April showers may bring May flowers, but March snow and rain did little for Arizona. The East Coast was inundated with snow and blizzard conditions from Georgia to Maine; same for much of the Midwest and Hawaii was almost flooded away. Nary a drop of rain in Prescott. Dang!

Good weather. Thankfully the balmy Arizona weather helped both Lions Districts top the leaderboard in percentage of new membership growth in our Constitutional Area. The South was up 9.29% and the North up 4.54% through the first nine months of this Lions year. Let’s keep this growth momentum going through these last three months and close on a resounding high.

Looking ahead in April, clubs should be completing elections for the new Lions year. Elected club leaders should be taking training courses (either via zoom or online via the Lions Learning Center). Current leaders should be pushing ahead and verifying requirements for the Club Excellence Award. This prestigious club award is certified by Lions International solely from digital records, no longer requiring the district governor’s nomination and signature.

Online Training Scheduled. Elsewhere in this issue of Canyon State Lion, the schedule for club leader training offerings is listed. Most sessions are weekday evenings, two-a-days via zoom. We start promptly and provide download links for valuable resources. Instructors include graduates of Lions Leadership Institute and many experienced Lions.

Lions Learning Center is Good, but…. While I’ve taken many of the 70-odd classes found in the Lions Learning Center, all have one omission – you can’t ask the powerpoint a question. The LLC offerings are a 30,000-foot presentation of learning opportunities well-scripted and applicable anywhere in the world – hence, there may be modifications locally or slight omissions for cultural geography. I’m jaundiced – I like learning sessions where I can ask a question and challenge the teacher, but that’s the humanity in me!

Planning for the MD21 state Convention, June 12-14, 2026, at the Doubletree in Phoenix/Mesa, is becoming more finalized. Mark the date as we will be hosting International First Vice President Mark Lyon of Connecticut. Lion Mark will be inducted a few weeks after our convention as the International President in Hong Kong.

With Flag Day on Sunday of the event, we’re inviting everyone to wear red-white-and-blue, as we’ll be only weeks before our America250 AZ celebration. Convention plans include the parade of club banners for Saturday at the luncheon, as well as learning workshops that morning and afternoon.  Focus will be on “Meet the Next Prez” with many opportunities to go one-on-one with the incoming Lions International President. We’re including a “Town Hall” event following the Friday night dinner, a one-on-one workshop during the Saturday convention, a Leo Workshop with a meet ‘n’ greet with “the Next Prez” and a Saturday night gala with special presentations, musical entertainment and dancing.  And you may have an opportunity to ask FIVP Mark a question, one-on-one!

The MD continues to reimburse clubs the Lions International initiation fee ($35) for all NEW LIONS members registered between January 1, 2026 and continuing through this June 30. For all Lions of Arizona, here’s your opportunity to recruit new members to your club and help reduce their costs to join our Association.  As many as 200 new member initiation fees (or more) will be reimbursed.

“Road to 250” Well Traveled. The America250 experience in Arizona has been truly remarkable. From February’s launch in Prescott through March’s swing through the southern counties, the Traveling Museum with its Arizona Centennial Liberty Bell and exhibits has been visited by thousands of locals. At almost every destination, Lions have served as hosts and volunteers. That includes many smaller communities where the number of participating club members represented a club majority, and neighboring towns discovered that Lions live their motto, “We Serve!” Thank you Lions in Marana, Florence, Tombstone, Safford, Miami/Globe, Show Low… and I’ll be seeing you in the weeks ahead in the four corners region, Flagstaff, Bullhead City, and Lake Havasu City.

Final thought: For the state convention there will be two Constitutional measures on the ballot, as well as board member elections for the various state and district projects. Please remember to look to the website – LionsArizona.org – for details, registration forms, membership directory, and more information.