Mayor Brandon Bochenski Addresses Lions
The Grand Forks South Forks Lions were please to host Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski at their October 6th meeting. The South Forks Lions meet weekly from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. If you are interested in becoming a Lion and having the opportunity to hear excellent presentations from community leaders, please contact us. We'll have you join us so you can see the fun the club has while being educated and providing service to the community.
Mayor Bochenski gave an update on his first few months in office. He described his running for Mayor as a way to serve and give back to the city. He discussed the reorganization that has been going on at City Hall. He also spoke of his desire to make it easier for potential new businesses to get through the process of approval. He spoke of the many inspections and approval meetings a prospective business may need to go through and how long the process can take. The Mayor discussed working with UND as a major partner in community development. Mayor Bochenski spoke of the many challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, including a recent decision to have bars close at 11:00 p.m. rather than 1:00 a.m. He indicated it was a difficult decision as it impacts businesses and the past several months have been very hard on many of them in the community.
Lions also asked Mayor Bochenski about his pre-political life as a former UND hockey player and professional hockey player. He spoke of his seven years in the Kazakh Kontinental Hockey League. The league is in Kazakhstan which is located in central Asia. He felt if he had known he would be there 7 years he would have learned the Russian language more than he did. He said he learned just enough to get by. His career there was very successful. Please click on the buttons below to access the biography on Mayor Bochenski and also the City of Grand Forks.
Planning for the Future
Lion Del Hager led club members through exercises that looked at planning for the clubs' current activities and towards the future. The emphasis was on three primary areas; Service, Fundraising and Membership.
Service. What community activities will the club engage in now, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the future? Will the club be able to continue with projects they've done in the past? Rest assured that Christmas in the Park is alive and well. Members were asked to consider this question and come with answers at a future meeting.
Fundraising. A major part of the South Forks Lions club is to raise funds to support worthy charities and causes, particularly those in the Greater Grand Forks area. The current environment has created the need to seek new ideas and means to generate funds for the club and projects. Club members are challenged to be creative during these trying times and bring forth new and different options for the club to pursue. Members are encouraged to be thoughtful and be prepared to discuss at a later meeting.
Membership. A key to any service organization. True for the South Forks Lions as well, you're only as strong as your membership. While having one of the largest clubs in North Dakota, time doesn't stop for anyone or any club. Building and sustaining a membership is an ongoing and challenging process. In many respects service is looked upon differently in today's world. Being able to adapt to the ever changing needs in society and those that would be potential members is important and a difficult process indeed. Members are challenged to be creative and come prepared to discuss this important and timely issue at a future meeting.
Because the South Forks Lions have a robust speaker calendar the follow up, Part 2, of the strategic planning will take place at a future meeting in the near future. If you have ideas that address the above issues please contact a Lion and we look forward to your joining this tremendous service organization.
Thank you notes.
The Chamber of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks President and CEO Speaks to South Forks Lions.
Barry Wilfahrt, President and CEO of the Chamber gave an informative presentation to South Forks Lions members at the September 22 meeting. Meetings are held each Tuesday morning. If you are looking to become involved in service to your community please contact a Lion. It will be our pleasure to have you join us at a meeting so you can experience the Lions firsthand.
Barry spent a considerable amount of time giving a review of data from the Retail Site Assessment that looked at a wide range of factors impacting retail business. The Grand Forks area is doing reasonably well compared to State and National figures. The charts below are just a small sample of the information available from the assessment. Click on the button below to go to that assessment for more specifics.
Click on the button below to go to The Chamber website where you will find a tremendous amount of information about the business of Grand Forks.
Thank you notes.
Minnkota's Stacey Dahl Presents to South Forks Lions
Stacey Dahl, Senior Manager of External Affairs for Minnkota Power Cooperative recently spoke to the Grand Forks South Forks Lions at their Tuesday morning meeting. Due to the current health situation related to Covid-19, the meeting was held via Zoom. Please review the slides below as Stacey provided an excellent overview. For additional in depth information please click on the Minnkota Power Cooperative Button at the end of the slides. The South Forks Lions thank Stacey for her informative presentation.
Thank you notes.
Lions Say Goodbye to Longtime Lion and Friend Wayne Westlund
Wayne's Obituary
Wayne Wendell Westlund, 83, of Grand Forks, passed away surrounded by his four children on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at Valley Senior Living in Grand Forks.
Wayne was born August 9, 1936 in Greenbush, MN, the son of Victor & Florence (Flaten) Westlund. He graduated from Greenbush High School in 1954. He entered the US Navy and served from 1954 until 1957 when he was honorably discharged.
Wayne attended UND where he received a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration in 1961. He then attended UND Law School, graduating in 1964.
He married Dorothy Prosser on June 1, 1963 at the First Lutheran Church in Middle River. They made Grand Forks home, raising their family.
Wayne worked for 31 years at the Grand Forks Air Force Base as a civilian attorney. After retiring, he traveled the country delivering buses for New Flyer and MCI. He also worked as the Public Administrator for Grand Forks County, a court bailiff and most recently, for Deitrich Bus Service.
Wayne was an avid sports fan. He was a scorekeeper for UND Basketball and Football. In 2014, he was presented the UND Honorary Letter Winner’s Award. Wayne refereed high school football and umpired softball.
He also enjoyed playing golf and attending coffee groups. Wayne was a member of the South Forks Lions Club. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends, especially attending his children/grandchildren’s activities.
Wayne is survived by son, David (Mari Beth) Westlund of Dallas, TX, and their children, Kelli & Katie; son, Brian (Marcia) Westlund, West Fargo, ND, and their children, Ryan (Abby) Siewert, Williston, ND; Tyler (Angie) Siewert, Bismarck, ND; Abigail Westlund, Williston, ND; son, Kevin (Vanessa) Westlund of Houston, TX, and children, Alexander, Nathaniel and Lucas; and daughter, Kari (Peter) Carlson of Bemidji, MN, and their children, Nicholas & Natalie; Five great-grandchildren: Elijah and Mila, Landon, Liam and Marlie; brothers, Lewis “Ted” (Connie) Westlund & Armand (Donna) Westlund, both of Strathcona, MN; sister-in-law, Arleen (Duane) Loven of Grand Forks.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; brother, Harlan; sister-in-law, Janice (James) Kezar.
**In lieu of flowers memorials may be given in Wayne’s name to Calvary Lutheran Church, South Forks Lions Club, or UND Athletics.
***A special thank you to the staff of Oakcrest neighborhood at Valley Senior Living and Altru Hospice for the generous care and compassion during a difficult time.
Click the Button Below to View the September ND Lion
Lions International
From District Governor Grant Kaulbaugh letter to the Lions.
Greetings to all ND State Lions and to the Lions Members of Multiple District 5. I am writing to you today to invite you to the ND State LIons Convention. Here is the Link for the Zoom Registration: You are invited to the ND LIONS STATE CONVENTION When: Oct 23, 2020 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlde6qpjkqE9GD0nimp8dfbvODrdPvG0HA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. This should be the only link needed for the convention. The Friday events will be Cabinet, ND Lions Foundation, ND PDG Association Meetings will be held on OCT. 23 starting at Noon going until 6 pm. At 6PM will be the Memorial service with a social event for all attendees starting at 7pm-10pm all times are Central Daylight Time. The agenda will be published in the ND Lion and also the convention website and the 5NE District and Facebook sites as well.
Lions please note that November 14th is a setup work day for Christmas in the Park
South Forks Lions President: Duane Hafner
Email: southforkslions@gmail.com
Mail Address: Grand Forks South Forks Lions, P.O. Box 6164, Grand Forks, ND 58206-6164
Credits:
Bryon Novotny unless other wise credited. Some speakers photos are from public records.