Plusoptix – Lion David Falcon – February 2026
District 37 PlusOptix Update
PlusOptix screening totals for school year September 2025 to June 2026:
24,331 students screened with 3,033 refers through January 2026.
NOTICE REGARDING S12 BATTERIES:
Some of our Plus Optix S12 users have had issues with batteries so I wanted to send a reminder to all:
The correct battery for the S12 is Eneloop, part number #BK-3MCDA8BA. They can be purchased on Amazon. Batteries should be changed out every two years and it is also important to NOT use old batteries with new batteries. Finally, NEVER use non-rechargeable alkaline or lithium batteries! I am always available if you have any questions.
Have a Happy New Year!
Lion David Falcon, District 37 PlusOptix Chair
314 9th St. W., Kalispell, MT 59901; C. 406-253-1726: [email protected]
By PlusOptix CoordinatorConvention & Special Notices – February 2026
OFFICIAL CALL FOR THE CONVENTION
The annual District Convention shall be held on April 17 and 18, 2026 in Columbia Falls, Montana. The convention starts as registration commences on Friday April 17, 2025 at 1:00pm.
CLUB DELEGATE FORMULA
Policy Manual, Article 8, Section B: Club Delegate Formula
Each chartered club in good standing in Lions Clubs International and this District shall be entitled in each annual convention of this District to one (1) delegate and one (1) alternate for each (10) members, who have been enrolled for at least one year and a day in the club or major fraction thereof, of said club as shown by the records of the International office on the first day of the month last preceding that month during which the convention is held. (NOTE: for the 2026 convention, that date is March 1st.) The major fraction referred to in this section shall be five (5) or more members. Each certified delegate, present in person, shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote only on each question submitted to the respective convention. All eligible delegates must be members in good standing of a club in good standing within the District.
Montana District 37 grants full delegate status to each past district governor who is a member of a club in such district independent of the club delegate quotas.
NOTE: If your club has members who are together in a household, the number available to calculate delegates will be different than what is listed above, as it will be based on households.
CONVENTION REGISTRATION
Early Bird Registration for the 2026 District 37 Convention in Columbia Falls ends March 27, 2026. The cost will increase from $110 to $135 on March 28, 2026.
Go to www.montanalions.org to register online or download the registration form on pages 15 & 16 of the newsletter.
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 remember that all Lions clubs with annual gross receipts less than US$50,000 that are not required to file Forms 990 or 990-EZ must file the e-Postcard (also known as the 990-N). Please be advised this filing relates specifically to the 501(c)(4). If your Lions club has a foundation, which is a separate legal entity, the appropriate form will need to be filed as well. If you are unfamiliar with this process, please see the short video noted below.
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.
By Lion Peggy TobinDates to Remember – February 2026
FEBRUARY CLUB ANNIVERSARIES
351 years of service!!!
Kalispell Sunrisers 2/03/1969
Nashua 2/12/1952
Plains 2/23/1944
Bozeman Gallatin Empire 2/24/1969
Fairfield 2/26/1940
UPCOMING DISTRICT MEETING DATES
District Cabinet Meeting – April 19, 2026 @ 9:00am following the Convention
MT Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation – April 19, 2026 @ noon following the Convention
2026 MD C CONVENTION
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
APRIL 10-11, 2026
GRAND PRAIRIE, ALBERTA
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – 1ST VP MARK S. LYON
2026 DISTRICT 37 CONVENTION
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
APRIL 17-18, 2026
COLUMBIA FALLS, MONTANA
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – PID DEB WEAVERLING
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 Notice for Club Officers Unable to Register on the Lion Portal
ALL CLUB OFFICERS TRYING TO REGISTER ON THE LION PORTAL – Try Again!
We’ve had several club officers who are in the Lion Portal but cannot create a login. Please see the recent Facebook post below from the Lion Portal Forum (and if you use Facebook, this is a great source for seeing answers to common questions or to ask your own question).
If anyone has a Microsoft email account such as yahoo, outlook, msn, hotmail, etc., and were having trouble receiving Lion Portal emails such as verification codes or password resets, please try again. An issue was found with a vendor platform that we just resolved.
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!!
From the Desk of Governor Corinna – January 2026
From District Governor Corinna Christensen
As we welcome 2026 with fresh energy and optimism, I want to thank every Lion across District 37 for the service you have continued to provide throughout your communities. You are the heart of Lions, and it shows in every project, every act of kindness, and every person you serve.
One of our global priorities this month is hunger relief. I encourage all clubs to join our Hunger Week of Service from January 3 through January 11. Lead projects that address every aspect of hunger, including food security, community meals, food pantry support, and even agricultural assistance. Do not forget to capture your efforts. Clubs are invited to submit hunger-focused service videos by January 23, 2026 for an opportunity to be featured in the Weeks of Service Video Showcase. If you need ideas, I encourage you to watch the standout entries from our recent Mental Health and Well-being Showcase. You will be inspired.
Have you visited LionPortal.com lately? It continues to improve each month with new features, training tools, resources, and service ideas. You may have heard me mention my favorite form of “R & D”. Research and Development? Nope. Ripoff and Duplicate! Lion Portal is the perfect place to learn from successful club initiatives around the world or to reach out to the club in the next town for ideas. Work smarter and utilize the tools at your fingertips. Additionally, remember that you can start at MontanaLions.org for EVERYTHING Lions. There is News, Training, Directory, Links, and so much more.
Looking ahead, I am very excited for our District 37 Convention in Columbia Falls on April 17 and 18. This will be another outstanding opportunity to collaborate, learn, grow, and yes, do more R and D. We have incredible Lions in our district, and when we come together, our collective strengths shine even brighter.
New Year. New Clubs. New Lions. New Projects. New Leadership Roles. Let us make 2026 the best year ever for service in Montana. Together, “We lead to serve and serve to lead.”
Yours in service,
DG Corinna Christensen
District 37 Montana Lions
(Pictured at “Lion Lake” near Hungry Horse Dam)
By DG Corinna Christensen
By District ConventionDistrict 37 Peace Poster Winners Announced
Celebrating the Future of Peace
Each year, Lions Clubs around the world participate in one of our most meaningful youth initiatives: The Lions International Peace Poster Contest. This inspiring program encourages children aged 11 to 13 to express their visions of peace through art. It is a powerful way to engage youth, support creativity, and promote Lions’ global message of unity and service.
We are proud to announce the Montana District 37 winners of the 2025–2026 Peace Poster Contest, themed “Together as One.” The entries were outstanding, and the judging process reflected the thoughtfulness and artistic talent of students from across our state.
First Place Winner:Josie Hensley
Helena Christian School | Sponsored by Helena Lions Club (President Jack Berry)
Josie’s powerful poster has been forwarded to Lions International Headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, where it will compete with entries from around the world.
First Runner-Up: Sylvia Rea Fanelli
Ennis School | Sponsored by Ennis Lions Club
Second Runner-Up: Jessica Haas
Ennis School | Sponsored by Ennis Lions Club
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
Global Membership Team Report – January 2026
Global and Montana Membership – January, 2026
Connecting Clubs and Lions to One Another
As I have traveled to Lions Clubs across Montana over the past 11 years, I have observed that while some clubs are thriving, others are struggling with membership. One thing remains constant, however: every club is providing wonderful service to its community.
Recently, I have been tracking analytics from our website, montanalions.org. These analytics show how many members visit the site, what pages they view, and how long they stay. What I’ve noticed is that, unless it is close to convention time, relatively few members visit the website in any given month.
I have also looked at convention attendance. Last year, only half of our 58 clubs had at least one member attend the state convention.
Not surprisingly, many of the clubs that are struggling are also the ones not visiting the website or attending conventions. As a result, these clubs can become isolated—from other clubs and from the district as a whole.
Because of this, I ask those of you who regularly attend conventions to reach out to those who do not. Encourage them to attend this year’s convention. Consider traveling together or sharing a room. For many Lions, attending a convention alone for the first time can feel like a big step.
Sometimes all it takes is an invitation.
Just ask!
GMT Chair Richard Gessling
By Global Membership Team
Recent Comments