10/04/2026
SOARING IN SERVICE!
2026 NORTH DAKOTA LIONS STATE CONVENTION
Greetings fellow Lions! If you haven’t registered for the State Convention, there’s still time to do so before you miss out on all the fun, education, opportunities for growth in Lionism, meeting friends, making new friends and much, much more! The Lions of 5NE are ready to put on a good show for everyone as we SOAR IN SERVICE!
Speaking of Service, we have as our keynote speaker the highest ranked enlisted person at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. Chief Master Sergeant William R. Gruenes is the Command Chief of the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at the GFAFB. He advises the wing commander on all matters concerning the morale, welfare, training and utilization of the wing’s personnel. This man knows SERVICE!
Our Special Guest from LCI is International Director Melissa Washburn from Carlsbad, New Mexico. Director Washburn is a three-time Lion of the Year award winner and recipient of several International President’s Certificates and multiple International President’s Leadership Awards. She is also a Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow. Her service is defined by promoting positive impact through membership, service and leadership. This is a Lion Leader we all need to get to know! She will have a Question & Answer session Saturday afternoon at 4:00 and she will address the convention as our banquet speaker.
As with Chief Gruenes and ID Washburn, our session speakers are “Top of the Line”! Chad Hohweiler with Dakota Lions Sight & Health will give a personal perspective and insight into all the great things we as Lions know is the foundation of Lions, that of course is to be Knight’s for the Blind. Dr. Eric Johnson has been with us before. If you’ve heard him, you always want to hear him again. If you haven’t heard him, believe me, you won’t find more information pertinent to every phase of this difficult to manage medical condition then you’ll get from Dr. Johnson. Then we have one of the core causes of the mission of Lions International, Childhood Cancer. Have you ever heard a first-hand story about childhood cancer survival? Dawson VanSickle’s story is one of denial, fear, acceptance, agony, healing and hope as he fought and won his battle with Osteosarcoma. His life, and those of his family, were forever changed on October 3rd of 2023 when Dawson, at the age of 16, heard his doctor at Mayo speak the words, “you have cancer.” Join Dawson, his mother Jamie Kroll, and grandfather Lion Elton Hendrickson as they tell Dawson’s story. Next on the agenda is Kristin Follman with a compelling story about her many trips to Haiti. Haiti is the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere. To combat this adversity, Haiti Eye Mission seeks to provide eye screenings, eyeglass and sunglass dispensing, cataract and glaucoma surgery, and medical treatment of eye diseases to over 1200 residents of the country annually. Once again, an opportunity for Conference Lions to become educated and perhaps one day participate in a truly life saving endeavor! Rob Redmond with the company that helped us start the Sight4KIidz program here in North Dakota, Plus Optix. For this session we are asking everyone who has a vision camera to PLEASE bring them to Rob’s session. He will have updates to load onto everyone’s camera. We will have the opportunity to delve into some of the inner workings of the equipment we’ve been using for all these years. What does it tell us when we see the word REFER? For those who are not familiar with the program but wish to learn more about the process, you will be able to experience the way in which the program operates on a local level. Our speaker on Specialty Clubs is Lion Jay Norby. Lions International states “The Specialty Clubs Program was designed to create clubs in which members share a common interest or passion. Specialty clubs are a unique expression of the diversity of Lions International, uniting people around the globe around hobbies, causes, professions, or anything else that brings a group together.” Please join Jay to learn about the Join Together Program and start new clubs in your communities. Finally, we have a unique and extremely interesting session by Paul Snyder from the UND School of Aerospace Studies. The University of North Dakota is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal organizations to strengthen disaster preparedness and emergency response across North Dakota and the nation. Attendees will gain insight into how aviation is being used in service to others, the vital role it plays in protecting and serving North Dakotans, and how collaboration is building more resilient communities across the state. If I can go back to the beginning of the Convention, we need to mention the Ice Breaker to be held at North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind and hosted by Lion Paul Olson, Superintendent. Lion Paul has a great program planned to include a man from Bismarck known as The Blind Mechanic who as you might expect has an incredible personal story to share. Lion Paul will give us a chance to tour the facility and learn about the many unique services available to those with sight impairments. Clearly, a SERVICE that Helen Keller would be proud to know exists! A buffet dinner will also be served.
Wait until you see the other FUN things we have planned! When was the last time you flew a paper airplane? Well, this time it might be worth some money! Our main fund raiser this year is for the Statue of Service. If you haven’t already heard, this is a project to raise money for a beautiful memorial to be located on the grounds of the North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind. Our 50/50 and auction funds will go towards the memorial. We will have other items of great interest to Lions which will be on display for both silent and live auction. If you wish to bring items for the auctions, please understand that by Convention Rule, the proceeds must go towards either Convention expenses or as designated by the Convention Committee. A Strides Walk fund raiser for Childhood Cancer will take place on Friday afternoon. Please be generous with your donation and enjoy the walk!
We are planning a special recognition of the Lions Foundation of North Dakota this year. You will find and hear messages about the wonderful work of the Foundation throughout the Convention. If you’re available, please attend the Foundation meeting from 1-3PM on Friday. Always during the Convention, have your money ready for TAILTWISTING!
The annual Cabinet meetings, Lions Foundation, Past District Governors and District meetings will be happening as usual. As will the Memorial Service where we honor the Lions who have passed away since we last gathered.
Wear your LIONS gear! Get your FUN on! Drive SAFELY!
WE ARE SOARING IN SERVICE!
Lions Convention Committee
