simmons, directors. The next Lions fund raising event will be a truck and tractor pull at the county fairgrounds on Saturday, June 13. Funds raised by this event will be contributed to the local diabetes support group.

Honorable Fred Daily Entertains Lions

2009-06-09T10:43:00.000-04:00

Fred Dailey served as Director of Ohio�s Department of Agriculture for sixteen years starting in 1991, making him the longest serving director in the department�s history. Dailey regaled the members of the Cambridge Lions Club with his stories of life on the farm and his experiences with his cattle. He then brought a tear to the eye of more than one member of the club with his poignant telling of his return from the Vietnam War.

(Picutured: left Fred Daily with Lion Lou Prine)

�Some legislators in Columbus think the world ends at the Franklin County line,� Dailey said. �But I have gone to all of the county fairs. I have done everything there is to do at the county fairs, except dance with the Amazon lady. I have even done a bungee jump. By the end of the summer, I did get a little bit tired of food on a stick.�

Daily had previously served as director of agriculture in Indiana and as executive vice president of the Ohio Beef Council and executive secretary of the Ohio Cattlemen�s Association. �Here in Guernsey County you are just outside the corn belt, but you have great forage areas that are good for raising cattle.�

�When I was about nine years old we moved out onto a farm,� Dailey said. �We heated the house with coal and wood slabs. In the winter when the fire would die down at night the water in the gold fish bowl would freeze. We didn�t have an indoor toilet, but we did have a privy outside.�

�I�m writing a book about my experiences called Ridin� the Eastern Plain. I tell about how I got my start in the cattle business. I went to a cattle auction one day and bought a day-old Guernsey calf. I imagined I was going to be a cattle baron. I went home and told my dad and we went back to pick up the calf. We had to put it in the trunk of the car.�

�I hand fed it and watched it grow,� Dailey said. �When it came time to take it to the auction, we didn�t have a truck like the other farmers. My dad took the back seat out of our old Ford. He pushed and I pulled and we got that cow in the car.�

�The first thing that happened was that the calf�s horns tore up the headliner. The second thing was that the cow had just eaten some fresh grass and you might say it was a little loose.�

�Now there were several ways my dad could have driven to get to the auction, but he had to drive right through the middle of town,� Dailey said. �This was about the time I was getting interested in girls, and sure enough, right there on the town square was the girl I was really interested in. I tell you, I couldn�t have slid any farther down in the front seat of that Ford.�

Dailey served as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division in the Vietnam War in the Central Highlands. �When it was time to come home we knew it would be different from the war. We were headed to Tacoma. We were cognizant of the adjustment we would have to make.�

��When they took away our M16�s I remember how empty it felt,� Dailey said. �We always had to sleep with out rifles. We had to be ready to fight at a moments notice.�

�We were also aware of the adjustments we would have to make when we saw the stewardesses on the plane. They had an honest smile that said, �Welcome home,� and they had white teeth instead of teeth stained by betel nuts. They received many marriage proposals, but they gently turned them all down.�

�On that plane with me was Roberto Gonzales,� Dailey said. �You could always count on Roberto to back you up on the battlefield and in the bars. He had a big scar on his cheek from a shrapnel wound. I told him he could have a plastic surgeon fix it so it wouldn�t stand out so much. He said he wasn�t going to do anything to it because he had earned that scar.�

�Also on that plane was a guy we called Gunslinger. Gunslinger was a lot like General Patton. He was one of those soldiers who made Rambo look like a wimp.�

�We had been awake for thirty-six hours. We were afraid to go to sleep, afraid that it might all be a dream. When the pilot announced that we could see the lights of Tacoma we all let out a cheer that lasted a long time. It was so loud that the captain came back to savor the moment.�

�Then the noise subsided and it got very quiet. All you could hear was the drone of the engines. We were all absorbed in our thoughts. There was a reverence for our fallen comrades. It was so quiet that it was eerie.�

�Then a lone soldier in the back of the plane started singing, �Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain.� Then another soldier joined in, and then another, until the whole plane was singing.�

�By the time we finished even Gunslinger had a tear in his eye. We started making jokes about how we had gotten some dust in our eye, or making some other excuse since grown men didn�t cry.�

�We were happy to be home,� Dailey said. �We went away as boys. Some of us were farm boys, some were African Americans, some were Puerto Ricans, some were city boys, but we came back as men. We were proud to be American soldiers.�

Cambridge Lions Remember our Veterans

2009-05-26T11:25:00.001-04:00

Volunteers, led by Lion Bill Lilienthal, set out flags on the veterans graves at Northwood Cemetery including those marked G.A.R. Approximatley 1500 flags were placed to honor those who served. Todd Simmons gave a brief report on the history of the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic), a fraternal organization of those who had been members of the Union Army in the Civil War.

Cahoon Desribes Ohio State Convention

2009-05-19T11:16:00.000-04:00

�Imagine how much fun it would be to perform Script Ohio. Now try to imagine doing that if you were blind,� said Lion Tom Cahoon to his fellow members of the Cambridge Lions Club. Cahoon is the deputy district governor of Ohio Lions District 13-G.

�My wife and I attended the Ohio Lions Convention and the Ohio School for the Blind band was the entertainment,� Cahoon said. �They played Scrip Ohio, but the space was too small for them to march. The sousaphone player did step out to dot the i.�

�You know they have to memorize all their music because they can�t see it. Can you imagine doing that? They have several public performances during the year including playing at one of The Ohio State University Skull Sessions before a football game.�

Lion Bill Wagner attended the Ohio School for the Blind. �I played trumpet in the band,� Wagner said. �The director used to beat his baton on his music stand. Sometimes he�d beat me on the head with it when I turned around to talk to the trombone players.�

�Sometimes the trombone player would rest his slide on my shoulder. That made it hard to concentrate on the music. We had a lot of fun in the band.�

The band has an ongoing campaign to finance their upcoming trip to the 2010 Rose Bowl Parade. Each band member will be accompanied by a sighted person. In a show of support the club, encouraged by Oscar Brown and others, raised five hundred dollars towards the band�s eighty-thousand dollar budget for the trip.

Al Brandel, Lions International president and his wife, Dr. Maureen Murphy, attended to Ohio Lions Convention. �He asked me how things were going with our Cambridge Lions Club,� Cahoon said. �I told him things were going great.�

�When a member of one of the other Lions clubs asked me how we were managing to get so many new members, I told him that we have a great tail twister, great officers, great members and we have lots of fun,� Cahoon said. The tail twister is a member of the club who offers some good-natured kidding of members at meetings. The current tail twister is Tim McKim.

�We only need three more to have one hundred members,� Cahoon said. �Lions is the fastest growing service club in the world. Ohio leads the nation in new members. Our district 13-G is the fastest growing district in Ohio, and Cambridge is the fastest growing club in the district.�

�Lions clubs are also being organized in China,� Cahoon said. �It�s the only non-governmental organization of its kind allowed to come into the country. When we were invited to give a presentation to the Chinese government our leaders said that we had fifteen million dollars that we wanted to use to open a hospital for eye surgery.�

�Through those efforts over a millions cornea transplants have helped prevent blindness in China. When the government asked what else they could do, the Lions response was that we�d like to open a couple more hospitals and provide training for doctors.�

�China now has the fastest growing membership in Lions clubs in the world,� Cahoon said. �India is not far behind. They are even trying to get the headquarters moved from Chicago to India.�

Cahoon distributed pins from Al Brandel to the new members of the club and to their sponsors.

Dettra updates Lions on School Funding

2009-05-12T11:06:00.001-04:00

�School funding. It�s still a mess,� said Dennis Dettra, Superintendent of Cambridge City Schools. Dettra was speaking to the Cambridge Lions Club. �We have an over-reliance on the property tax. That�s part of why Ohio�s school funding was declared unconstitutional in the DeRolf case.�

�Governor Strickland tried a new approach to developing the education budget,� Dettra said. �He tried to set a price on what it actually costs to educate a child for one year. He tried a different approach instead of using the same way it�s always been done.�

�One thing they looked at was the educational level of the parents. Their children often come to school better prepared. It takes more funding to educate those who are not as well prepared.�

�The (Ohio) House and Senate are now working on next year�s budget,� Dettra said. �The House passed their version before finding out that state income tax revenues are down because of all the layoffs.�

�The House and Senate are at odds over funding. The House is controlled by the Democrats and the Senate is controlled by the Republicans. The conference committee that will have to resolve differences between the two will have three members of each party.�

�I don�t expect a budget to be done until late summer or early fall,� Dettra said. It leaves us not knowing where we will be. It makes planning difficult.�

�Cambridge is in good shape. We took a hit five years ago and had to cut programs. Susan Tucker did an excellent job. Our new treasurer believes that we will be in the black for the next five years, but we do have to watch every penny.�

�We won�t need a renewal levy until 2012,� Dettra said. �A few years ago we had several administrators at the central office. We are now down to just the treasurer and me. Our first responsibility when we can rehire people is to get more teachers to help the kids.�

�One of the governor�s proposals was to have all-day kindergarten for all kids. We already have that, but some districts still have half-day classes. He also proposed that kindergarten and first grade have a student to teacher ratio of fifteen to one. He later reduced that to nineteen to one, but our classrooms were designed for a ration of twenty-five to one.�

�We would need more classroom space. Our buildings were designed to follow state standards when they were built. Part of the levy also included a mandatory amount be set aside for maintenance. Our buildings are in good shape.�

�We also expect that we will have to make up calamity days. The governor wanted to extend the school year, but this would require that employees be paid for the extra days. Most of the rest of the world has a two hundred day school year. We have one hundred eighty days.�

�Economic stimulus money will be earmarked for title one reading and special education services,� Dettra said. �We can�t use it to rehire teachers or for programs that were cut. That money is only for two years. Then we will have to find additional money.�
�We would also like to use some federal grant money to have a resource officer from the sheriff�s department on site at the high school. We would like the deputy to be able to establish rapport with the students.�

Welcome New Member Roe

2009-05-04T10:59:00.004-04:00

We are please to announce the induction of Nelson Roe. Nelson was sponsored by Lion Bill Lilienthal. Pictured: left Lion Bill Lilienthal with new member Nelson Roe. Membership Chair Lew Prine continues to press for 100 members.