2022/2023 District Governor’s Message

Lion David Owusu Anokye (MJF)

The Global Action Team Area 8B ( Africa) Leader, PCC Samuel Ekpuk, District Governor, Lion Helen MakuObeng, Past District Govenor, Lion (Dr.) Kwaku Mensa-Bonsu, our Guest of Honour Lion Torgbor Mensah, Cabinet Members, Distinguished Guests, Lions, Leos and members of the media. I welcome you all to the 2020-2021 District Convention of District 418 – Ghana.

I have to give thanks to the Almighty God and to members of D418 for electing me as the DG of D418 for the 2021-2022 Lions Service year.

My message to all of us is to appreciate TOGETHERNESS ie, the more we are together, the stronger we will be to fulfill our mission. So, let us reflect on the parable of the Broom.

The broom is an indispensable tool in our homes, where ever it is used, it brings cleanliness, beauty, salubrity and good health. It is made up of twigs and when put together, they play their role, individual twig play no role. The twig is fragile and can easily be broken but put together, no one can break it. It is a cord that holds the twigs together.

What really is this cord which bonds us together and gives us strength and boost us to success?

It is all together our ethics, our philosophy, our values and above all, one that is dear to my heart, friendship. Yes friendship, this cardinal virtue that maintains people together and move mountains. Friendship is the foundation of our association and it helps our leaders to live and grow the association.

VISION

My vision is to align with the organization’s vision since Lions Clubs International (LCI) is a structured organization and with sustainable development goal (SDG) four to ensure inclusive, equity and quality service by promoting a conducive and enabling environment for members. Our 2021-2022 Global Priorities include:

MEMBERSHIP GROWTH AND ENGAGEMENT

The growth of the association means we’re always ready to serve. To grow, we must not only bring in new members, we must also keep our current Lions engaged and active. Every time we lose a Lion, we have to recruit two more people in order to grow. More importantly, we must engage every member so that each person is able to truly live out the service that’s in their heart.

SUPPORT OUR FOUNDATION

Our most ambitious giving campaign ever, Campaign 100 is due for to end in 2023. The generosity and support of LCIF is empowering our service around the world, and bringing hope. Let’s put our hearts into action by supporting our global foundation so we can achieve our goal of raising US$300M.

COMPASSIONATE SERVICE

As communities around the world seek to find a sense of normalcy once again, Lions have a new and great opportunity to lead by example. We can help the world recover in this time when so many are still struggling. We must keep our innovative service efforts of the past year and expand on them to address the needs of our current situation, with the knowledge that things can change at the moment.

COMMUNICATION                                                                            

Transparency and open lines of communication are essential to great service, and therefore have always been key to Lions clubs. We must continue to focus on our connections to one another, those we serve, and the organizations that support us. As Lions, we have a powerful and global community of peers we can learn from and assist. Now, is as good a time as any to lean into our network of service.

With these priorities in mind, I hope to strengthen our service impact through membership growth, leadership development and the support of our global foundation by building an effective team, inspiring unified vision and creating a realistic plan which will pave the way for district excellence and a full-fledged district.

THEME

The theme for the 2021-2022 Lions Service Year for D418 is “PASSION FOR SERVICE”. What makes our family of service so unique is that we never stop growing. Our door is always open, an invitation to those who want to be a part of it.

This year, let’s remember the most important element of our success: you. You, and each individual Lion and Leo, are absolutely critical to our collective success. You are the heartbeat of service. This year’s message “Passion for Service” is a call to all clubs, Lions and Leos to be sure we are always leading with what brought us to LCI –passion to serve. If we let our passion for service shine through, there is absolutely nothing we can’t accomplish together. Lions and Leos are a big family. A very big global family- one in which the only requirement is pure and simple: a passion to serve.

You have put your trust in me and have therefore confirmed me as DG for D418. I will not stop shouting openly that, it is with you that we will write the most beautiful pages of our associations history in our district. So I am counting on you for the full success of our stewardship to accomplish the full district status.

We will definitely get there –

  • by cultivating friendship and solidarity in our lives, clubs and communities.
  • by reinforcing our membership with quality recruitment.
  • by contributing to the realization of the major task.
  • by training ourselves continuously to be more successful and useful for our clubs, our association and our community.

Long live District 418 Long live LCI