fast link to year

On Friday, December 6 we were at the KS95 for Kids event at the Mall of America. 

Gary Stevens with the talent from KS 95 - Crisco, Dez & Wes 

Board members with our $70,000 

 This is not a new donation to Masonic Children's Hospital but the cumulative total for the year.   

They also did 2 interviews which they have posted on Facebook.  The first one is with Dez who does the morning show on KS95 and the second one is with Staci who is in the afternoon.   

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15NL4nX2a2/

 Pictures are from the 5M1 Midwinter convention.  

 Leos working on tie blankets for the children in the Rochester area.  

The visiting District Governor is from Delaware.   

Wannaska Lions Club sewed port shirts (zippers in the shirt allow medical staff to access ports without taking off the shirt) last Saturday.   A group of 9 volunteers including 6 Club members cut, pinned and sewed 20 shirts!  They will continue sewing shirts over the winter months!

Thank you, Wannaska Lions!

If you're thinking about doing port shirts (or blankets, etc), make sure you have a hospital or other facility that can receive and use them!

The MN Lions Childhood Cancer Foundation was pleased and surprised to receive a check from Cannon Falls Lion Deb Norstad’s employer, Gemini, Inc. in the amount of $5000.

The donation was from the Sharon Weinel Stewardship Award from Gemini. The award is named for Sharon Weinel, the wife of Jim Weinel and co-founder of Gemini who passed away in February of 2022. The award is peer-nominated (that is, co-workers at Gemini) and finalists embody Weinel’s values of kindness, humility, grace and generosity. 

Lion Deb chose the Childhood Cancer Foundation because it is a 501c3 charitable organization and in honor of her niece, who was afflicted with cancer at age 3½ and 6½ and finally succumbed to the disease in 2009 at age 27.

Representatives from the Foundation met with Lion Deb at Gemini headquarters to receive the check and present Lion Deb and Gemini, Inc. with Believe Awards.

Believe Awards with McCarthy, 5M1 Director Julie Arney, Foundation President Jeannine McDonald, Gemini employee and Lion Brian Niehaus, 5M1 Director Deb Nisbit, Lion Deb

Norstad and Gemini Controller Christine Gronseth. 

(Christine Gronseth and Brian Niehaus nominated Deb Norstad for the Stewardship Award.)

With September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the timing was fitting for presenting our proceeds from our 10th Annual Community Golf Scramble. With the help of participants and local community sponsors, we were able to raise $6,000 towards fighting childhood cancer. 

Thank you all!  

Here are the "before" photos of our intrepid shavers. 

Here are the "after" photos of our intrepid shavers. 

 Trustees of the MN Lions Childhood Cancer Foundation present a symbolic “big check” to Dr. Karim Sadak, MD, MPH, MSE, and Dr. Lucie Turcotte MD, MPH. The $100,000 raised by Minnesota Lions was matched, dollar for dollar, by the University of Minnesota Foundation and the Children’s Cancer Research Fund to make $300,000 donated to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital to fund research and services for survivors of childhood cancer.  

(And, yes, we are all smiling!!!)

Presenting the check on behalf of the Foundation were Chairperson Jeannine McDonald, Secretary Linda Albrecht, Director Bob Knutson and Treasurer Tom McCarthy.  

One of the innovative programs being funded by the Lions is a smart phone app to keep in touch with survivors as they leave the hospital program and move on with their lives. Dr. Karim Sadak, Director, Childhood Cancer Survivor Program at the Masonic Children’s Hospital, has stated, "Funds from the Minnesota Lions Childhood Cancer Foundation have made it possible to create a way through mobile health to never let childhood cancer survivors slip through the cracks of the healthcare system."  

Be proud, Minnesota Lions!!! Be very proud!