International Officers

	International President Eberhard J. Wirfs Kelkheim, Germany		First Vice President Sid L. Scruggs, III Vass, North Carolina, USA		Second Vice President Wing-Kun Tam Hong Kong, China

International President

Eberhard J. Wirfs Eberhard J. Wirfs, of Kelkheim am Taunus, Hessen, Germany, was elected to serve as first vice president of The International Association of Lions Clubs at the association's 91st International Convention, held in Bangkok, Thailand, June 23-27, 2008. Vice President Wirfs is an entrepreneur and retired CEO of his own company.  A member of the Hofheim am Taunus Lions Club since 1985, Vice President Wirfs has held many offices within the association, including club president, zone chairperson, region chairperson, district governor and multiple district chairperson. He also served as CEO of the German Lions Foundation 'Deutsches Hilfswerk,' faculty group leader, Europa Forum president, International Convention Election Committee chairperson and international director. In addition, he systematically implemented Lions Quest in Germany, has been involved with the Guiding Lions Foundation, trained incoming district governors for 10 years and worked with the Development Leadership Training System at the club and district levels. He is also an honorary member of the Kelkheim am Taunus Lions Club. In recognition of his service to the association, Vice President Wirfs has received numerous awards, including the Club President?s Appreciation Award, the 100% Club President's Award, the Guiding Lion Award, the Region Chairperson Award, the Zone Chairperson Award, several District Governor Extension Awards, five District Governor Appreciation Awards, a Medal of Merit, two International President's Certificates of Appreciation and Recognition, 10 International President's Awards and the Ambassador of Good Will Award, the highest honor the association bestows upon its members. He is also a life member of the Texas Lions Camp and a Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow.

Vice President Wirfs and his wife, Margit, also a Melvin Jones Fellow, have two sons, Oliver and Marcus. Oliver is married to daughter-in-law Sandra. They have one daughter Hannah-Carlotta..

Highlights of the 2009-2010 International Theme: Move to Grow  Focus on Personal Growth and Membership Growth: During 2009-2010, districts will be encouraged to take action to grow in humanitarian service, leader development, club membership, international social understanding, Leo clubs, Lions Quest, cultural activities and LCIF support. We should do the following: Achieve growth in social understanding – through the promotion of Lions exchange programs.  We will encourage Lions from various districts to travel in a group to other districts to enhance their understanding and appreciation of our diversity and to promote global brotherhood.  There will be a global youth music contest with prizes at the final competition at the LCI international convention. Make an effort to meet the needs of our Association by empowering our members. We should promote leadership development in all areas to ensure Lions provide high quality service, to support membership growth efforts, and to meet the needs of members seeking personal development opportunities. Identify potential leaders in our districts and move to encourage them to actively participate in LCI’s e-learning programs and Lions Leadership Institutes.  And most importantly, we must enable them to accept leadership responsibilities and to make use of their enhanced skills. Remember leadership is not only a position, leadership is action and movement.  Move to grow membership.  Membership is the key to our success – members are our most valuable asset and resource. I will ask you to encourage the induction of qualified members – individuals who have been successful in their professions, have a desire for global networking and a strong interest in having an impact on the community through service.  Also, a membership initiative will be launched to recruit spouses and family members. Provide new interactive Lion leadership programs on CD to provide quality leadership programs to all parts of the world. Continue inducting women and young adults into our clubs – welcoming their fresh ideas and new energy.  LCI will support your efforts through the restructured Global Membership Team, extension representatives in the field, and a flow of information to arm you with the knowledge necessary to develop and execute an effective membership growth plan. Regional approaches to membership growth will be implemented to address specific area needs, such as the Eastern European Project. Take advantage of the Public Relations Grant Program to support the development of effective district websites. And of course, all Lions will be encouraged to “live the brand” – to support and communicate the revitalized LCI brand both inside and outside of our Association. Share our best practices around the world.   Each of you is encouraged to share your ideas, challenges and successes with fellow Lions.  By bringing the benefits of successful initiatives from one part of the world to another, we can all grow.  An example of this is the position of 2nd vice district governor, which has been successful in several areas of the world, is now being implemented worldwide. This expanded leadership team will facilitate delegation and will prepare the vice district governors for their term as governor. New training modules will be developed for the vice district governor team. Maintain our momentum in providing service.  We must move to make the Lions Quest program available to more children around the world.  We should encourage the involvement of young people by promoting Leo clubs. Continue to promote blindness prevention programs worldwide.  Helen Keller called upon Lions to be “the knights of the blind”.  We should maintain our momentum – we must move to grow in Lions service. Promote the development of LCIF with a long-term view so that our Foundation can continue its rich heritage of bringing healing and hope to people worldwide.   Training will be provided for the new District LCIF Coordinators. Participate in a worldwide Lions in Sight program, a celebration of achievements and service. Share our message of global humanitarian goodwill with others, and conduct an activity to increase public awareness and understanding of who we are and what we do in Lions clubs. Provide a new award entitled President’s Gingko.  This special award will be given to recognize achievements in various fields of outstanding results. Provide Excellence Awards for district governor team, region and zone chairpersons, and club presidents. Enhance communications by establishing a special e-hotline for the district governor team to communicate with the International President, and a special chat section on the LCI website where executive officers will communicate with Lions clubs members.