Message From The State President

I am writing this on Valentine’s Day so even though you will read this in March; I hope you are having a lovely day and remembered your favorite Valentine!  I cannot believe where the time has gone.  Only nine months until Christmas!

Our lodges are set for the new IMEMBERDB program.  If you haven’t been trained yet and want to be, be sure to contact Anna Graeber and she will make it happen.  Most lodges send out newsletters and this system makes it so easy to do so! Don’t be left out.  Call now to be trained.

Our new home is coming along great and we are getting ready for our Grand Council meeting to be held there on March 15 and 16.  The council has approved some renovations to the building so we will soon have a small kitchen and shelving in the offices.   Everything takes time. I try to go to the office every two weeks but I really have to thank Lori for driving up there 2-3 times a week.  It is not close! She has met all the workers, delivery men, etc.  The temporary office has been closed and moved to our new location.  Next will be our storage facility which I hope will be closed within the month.  Then we will start the job of sorting all the boxes.   While at the storage unit, I did notice all the folding chairs that we have and will sell.  If any lodge or any clubs that you belong to needs chairs have them contact us.

When I travel to the office, I also have been able to visit various lodges that have meetings when I am there.  The St. Helena Lodge had a great soup and salad night at their meeting and  then had a terrific speaker who spoke on the internment of Italians in Pacifica.  She is willing to travel if other lodges are interested.  Contact Past State President Lynn Lawrence Murphy for her contact info.    St. Helena is doing great on membership, bringing new members in at every meeting.   

I know that other lodges are also doing great bringing in new members.  Please let us know!

Remember to bring in that new member for 2024!

I know that there are several 100 year anniversaries being planned and we need information on them so we can attend and support you.  Please let our State Recording Secretary know and she will notify us.

I am planning on having a zoom meeting in March for all the lodge Presidents.  Sorry I haven’t been able to have monthly meetings but until you are a President, you cannot believe how busy we can be.  The date will be Monday, March 25 and we can discuss the Grand Council meeting, the National meeting and any other concerns or questions you may have.  If you as a President are unable to attend, please ask someone else to represent you.  This date might not work for everyone but in checking meeting nights, I discovered that all nights have one or more meetings.  Information will be emailed.

Please note that our conventions are always held the 4th Thursday of June – but just in case here is the date of our June convention.  June 26-29, 2024 in Concord, CA.  Mark your calendars.

Please remember to invite your State Officers and especially me to your meetings and events.  We want to attend if our schedule allows.

If you have changed your meeting date, time, and or place, please sends the info to State Recording Secretary Lori Rossi and to the Il Leone so that the information in the paper will always be updated.  Thank you.

When submitting an article to the Il Leone, please send it to illeone.ca@gmail.com.

Ciao for now until next month.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!