District Events

2026 Fall Conference:

Wrap Up from PDG Chuck Schwab

The District Leadership Team hopes you enjoyed the recent Fall Conference. It was a time for Lions to come together for fellowship, sharing ideas, and hopefully, taking new ideas back to your home clubs. It was a full day of presentations from Listen Up!, Canine Companions, LOVF, VSDB, Mental Health and Disaster Preparedness.

The real surprise was the amount of school supplies you brought for the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. I received a note from them the next day. In it they stated:

“Wow we are overflowing with wonderful supplies that the students will surely appreciate. My first action was to immediately give one of the backpacks to a blind student that did not have a proper backpack. The reflective markings on the front and back of the pack and the larger size are perfect for this tall young man and it was certainly a better fit for him than the purple unicorn backpack we had on hand to give him. Thank you for everything you do for VSDB!” - Lisa Clinedinst

 With our theme “Dare to Engage”, you allowed me to bring out my Trekkie side sharing a few quotes and giving us an opportunity to discover what Star Trek can teach us today about Lions of the future. We even spent a little time talking about Tribbles.

Later, we talked about Andy and Opie Taylor from the Andy Griffith Show. We tied our discussion into International President Mark Lyons’ comments about the Ripple Effect and how our ripples (our service impact) can turn into a tidal wave as our individual ripples collide and we serve our communities and beyond.

Our International Guest, ID Liz Crooke, discussed IP Mark’s goals for the year and how we can take these ideas and bring them into reality for our clubs. It was a pleasure to have her with us for the day. I enjoyed her message, her enthusiasm about Lions, her advice and guidance, and most importantly our new friendship.

Finally, as we approached conclusion, Lions had time to savor some fantastic home-made ice cream from a local creamery. What a way to end the day.

Thank you for everyone who helped make the day a success. I am looking forward to the next time we can gather and be together in the name of Lionism, learning, sharing, and most importantly making new friends and renewing old acquaintances.

Presentations:

• Canine Companions
• Disaster Preparedness Presentation
• Listen Up!
• Mental Health Presentation
• Virginia School for the Deaf & Blind