[Nfb-lions] Brief Introduction

[Paul Smith]

Hello fellow Lions.  Just joined this group, so I thought that I'd post 
an intro about myself and how I came to join my local Lions Club, so 
that the other list members don't feel that I am a disembodied nonentity.

My name is Paul Smith and I live in Baltimore, Maryland.  My first 
introduction to Lions was as a preteen when our local club in District 
22A, the Overlea Lions Club, sponsored a trip to the circus.  This was 
back in the mid 1950's.  We even had our own audio describer.  Needless 
to say I and my fellow students at the Maryland School for the Blind 
thoroughly enjoyed this Saturday morning activity.

Fast forward to September of 1960.  In that year the same club 
initiated financially a concert band at the above named school.  Among 
those who initially signed up for this extracurricular activity was, 
you guessed it, the undersigned.  The same Lions Club paid for uniforms 
and musical instruments.  Needless to say we had a great time in band 
practice and going out on occasional concert tours.

And finally we fast forward to the summer of 2013 when, along with 
others, mainly from Pennsylvania, I attended a ten-day session at 
Beacon Lodge, located near Mount Union PA and supported by the Lions of 
that state.  This was also very enjoyable.

With what you just read, my interest in joining my local Lions Club was 
piqued and aroused and, so far, I've been a board member of our club; 
in fact this is my second year of a two-year term.  Our club is quite 
small, only about 17 or 18 members, but we do what we can in the 
community.  In November of 2014 we inaugurated an outside pavillion at 
MSB for which I was present, the only blind Lion in attendance.  I even 
have a pin depicting, among other things, an outline of this structure.

Well, enough info about me.  Thanks for Lion Milton for posting joining 
info on SAMNET in the SAMNET Lions forum, a discussion group that I 
created.  Until I read further posts, I wish all the list members, both 
individually and collectively, good success in Lionism, whether in your 
local club or even in a wider sphere.  Lion Paul