LCI: You Made the Impossible Possible

Dear Lions,

When I took office at the international convention in Seattle last July I did not think that I could ever be more proud to be a Lion. I was mistaken. Over the past year all that you have accomplished to make our world a better place has inspired me and made me prouder than ever.

I would say that it borders on the miraculous!

• I have always believed that Lions can change the world but this year we did so literally. By planting more than 9.7 million trees we have changed the very face of and altered - for the better - the basic processes that sustain and renew all life on Earth.
  
  A single tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide each year and produce enough oxygen to support two human beings. At maturity, the trees planted by Lions will be removing more than 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide and adding enough oxygen to the atmosphere to support almost 17 million people!

• We have succeeded in keeping more members within our organization and I believe that following the My Club, My Family guidelines has helped keep more of them engaged and enthusiastic about their service to others. I have met with more than 10,000 club presidents and seen countless clubs working hard for their communities but also having fun, creating friendships and strengthening the bonds among family members.
  
  I think of Lions Clubs International as the world's biggest family and I hope that the spirit of family unity will be a defining trait of our organization for years to come. Please do all you can to make it so.

• I began my year as international president by declaring what I believed. I believed in you and I believed that Lions working together with passion, persistence and creativity could achieve what others believed impossible. I leave the presidency feeling confident that "we" believe those things, both as individual Lions and as an organization. The successes of the past 12 months have proved it.

It is because of your hard work, perseverance and innovative thinking that we have made the 'impossible' possible, and I appreciate all of it. Thank you for all you have done and for the gifts you have given to all humanity. Let's keep up the spirit; we still have a few more weeks to work together.

I hope to see as many of you as possible at the international convention in Busan.

Sincerely,

Wing-Kun Tam

International President