DISTRICT 1A GOVERNOR RICHARD MOY’S
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
June 2026
Good afternoon Servant Heroes!
Well, we’ve arrived to the final newsletter of my Governor year. What a rollercoaster of a year it has been. Aswe allknow, not every year isthesameforanyGovernor but the common goals for fun, growth, mentorship, serviceandmomentum arevery muchthecommonality that
Governors have. As we finish this Lions Year, those common goals are what the current team and the incoming team look forward to continuing come July 1st. Building off goals and tweaking them constantly is paramount to momentum going into a new year and I’m certain DGE (District Governor Elect) Ben Zoleta will do a great service to our district in putting his love into those common goals along with hisgoals he hasfor his year.
We have a lot to be proud of this
year and much of that comes from thefellowship thatwesawcomeout of our weeks of service projects. We saw many clubs partner with one another and create that synergy across lineson amap. We saw many clubs participating in service projects that we haven’t seen at a district level in quite some time and that’s a victory to show that GO LIONS GO rang out throughout our district and called them to ACTION! First Lady Edith and Iwere so happy to see that fellowship across our district. Even more so we were happy to see the relationships built across clubs and districts.
Growth! We grew our family and extension of Servant Heroes by adding two news clubs and swearing in 207 new members to our association this year! (227 but our new club has not been chartered yet) That is a huge accomplishment to be very proud of, soplease giveyourselves around of applause for all of your efforts in spreading the word and shining those bright hearts of service throughout your clubs and
communities.
Now onto our State Convention report. WOW! And that word wow does not come close to how FUN and exciting it was. The theme was Hong Kong Lights, and we certainly got to witness a piece of our International Convention right here in our home MD1. (Multiple District 1) From a traditional dragon performance to Bingo Bonanza to hospitality rooms filled with Karaoke, music, food and FUN! It was truly a remarkable and memorable time. I want to thank Convention Chair from District 1BK Lion Lori Taylor Smiles, SST Cecilia Wesselman, Trish Fisher from LIF, IPDG D1A Brenda Stevens and of course CC Jim Warden from D1AJ for allthehard work youall putin to put on a wonderful convention. Thank you to all the unsung volunteers helping in the hospitality rooms, registration or simply being a welcoming face to new Lions attending their very first state convention. It takes a FAMILYto get things done and this Lions family from MD1 certainly went above and
Governor Richard Moy’s Newsletter 2
beyond. Thank you to our guest speakers for the weekend, PIP “just Brian” Sheehan and his lovely wife Lion Lori Sheehan. You both were the icing on the cake. Reminding us of allthat you are approachable and are just Lions like the rest of us certainly puts an ease to your presence. And those chickens were such ahuge hit! We look forward to seeing you both down the road and THATS A FACT JACK YIP YO!!
Finally, to my fellow brothers and sisters on thiscouncil. Thank you for going on this journey. We’ve had great times and trying times, but I believe very firmly that no matter what, we kept the common goal to want and do the best for our districts and our MD1. Families don’t always see things eye to eye and it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, but a Lions Family is ALWAYS a Lions Family. That’s a bond you can never break. Cheers to you all and congratulations on
your year. I’ll see you all down the road.
District 1A!! Get ready for Ben, Karl and Leo!! These boys and their spouses are the real deal.
“It’s never goodbye”
Yours in Love and Service -
Richard A. Moy
VCC/District Governor District 1-A moyrick@me.com 708-504-9070
“They sayitonly takesalittle faithto move a mountain, good thing a lot of faith is what I have”
Dear Reader: I am very sad to announce that after 20 long years, I am giving up my editorship of this Governor’s Newsletter. I do notwant to take more headache and frustration as club secretaries ignore to send
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newsitems and haveto beg forarticles every month. Ipublished thisemagazine regularly and now I will be giving away to a new editor and publisher. Thanksto20 governors forgivingmeanopportunity tobring outthis newsletter forDistrict 1A Lionsand Leos.
-Lion Dr. Austin Dsouza, PDG, Editor.
Tips for Improving Membership in Your Clubs
Here are 10 ways to jumpstart your club’s recruiting efforts.
This is taken from LCI’s Mission 1.5 Website resources:
1. Do amember satisfaction check.
Before going out to recruit, look inside. How’s your club doing? Are your members happy? Do you have a positive club culture? Happy members who enjoy being a Lion are more likely to successfully recruit friends, family and others to your club.
Tools forsuccess: Membership Satisfaction Guide
2. Connect your club membership and marketing chairpersons. Does your club have a membership chairperson? How about a marketing chairperson? If not, you’ll want to fill these roles because marketing and membership growth go hand in hand. If you already have these chairpersons in place, make sure they’re working together to promote your club and recruit new members.
Tools forsuccess: Marketing Matters webpage, Club Membership Chairperson webpage
3. Get social.
social media is one of the most powerful tools you have for recruiting members. The more you promote your club’s incredible work, the more visible you’ll be and the more opportunities you’ll have to connect with people looking to serve. So, use social media to invite people to join your club for a service project or attend one of your events, and be sure everyone in your club is sharing, tagging and reposting stories about your club.
Tools forsuccess: Social Media Kit
4. Don't forget traditional media.
Social media isn’t the only way to get your club noticed. Local newspapers, magazines and newsletters are also great ways to promote
your club. Make connections with your local media and other organizations and community groups to discover opportunities to get the word out.
Tools forsuccess: Lions Press Center, Brand Advance Kit
5. Apply for theLionsInternational Marketing Award. Marketing is critical for recruitment, but it’s also a fun way to collaborate with your club and be creative. So why not embrace a little friendly competition by taking your shot at global recognition and great prizes? Your club can apply for the Lions International Marketing Award by creating a marketing campaign focused on member recruitment. Gather your team, plan your marketing campaign, and go out and get some new members.
Tools forsuccess: Lions International Marketing Award webpage, Marketing Matters webpage
6. Recruit whileyou serve.
One of the best ways to recruit is by doing what you do best serving. So invite people to serve with you and see what it’s like to be a Lion. Wear Lions-branded clothing to your service projects for visibility and bring promotional materials to hand out to people you meet while out in the community.
Tools forsuccess: Brand Advance Kit, Lions Shop
7. Host amember recruitment event.
Service is our focus, but bonding and having a good time is also a big part of the Lion experience — so don’t be afraid to show off that side to potential members! Consider hosting a member recruitment event that’s more of a social gathering. It could be a happy hour, picnic, ice cream social, game night or whatever works for your club. Promote the event on social media and encourage everyone in your club to invite at least five people.
Tools forsuccess: Social Media Kit, Brand Advance Kit
8. Write and share your Lion stories. Every Lion has a story to tell about their member experience. But is every Lion in your club ready to share theirs? Consider a club activity where everyone writes their story. It doesn’t have to be long it can be as simple as jotting down why you joined or why you love being a Lion. Once your stories are ready, find creative ways to share them on social media or your club’s website. Or, simply use them while talking with prospective members.
Tools forsuccess: Lions Get Social webinar, Lions Blog
9. Make connections in your community.
It's not always what you know, but who you know. Consider ways you can expand your network, like meeting local business owners or getting involved in community events. Participate in a golf outing, volunteer at a hospital or school, or even attend another group’s pancake breakfast. The more you’re out and about, the more people you’ll meet — so think of creative ways to make new connections. These connections just may become new partners, supporters or even new members.
Tools forsuccess: Developing Local Partnerships
10. Just Ask!
There are lots of different ways to find new members. But at the end of the day, one of the easiest and most effective ways to recruit is to simply ask people to join. Imagine if every Lion brought one new member to your club think of how many more people you could serve. All it takes is asking one family member, friend or neighbor.
Tools forsuccess: Just Ask Guide
Take some time to look over some of the resources we have available to us that will help us serve more of our friends in need!
Application for Membership
An application for membership can be downloaded using the link shown below. It is a fillable pdf file that can be either printed to be given to
prospective new members or sent electronically for a new member to fillin online and email back to you.
The file can be accessed using the following link: https://www.lionsclubs.org/resources/79863797
Pre-printed Applications are available from Lions International. If your club would like some assistance with getting new members or updating your social media platforms, please to not hesitate to reach out for assistance
Going Forward
A detailed program to help revive/reinvigorate clubs struggling is available to all clubs willing to commit to evaluating and attempting to improve those clubs with retention issues and attracting new members. The program attempts to evaluate the current clubs, mission, demographics, opportunities, nd impediments in its path to improving the club. We also have a rejuvenation plan utilizing Asset Based Community Planning as discussed at the last Growth Workshop Series held recently. We would like to help any club in our district by scheduling a meeting to discuss how we might be able to help your club. Our GAT team would love to help you out.
Respectfully Submitted,
Tom Elsey
District 1A Global Membership Team (GMT) Chairperson thomas.elsey@gmail.com
Westchester Lions Club
Hello
Greetings from the VOICES team, the Charitable Arm of District 1-A.
Can you believe the Lions year went by, so quickly?
It has been a pleasure being the President of Voices. I was lucky to work with 8 dedicated directors, along with 4consultants whowork on different committees.
Ournew directors will be installed at our Installation of Officers on June 7, 2026. In July, according to our by-laws, we will elect our executive committee.
Ouraccomplishments:
Streamlined our vetting process for hearing aid clients. We have reduced the waiting for hearing aids in half.
Improved relations with Lions of Illinois Foundation. We have become a partner for eye & hearing screenings. The Foundation has provided VOICES with a hearing testing unit.
Secured an eyeglass distributor for our clients in open areas. We are also working with other vendors, so we have locations throughout ourDistrict. So, what is next for VOICES. We plan to continue finding more day care centers to do children’s eye screenings. We also plan to do training on the diabetic retinopathy camera. Our longterm goal is to take part in health screenings all over the district.
The VOICES team is grateful for all the Lions andLions clubsthat have made donations to our small but mighty Foundation. We could not do it without you.
Have a great summer! I look forward to seeing you around the district.
Happy Summer
PCC Gail Anton,VOICES President
