Sponsoring a New Club at Stapleton

Need your help

We're now within two years of our 100th Anniversary as a Lions Club. Our history contains a number of monumental events, including the sponsorship of four Clubs - Douglas County (1922), Englewood (1926), Golden (1942) and Denver International Airport (1964). While the Denver Den has embarked on other ambitious community service projects during the last 51 years, it hasn't sponsored a new Club since 1964.

We're about to change that. We're ready to begin an Extension Project in the Stapleton neighborhood. Stapleton was the site, of course, for the Denver International Airport Club sponsored in 1964. That Club moved to Centennial Airport once the Stapleton Airport closed and last year recorded its 50th anniversary. We'll start anew, approaching at first the many small businesses that have their home offices there.

This initiative will take place next week, from Sunday, October 11, to Friday, October 16. It calls for training on the process itself on Sunday andMonday, followed by the actual door-to-door canvassing (by two-person teams) of small businesses in Stapleton on Wednesday through Friday, to find out about their interest in forming a Club. This approach has shown a high success rate since LCI started using it several years ago. Attached is a signup sheet that includes times for Training, Phone Calling and Canvassing. In addition, there will be an introductory training course for so-called Guiding Lions, who can act as mentors to the new Club's leadership. You can volunteer for both the training AND the canvassing or just the canvassing itself. (I'll also need one volunteer to help me with some phone-calling to set appointments ahead of time, where feasible.) Please take a minute or two to look at this and find some time when you can help out. LCI Extension consultant Paul Baker, a native of Ontario, Canada, with over 10 years experience in starting new Lions Clubs, will be in town to lead us.

This won't be an easy task, but the potential rewards are great. What better way is there to demonstrate your commitment to Lionism than to participate in the formation of a new Club! The opportunities are enormous - a new Club means new members with fresh ideas for community service and outreach. I look forward to seeing you next week. Please contact me at 303-263-3901 or stevekinsky@gmail.com if you have any questions.