What’s in this Special issue:

57th Annual Celebration of Lionism

Good News for New Lions

Beginning this month and continuing through end-June, the Multiple District will pay the initiation fee for all NEW Lions in MD21. For Lions of Arizona, here’s your opportunity to recruit new members to your club and reduce some of their costs to join our Association.

The Multiple District will reimburse clubs for the NEW member initiation fee required and paid to Lions International. As many as 200 new member initiation fees will be reimbursed, which would reflect a 10% increase in members in our districts for the year or about two members per club.

Both district governors Lion Richard (21-S) and Lion MJ (21-N) are challenging every club to take advantage of this cost savings, which applies to NEW members, whether joining an existing club or as a charter member of a new club.

There are a few conditions. Lions International dues must be paid (by or for the new member), as well as all multiple and subdistrict dues, which are prorated through the end of the Lions year (June 30).

For newly chartered clubs, initiation fees for new members (not transfers) will be reimbursed on receipt of the new club charter and paid directly to the club.

An expectation is that a NEW member will remain on the club roster for LY2026-2027 as a paid member; if not, the club must reimburse the council that initiation fee (as billed in 2026-2027 for semi-annual dues).

Significantly, clubs will not have to wait to be reimbursed the initiation fee. Upon verification of the new member via the monthly club health assessment (usually by the 10^th of the following month in which member is posted to LCI) the club will receive the reimbursed fee from the Multiple District.

District and Multiple District Dues

As a reminder, Lions dues are charged semi-annually to clubs on July 1 and January 1 of each Lions year. The dues amount is based on member numbers as of those dates. That number is also used by the district treasurers for invoicing each club for multiple and subdistrict dues. Both local and Lions Int’l. dues are posted online every six months (July 1 and January 1) for membership numbers.

Clubs are encouraged to remove members from the roster prior to that six-month date, usually because a member has passed or moved away, has not paid dues, or is no longer active with the club. This action changes the membership number on which club dues are calculated, both local and LCI.

Some clubs, however, have taken untoward advantage of that billing process to obfuscate paying dues – that is, members are removed the month prior and added back onto the roster after the fifth of January (or July) as to NOT be reflected on the semi-annual billing cycle. Effective January 1, the process changed.

District and multiple district treasurers will continue to invoice normally at the semi-annual date. Based on the Club Health Assessment report, a club with NEW members will be invoiced for prorated Multiple and District dues in subsequent months, as well as for paid initiation fees associated with dropped members.

MD-21 3rd Council Meeting – Online

 The third Council meeting of the Multiple District will be conducted online via Zoom on Thursday evening, February 19, beginning promptly at 7:00 p.m. All Lions are encouraged to participate, and normal online etiquette will keep things moving forward as we’ll follow an agenda, as published in the February Canyon State Lion and as posted on the lionsarizona.org website. Look to the website for any updates.

The zoom link is as follows: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89390328505?pwd=ClLvEVIS6n33RWOsPvdToMYzYqDklt.1

The meeting ID is 893 9032 8505 and the passcode is 863031

The Zoom window will open at 6:30 p.m. Please plan to arrive early for social time. Should you have any item(s) you’d like to have addressed by the Council of Governors, please advise the Council Secretary (Sandi Sterker — sterkersandi@gmail.com) of your topic and contact information for consideration.

Yours in Service, 
Council Chair Ken Leja 

21-South 3rd Cabinet Meeting

Greetings Lions, 

The 3rd Cabinet Meeting of District 21-S will be held on February 19 at 5:30 PM on Zoom, register here: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vs4VkcP7RnG1l6OthxHYsA

We hope to see you there.

DG Richard

21-South District Convention & Agenda

21-N District Convention

21-N Convention Registration

108th Lions International Convention
HONG KONG

Mark Your Calendar to Support Club
January Events

Elections:  Need to Know 101

All MD21 Clubs: NEED TO KNOW 101 – selecting your Club’s delegates; financial policies & payment requirements to vote
A club in good standing impacts more than just your club. The good standing rating affects and dominoes onto your club members and their participation on the District and Multiple District cabinets. These policies apply to anyone seeking to run for a District Office at their District Convention, 21N or 21S, and to those club members currently serving on or will seek to become a member of any MD21 State Project Board of Directors elected during the MD21 State Convention; all must be in compliance & in good standing.

Club Delegate and Alternate Selection
As a representative of your club and to be able to vote in person at your 2026 District Convention, 21N is February 28 and 21S is February 21, your Club’s Delegate/s and Alternate/s must be registered for their District Convention and must be present to vote. Ask in your upcoming club meetings who will be attending your District Convention and select from those members who will be your delegate/s or alternate/s. Don’t submit members who are not attending, please don’t ask why. Delegate or Alternate names can only be changed by submitting an email, copying the club’s president, secretary and treasurer, with the new delegate or alternate name before the deadline date of 15 days prior to the election day – 21S would be due before February 5, 2026; 21N would be due before February 12, 2026.

BE sure you list all of your delegates and alternates names that you are entitled to; you never know if something would happen to prevent a delegate from voting.

• If your club is entitled to 1 vote, submit the name for one delegate and for one alternate, etc.
• If your club has a past international officer as a member, add their name after you have listed your allowed number of delegates.

This year we are going to try a new system to avoid difficulties in printing and submitting a form of your Club’s delegates and alternates

1. After January 1, 2026, go to your club’s home page on the LCI portal

• Click on Members tab above your club’s name

• Click on View Delegates

• Click in the circle to the left of your upcoming District Convention

• LCI will have in the upper right corner the number of delegates your club is allowed; you are also allowed this same number of alternates. THEN –

        2. Send me an email, Linda Finley – at amigorose@aol.com and include this information in this order:

• In the subject line – Enter your District (21S or 21N); 2026 District Convention & your Club Name

• Then copy and paste the information from your subject line into the email

• Enter the number of delegates/alternates your club is allowed – if you have one delegate you are also entitled to one alternate, etc.

• Enter the name of each allowed delegate and their member number

• Enter the name of each allowed alternate and their member number 

• If you have a Past Int’l Officer as a club member, enter their name and member number

• Let your Club Delegate/s & Club Alternate/s know on arrival at your District Convention, they will check in & then sign in to be certified to vote. All Club Delegates/Alternates must be certified before the voting begins. On entry into the voting room, the Club Delegate or the Club Alternate taking their place will sign in to receive their ballot/s to vote

• Before sending this email to me – you must also add the Club’s President, Secretary and Treasurer on this email (if any officer is omitted and not on this email, a delegate/alternate form cannot be made for you); the club officer’s email will be their electronic signature and authorization to submit the club’s voting members; the Treasurer’s email attests that all club dues and balances are paid in full

• Now email to me and I’ll make your Club’s form for you. Can’t make it easier.

21NORTH will vote for – the 2026-2027 District Governor, 2026-2027 First Vice District Governor and 2026 2027 Second Vice District Governor

DISTRICT CONVENTION DELEGATE VOTING ELIGIBILITY
LCI issues their Voting Report twice prior to any election

1. The LCI Preliminary List of Certified Clubs with Eligible Member Counts and Balances Report is issued after the first of the month prior to the month of the District Convention and 
2. The LCI Final List of Certified Clubs with Eligible Member Counts and Balances Report is issued 15 days prior to the day of election

The LCI Preliminary List of Certified Clubs with Eligible Member Counts and Balances Report will be issued to 21N and 21S after January 1, 2026. This report lists give two items

1. Any amount owed to LCI – please remember, LCI dues will have been invoiced and on your club account by January 1. Because of the timing of these reports and the dates of each District Convention, please pay any and all balances for your 2nd half dues; new member dues and any Supplies purchased as soon as possible after they are posted to your account after January 1, 2026, AND pay for any charges added to your account in January. Pay those as soon as they appear on your account and before deadline dates – 21S before February 5 and 21N February 12; AND

2. It gives the number of delegates LCI allows for each club **Delegate numbers are determined by the new ruling in effect since 2023

   1. A Club’s delegate numbers are based on the number of continuous members in the club one year and a day.

   2. And those same club members (from a.) are further qualified and must also be full dues paying members. No family unit memberships can be included in the Clubs base member count to determine a club’s eligible delegate count.

PAYING your LCI DUES/or SUPPLIES & your MD21/DISTRICT DUES ASAP & IN FULL after invoicing is essential to be able to vote.

The LCI PAYMENTS AND VOTING POLICY – ALL BALANCES (dues and/or supplies) MUST BE PAID IN FULL and must be POSTED TO YOUR ACCOUNT NO LATER THAN 15 DAYS PRIOR TO AN ELECTION. This is LCI’s rule and the reason for the deadline dates.

1. Be aware that it also takes 3-5 business days to process a credit card payment made online and it can take up to 7-10 business days after a mailed check is received, processed through the lock box and given time for LCI to receive the information to post to your account.

2. If a check does not post in time, you won’t be able to vote. 21S before Feb 5; 21N before Feb 12.

3. And this explains why I have said in the past, if you have procrastinated and not paid quickly or allowed for at least the maximum business days or more for a check to be received and posted to your LCI account and you want your club to be able to vote, a written check is not proof of payment until it is posted nor is it the best method of payment to vote if you wait too long.

4. If you have waited too long, I highly recommend you pay your second half dues to LCI by credit/debit card from your club administrative account. *Only the Treasurer can pay online. *LCI will email the treasurer automatically a Confirmation of Payment Receipt acknowledging they have received your payment and are charging your account for your payment amount. *Another officer can pay using a credit or debit card and call my LCI A/R contact, Mary Lopez to make a phone payment; her LCI direct number is 630-468-6883. You again will get a confirmation of payment receipt, however, it is not as fast as the online payment system. The receipt might take a day to be sent. *This receipt for using a credit/debit card is your proof of payment, because it tells me you have paid your account in full and I will not penalized a club for any delay LCI might have in posting your credit or debit card payment. *If you are paying late by credit or debit card ( in February), you must forward your LCI Confirmation of Payment Receipt to amigorose@aol.com as proof of your payment.

5. On the Final Certified Delegate Eligibility Report, LCI determines and places all Clubs with any outstanding balances in an ineligible to vote status. The Club’s LCI Confirmation of Payment Receipt is the only document that I can use to override LCI’s ineligible ruling to allow a Club’s delegate/s to vote.

Also remember, for both Districts 21N and 21S, the same LCI payment policies and deadlines apply to all MD21 and District dues; these also must be paid in full to be able to vote.

• For 21SOUTH, 21S Cabinet Treasurer, Rick Duncan and I are in constant contact during this election time of year to assure any MD/District dues payments made are received so clubs are able to vote.

• For 21NORTH, as the CST & Nominations and Elections, I am constantly talking to myself and know when payments are received.

The LCI Final List of Certified Clubs with Eligible Member Counts and Balances Report will be issued 15 days prior to the District Convention Elections. Any clubs with outstanding balances will be given a status of ‘ineligible to vote’.

Remember to Forward to me (amigorose@aol.com) the emailed LCI payment confirmation receipt you receive as your proof of payment. This LCI receipt is the only proof of payment I can use as MD21 Nominations and Elections to override a club being marked as ineligible to vote on the LCI Final List of Certified Clubs with Eligible Member Counts and Balances Report.

• 2026 District Officer Voting will be on paper ballots and will take place during each District’s Convention

• 21SOUTH will be on February 21; 21NORTH will be on February 28

• All Club Delegates/Alternates must be registered, certified after check in & in attendance to be able to vote

• Each District Convention’s date, time and place have been previously announced

• District Officer voting times will be determined by the District’s Convention Agenda

FOR THOSE CLUBS THAT STILL OWE DISTRICT & MULTIPLE DISTRICT DUES,

For 21S Payments – Contact 21S CT Rick Duncan, 602-329-0270

For 21N Payments – Contact 21N CST Linda Finley, 602-999-5797

Thank you for reading Need to Know 101

Lion Linda Finley, your MD21/21N Nominations and Elections/Certification Chair