January 2026 Newsletter
We are continuing to evolve the format of the newsletter notification emails. The publication of the newsletter is at the beginning of the month, but articles are posted all during the month. A second email notification mid-way through the month will be sent if there are additional posts to share.
You can reply to this email to give us feedback on the new format. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!
By Lion Peggy Tobin
LCI President’s Message-January 2026
President’s MessageLead to Serve, Serve To Leadwith International President A.P. Singh |
Dear Lion,
Lions are known the world over as being agents of positive change. We identify problems and work to find solutions.
Throughout the year, you’ve made plans. You’ve focused on growth. You’ve served. Now it’s time to reflect on what worked. And what didn’t. By reviewing your areas of strength and adapting to obstacles, you and your club will be able to serve better, serve more and create your path to success.
As you work to serve your community and meet your goals, it’s also important to take the time to recognize your achievements. Celebrate each victory with your club, motivate each other — and watch your service impact grow.
Together in service,
A.P. Singh
International President
Dates to Remember – January 2026
JANUARY CLUB ANNIVERSARIES
517 years of service!!!
Sun River Valley 01/05/1966
Helena Gold Rush 01/09/1984
Glendive 01/10/1944
Hot Springs 01/23/1940
Eureka-Tobacco Valley 01/16/2014
Cascade 01/25/1958
Denton 01/26/1955
Hamilton 01/27/1930 – 96 Years!
UPCOMING DISTRICT MEETING DATES
District Cabinet Meeting – January 10, 2026 @ 9:00am VIA ZOOM
MT Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation – January 20, 2026 @ 6:00pm VIA ZOOM
2026 DISTRICT 37 CONVENTION
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!
MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS!!
APRIL 17-18, 2026, COLUMBIA FALLS, MT
LIONS CLUB INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION SCHEDULE
2026 Hong Kong – Jul 3-7
2027 Washington DC – July 2-6
2028 Singapore -June 23-27
2029 Minneapolis, MN
2030 San Antonio TX
2031 – Helsinki Finland
UPCOMING USA/CANADA FORUMS
USA/CANADA LIONS LEADERSHIP FORUMS CAN BE RELATED TO ALL AREAS OF YOUR LIFE – NOT JUST LIONS
2026 Memphis TN – September 3 – 5
2027 Huntsville, AB – September 16-18
2028 Grand Rapids, MI – To be announced
2029 Shreveport, LA – To be announced
Special Notices – January 2026
For Club Secretaries
If you make changes to your club officers, meeting locations and/or meeting dates & times in the Lion Portal, please send a note to Lion Peggy Tobin, District 37 Secretary at [email protected] or call/text 406-461-4206 so she can more efficiently update the District website. The club directory information on the website is used by the district governor’s team to plan visits, set up meetings, and provide updates. THANK YOU!
For Club Treasurers
PLEASE SEE THE RECENT POST NOTING THAT DISTRICT DUES WILL BE DELIVERED VIA QUICKBOOKS ONLINE! ALSO KEEP A LOOKOUT IN THE PORTAL FOR YOUR JANUARY 1ST STATEMENTS FROM LCI WHICH WILL REFLECT THE 2ND HALF OF THE INTERNATION DUES OF $25/LION
District 37 Club Officer Training Videos
These videos are all accessible via the district website, www.montanalions.org under “Training/Resources”:
- All Club officers: Trainer PDG Mike Collins
- Club President: Trainer PDG Mike Tobin
- Club Secretary: Trainer Lion Peggy Tobin
- Club Treasurer: Trainer PDG Mike Collins
Short videos about how to do specific secretary or treasurer tasks:
Filing your 990-N (e-Postcard) (9 minutes)
With the release of the new LionPortal, we have added links to some of the short videos provided by LCI:
Newsletter Information
Any Lions club member can submit information associated with any type of Lions project or general club information. You can submit Club News ANYTIME! You are also welcome to email your news (hopefully with photo) to: Lion Peggy Tobin at [email protected].
Website Updates
In Addition to the “Tri-Fold Generator” for clubs to create their own club brochures, additional documents have been added under including Leo Application forms!! If you have trouble finding a resource and it’s not currently available on the website, please contact Peggy Tobin at [email protected] or call 406-461-4206.
Free Club Websites!
The club-level website is still being offered by Montana District 37 at NO COST! If you don’t already have a domain name, Deanna can provide one for a cost of $20/year after the first year. If you are interested in getting a website for your club, please contact Peggy Tobin at [email protected] or call 406-461-4206.
2025 District 37 Post Convention Report – Saturday Evening
This will be the last post in the series of the 2025 District 37 convention reports held May 2nd and 3rd in Helena MT.
Saturday evening was the final event of the 2025 District 37 convention beginning with wonderful entertainment, a social hour, toasts and a delicious dinner.
The keynote address by International Director Robert “Ski” Marcinkowski focused on how to “Go Fishing” for new lions. This was followed by the induction new lion Chelsee Mahsman from Ennis.
The final event of the evening was the Governor’s award presentations.
Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to District GLT/Diabetes Chair PDG Mike Collins, District Leo Chair Adrian Miller and District Treasurer Steve Dogiakos.
Presidential Leadership Medals were given to Havre Lion Jerry Kuhn and Zone Chair Margaret Baylinson of Columbia Falls.
The Presidential Medal was awarded to Shepherd Lion Carl Vender.
Darcie Jo Jurenka, member of the Helena Gold Rush Lions and Convention Tail Twister was the recipient of the Certificate of Tiggerism award.
December 2025 Newsletter
We are continuing to evolve the format of the newsletter notification emails. The publication of the newsletter is at the beginning of the month, but articles are posted all during the month. A second email notification mid-way through the month will be sent if there are additional posts to share.
You can reply to this email to give us feedback on the new format. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!
LCI President’s Message
President’s MessageLead to Serve, Serve To Leadwith International President A.P. Singh |
Dear Lion,
The Lion journey is different for each of us, but one thing is the same: being a Lion changes you. As you serve, you’re not only improving the lives of others, you’re discovering your own potential.
Every act of service shows you the power you have to make a difference. Every role, every project, every effort teaches you leadership, compassion and growth. Each of us has something valuable to offer — and Lions help bring that out.
Lions are inclusive, so invite someone to join you on your Lion journey today. We want as many people as possible to be part of what we build and the good that we do. Together, we will strengthen our organization, the communities we serve and ourselves.
Together in service,
A.P. Singh
International President
Special Notices – December 2025
For All Club Secretaries
If you make changes to your club officers, meeting locations and/or meeting dates & times in the Lion Portal, please send a note to Lion Peggy Tobin, District 37 Secretary at [email protected] or call/text 406-461-4206 so she can more efficiently update the District website. The club directory information on the website is used by the district governor’s team to plan visits, set up meetings, and provide updates. THANK YOU!
For Club Treasurers
PLEASE NOTE THAT LCI DUES WILL INCREASED JULY 1, 2025. THE INCREASE IS $2/YEAR ($1/6-MONTH BILLING CYCLE) FOR FULL MEMBERSHIPS. NOTE: New members are charged at a prorated amount depending on date joined.
District 37 Club Officer Training Videos
These videos are all accessible via the district website, www.montanalions.org under “Training/Resources”.
- Club President: Trainer PDG Mike Tobin
- Club Secretary: Trainer Lion Peggy Tobin
- Club Treasurer: Trainer PDG Mike Collins
Short videos about how to do specific secretary or treasurer tasks:
Filing your 990-N (e-Postcard) (9 minutes)
With the release of the new LionPortal, we have added links to some of the short videos provided by LCI:
Newsletter Information
Any Lions club member can submit information associated with any type of Lions project or general club information. You can submit Club News ANYTIME! You are also welcome to email your news (hopefully with photo) to: Lion Peggy Tobin at [email protected].
Website Updates
The new “Tri-Fold Generator” is now available for clubs to create their own club brochures using a tri-fold format that your club can use to share your information to prospective new members. You will find it under Training/Resources on the website.
Free Club Websites!
The club-level website is still being offered by Montana District 37 at NO COST! If you don’t already have a domain name, Deanna can provide one for a cost of $20/year after the first year. If you are interested in getting a website for your club, please contact Peggy Tobin at [email protected] or call 406-461-4206.
Dates to Remember – December 2025
DECEMBER CLUB ANNIVERSARIES
893 years of service!!!
Forsyth 12/03/1924 – 101 years!
Columbia Falls 12/03/1952
Missoula 12/04/1928 – 97 years!
Shepherd 12/05/1967
Cut Bank 12/06/1929 – 96 years!
Bozeman Sweet Pea 12/08/2004
Conrad 12/10/1928 – 97 years!
Seeley Lake 12/11/1978
Big Timber 12/12/1925 – 100 years!
Great Falls 12/20/1922 – 103 years!
Roundup 12/22/1925 – 100 years!
UPCOMING DISTRICT MEETING DATES
District Cabinet Meeting – January 10, 2026 @ 9:00am VIA ZOOM
MT Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation – January 20, 2026 @ 6:00pm VIA ZOOM
2026 DISTRICT 37 CONVENTION
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!
MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS!!
APRIL 17-18, 2026, COLUMBIA FALLS, MT
LIONS CLUB INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION SCHEDULE
2026 Hong Kong – Jul 3-7
2027 Washington DC – July 2-6
2028 Singapore -June 23-27
2029 Minneapolis, MN
2030 San Antonio TX
2031 – Helsinki Finland
UPCOMING USA/CANADA FORUMS
USA/CANADA LIONS LEADERSHIP FORUMS CAN BE RELATED TO ALL AREAS OF YOUR LIFE – NOT JUST LIONS
2026 Memphis TN – September 3 – 5
2027 Huntsville, AB – September 16-18
2028 Grand Rapids, MI – To be announced
2029 Shreveport, LA – To be announced
2025 District 37 Post Convention Report – Saturday Afternoon
We are continuing our series of the 2025 District 37 convention reports, sharing the experiences of many Lions who attended the 2025 District 37 Convention held May 2nd and 3rd in Helena MT.
Saturday afternoon began with lunch, speed learning provided by our endorsed project vendors, and a Town Hall debate.
We were all inspired by BJ Blahnik and his Leader Dog Jackson. BJ’s life journey of walking into the dim following a diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and how his life was changed forever when he received his first Leader Dog was awesome!! Jackson is BJ’s fifth Leader Dog nicknamed Jackson 5.
Montana Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation awards were announced and the LCIF Co-chairs (Lary Garrison & Mike Tobin) were shaved – their “beard challange” raised over $1,500!!
