Welcome to District 9SW
Loess Hills State Forest (Little Sioux Unit): The section around mile 4 of Brent’s Trail provides a great view of the Loess Hills State Forest, from both the top and bottom of the hills. The entire forest is open to hunting, so please be aware of season openings and wear blaze orange clothing or avoid hiking in season. (Courtesy of www.wanderloess.com; Photographer Lance Brisbois)
The Beautiful District 9SW
Welcome, visitors, to the website of the Lions of Southwest Iowa. We are a quiet unassuming people, but we really have a lot to offer in our district.
Did you know that the town of Winterset is the birthplace of Marion Morrison? You may know him as John Wayne. You can visit his childhood home and museum there and take in a show at the Iowa Theater or take a drive to visit the six covered bridges made famous in “The Bridges of Madison County”.
Did you know that Peggy Whitson from Beaconsville, Iowa has spent more time in outer space than any other American?
Did you know that Clearfield Lions Club is the largest Lions Club in the state? How about the fact that Waukee is the fastest growing community in Iowa? You may only think of Iowa as a farm state, but did you know that we have a rodeo circuit. The Iowa rodeo championship is held in Sydney, Iowa. In 9SW you can visit the Danish Museum in Elk Horn, the Swedish Heritage & Cultural Center in Stanton, the Nishna Heritage Museum in Oakland, or even the Iowa Jewish Historical Society in Waukee. There is a lot to see and a lot to like about our little corner of the state and we welcome you to come visit and checkout our Lions Clubs!
Click the above map for printable PDF file.
Why I like zone meetings and why you should, too!
While the CLUB is the foundation of our organization, the next bigger official structure in LCI is the Zone, and then the Region, District, Multiple District, and Geographic Area. So what’s so good about zones? Why should I go to another boring meeting? What’s in it for me and my club?
We have all experienced a crummy zone meeting and I know that a person can get a bad taste from a particularly bad meeting, but zone chairs don’t stay forever and the zone meeting depends partly on the ability of the chairman to set a mood that allows the attendees to speak freely and share their experiences. It also depends on whether club members are willing to give the meeting a fair chance to be successful. That means that you attend, firstly, and secondly that you try to put up with that ornery cuss that lives down the road.
Presidents and Secretaries are actually required to attend their zone meetings. Please fulfill your duty to be a part of the District Governor’s leadership team and take time to participate in the zone system.
OK, so what do you get out of this?
- You get to know and build friendship with your neighboring club leaders
- You get to share ideas and help struggling clubs to solve problems they are experiencing
- You get to brag about your successes and get consolation for your failures
- You get to ask for an extra hand on a project
- You get to hear about district events and programs from district leadership
Through developing personal connections to Lions who live close to you, you build a network of friends who will willingly come to your aid if disaster strikes. The clubs of a zone should be our first responders in times of strife. Being a zone chair is often a Lion’s first step into leadership positions and so you shouldn’t necessarily expect the most polished presentation. Be forgiving and lenient with this Lion as they are just trying something new and it is a stepping stone to future leadership positions.
There are zone meetings in Iowa where attendance is always over 100 members, but these successes don’t happen overnight. The success and enjoyment you can have from a zone meeting is directly dependent on your participation. When you get a notice for a zone meeting, please make every effort to be there and root on your fellow Lions clubs.
ABOUT
It’s About Organizations
- 9SW Leadership lists your governor, officers, cabinet, zone chairs, etc. with their emails address
- Contact Us shares information for contacting the State Office, your District Governor, and/or request a visit from your District Governor
- Join explains to you who can join Lions
- Objectives and Ethics described what is expected for the Lions members
- Privacy Policy discusses your privacy in using this web site
Nuts & Bolts
Forms, Clubs, Events, etc.
- Reports, Forms, and Other Information is where you will find your Who’s Who, forms for glasses, membership flyers, etc.
- Club Events and Links shows all 9SW clubs with web links and/or Facebook links
- Calendar shows the activities and events for our district
Media
Links to Other Lions
- 9SW Facebook puts you in touch with this district’s Facebook page
- Iowa Lions Facebook puts you in touch with the state’s Facebook page
- The Iowa Lions Magazine gives you access to the current and past issues of the official Iowa Lions Magazine
- 9SW Monthly Newsletter lets you read back issues online or download to print