MJF�is article is copied from www.lionsclubs.org

and published in commemoration ofLion Melvin Jones

Before there were over 1.4. million Lions around the world, there was one man with a vision. He was a salesman from Chicago, Il-linois, USA, named Melvin Jones. Driven by a dy-namic personality and a heart �lled with kindness, he helped create a service movement over 100 years ago that’s still thriving today.

Everyone has dreams; but, a very few, have dream for the welfare of mankind. Among those, Lion Melvin Jones’ name is on the top, always!

(Continued to page 6)

l=r,aKURALT h e V o i c e

Fuy;Charted in 1994

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District 306 A1December 2020

L I O N S C L U B O F C O L O M B O 4 K U R A L , D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 0 01

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January 13Lion Melvin Jones Birthday

Real LionMelvin Jones

Asgerali M.Rajbhoy

Emranally Kamruddeen

HassanallyJeewajee

PP.Seker VN.SivendranA.AshokKumar

�e month of January commemorated by the Lions Clubs worldwide to honor the anniversary of the founder, Lion Melvin Jones, by recognizing the MJF members. We, too will be doing so at our January regular meeting which we would be hav-ing on 23rd Saturday. Fellow Lions who would be honored on the occassion are, Lions:

02 K U R A L , D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 0 L I O N S C L U B O F C O L O M B O 4

Under the project chairmanship of Lion Suthes, a brand new Canon Photocopier was handed over to Mr.J.A.J.Ranasinghe, Principal of Vidyadeepa Maha Vidyalaya, Medalpola, Kirimetiyawa, Giriulla.

Last July we had visited this school to identify the needs of it. Already we had renovated the school li-brary for Rs.250,000. So, this was the second project to the school from us.

Upon the request of Lion Suthes, members of the club came forward with their contributions. Lion Ra-jbhoy MJF, MAF not only contributed to the project but got a discount of Rs.15,000/-.

On 28th the full payments was made and on 30th of December 2020 the Photocopier was handed over at the school by the sales agent for the North Western province.

Brand new Canon Photocopierfor Vidyadeepa students

Tn ieug ;hsfmdx.,a iqn me;=ï

Wish you all a happy Thai Pongal

K U R A L , D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 0 03L I O N S C L U B O F C O L O M B O 4

We provided dry rations to the victims of cy-clone Burevi. Our member Lion Lakshan had went to Ja�na before the lockdown. He had visited the a�ected areas and handpicked the needy families who had no livelihood support in any manner.

Upon his report, the project was informed to the Club President. As the President approved the pro-ject, fund were collected and sent to Lion Lakshan.

A�er completing all the arrangements, on 12th of December, 2020 he handed over dry ration packs to 20 families of Pommaveli, Kottady of Ja�na. Among them, one was quarantined and none visited them. We were the �rst club to o�er them a dry ration pack. Each pack worths Rs.2,250/-.

Cyclone Burevi relief

Monthly board meeting of Colombo 4 was held on 20th Sunday, December 2020. It was our very �rst Hybrid meeting where some of the members met physically and they connected with some more members virtually.

�e members who took part in the meeting physically were presented at Kreations Hotel and Restaurant, Colombo 3, where most of our meet-ings are being held at. Sharp at 6.30 pm the meet-ing started. Four projects were nominated and all four were approved by the board.

First one was donating a brand new photocopi-er (Continued to page 06)

Effective first everHybrid Meeting!

Lions at Kreation Hotel

Lions joined virtually

Though the cyclone Burevi is now an old story, the remaining of the damages are still ex-ists. As the �ood waters still remain in some ar-eas of Northern Province, Public Health Inspectors of such areas have advised the people of the same to use mosquito nets even during the daylight. But, as it’s hard to �nd meals for three times, how could they spend for mosquito net?

Lion Lakshan brought this to President Lion �ayaparan and upon the approval, the project was started. �e members of the club again showered their contributions. Presi-dent Lion �ayaparan purchased 50 nets and sent them to Vavuniya.

At Vavuniya, Lion Lakshan received the nets and immediately handed over them to the relevant families on the 31st of De-cember 2020 on the �rst phase.

Now, 50 families in Va-vuniya are safe from being a�ected by mos-quitos from the �ood water.

50 families ‘COVERED!’

JANUARY4WorldBrailleDay

14WorldLogicDay

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K U R A L , D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 0 05L I O N S C L U B O F C O L O M B O 4

Be an Active Social WorkerBy: PCC Lion Wijitha ManamperiGAT Area Leader Area VI - B

(Continued from last edition)(f) ASSOCIATE MEMBER: A member who holds his/her primary membership in another Lions club but maintains a residence or is employed in the com-munity served by this club. �is status may be con-ferred by the invitation of the board of directors and shall be reviewed annually. �e club shall not report an Associate Member on its Membership and Activi-ties Report.

An Associate Member may be eligible to vote on club matters, at meetings where he/she is present in person, but may not represent the club as a delegate at district (single, sub-, provisional and/or multiple) or international conventions. He/she shall not be eli-gible to hold club, district or inter-national o�ce, nor district, multiple district or international committee assignments through this club. In-ternational and district (single, sub-, provisional and/or multiple) dues shall not be assessed on the Associ-ate; PROVIDED, however, nothing shall prevent this club from assessing an Associate such dues as it shall deem proper. �is membership category shall not be included in the club delegate formula calculation.

(g) AFFILIATE MEMBER: A quality individual of the community who currently is not able to fully

participate as an Active member of the club but de-sires to support the club and its community service initiatives and be a�liated with the club. �is status

may be conferred by the invitation of the club’s board of directors.

An A�liate Member may be eligible to vote on club matters at meetings where he/she is present in person, but may not represent the club as a delegate at district (single, sub, provisional, and/or multiple) or international conventions.

He/she shall not be eligible to hold club, district or international o�ce, nor district, multiple district or international

committee assignment. An A�liate Member shall be required to pay district, international and such dues as the local club may charge. �is membership cat-egory shall be included in the club delegate formula calculation.

(Will be concluded in the next edition)

Lion Wijitha Manamperi

In June 1999 the Lions International Board gave this prestigious fi�y-foot spire recognition as an International Shrine. On several occasions before his passing, Melvin visited the site of his birth and participated with the Arizona Lions groups who laid the foundation for the memorial now honoring his name.

All donations of $250, $500 and $1000 are suitably recognized on the Wall of Fame, which is mounted in the Melvin Jones Lions International Memorial Building for all to view. If you are visiting the southwestern United States, take the opportunity to visit your founder’s birthplace at 15756 West Highway 70, Fort �omas, AZ.

ShrineofLions

Melvin Jones was a dreamer, a doer and a pragmatist. He was an energetic, extroverted salesman who in private hours would reread Shakespeare. What better man to found the world’s largest association of service clubs?

�e Lions International Board of Directors of-�cially designated Jones as the founder of Lions Clubs in 1958—more than four decades a�er Li-ons Clubs held its �rst meeting.

But, no matter what his o�cial title, Jones’ im-pact on the Lions has been far-reaching. He pro-vided the leadership, the organizational ability, the tenacity and the muscle necessary to estab-lish the foundation for Lions Clubs International to become what it is today.

Jones was born on Jan. 13, 1879, at Fort �omas, Arizona, a remote U.S. Army cavalry

post where his father was a scout for the Army. At age 7, Jones’ family moved east and settled in Illinois. Gi�ed with a �ne tenor voice, he considered making his career in music. Instead, he became an insurance salesman.

By 1913, Jones had formed his own insurance agency in Chicago. When he joined a networking luncheon club for businessmen in Chicago called the Business Circle, he quickly took the lead in recruiting new members and persuading backsliders to rejoin. But something about the club’s business-only focus didn’t square with Jones’ di�erent, larger vision.

“What if these men who are successful because of their drive, intelligence and ambition, were to put their talents to work improving their communities?” Jones asked. He saw a new kind of club with the desire to help others.

As Business Club secretary, Jones, with help from his wife—the championship golfer Rose Amanda Free-man—wrote scores of letters to clubs nationwide in-viting them to take up his idea for a service-centered organization. Businessman interested in membership convened in Chicago, Illinois, and on June 7, 1917, Li-ons Clubs International was born. Later that year, at Li-ons’ inaugural convention in Dallas, Texas, Jones was elected secretary-treasurer, a title he would hold for many years. Eventually, the board bestowed upon Jones the title of secretary general for life.

Jones was a proli�c writer who could be clear and forceful on some occasions, and sentimental the next.He also loved aphorisms. Never one to sugarcoat the truth, Jones had one favorite saying neatly framed in his o�ce: “Truth and roses have thorns about them.”

Jones gave up the insurance business in 1926 to be-come Lions’ de facto CEO and global goodwill ambas-sador. He played both roles brilliantly—building and

managing an expanding headquarters operation and travelling constantly for club visits and speaking engagements. �e pace never stopped.

Real Lion... (Cont. from pg.1)

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Effective first...(Continued from page 03)

to the Vidyadeepa Maha Vidyalaya, Medalpola, Kirimetiyawa, Giriulla which has been completed on 30th December 2020. We had already renovat-ed the library of the same school.

In fact, we personally visited the school prior to the projects, and had a discussion with the Prin-cipal and the teachers. �ough we had identi�ed some important needs of the school, we could complete only two under the pandemic.

Second was providing livelihood assistances to a single mothered family of three girl children. It was also approved.

�ird was to distributing mosquito nets for near-ly 350 families a�ected by the recent �oods in the Northern Province.�is project is divided into sever-al phases because, we have to distribute them in mul-tiple areas. First phase of this project was completed in the last day of the year 2020. Fi�y families were bene�ted at the moment.

�e last one was, to distribute study materials such as stationaries, school shoes, etc. to the students of Ingiriya school.