Many of the 1,450 members of the 67 Lions Clubs of Western Kansas will gather as The Pride at Magouirk Conference Center in Dodge City, on Saturday, Feb. 16, for their annual District Convention. Special guests of the Lions will be International Director Dave and Marie Hajny of Ennis, Mont., representing the International Association of Lions Clubs.
The Western Kansas Lions’ annual convention is to renew long-time friendships, and refresh important skills that will help prepare them for serving the needs of their hometown communities. The Lions Club’s on-going programs of Sight Conservation, Diabetes Awareness, Youth projects, and other individualized activities selected by the clubs will be review and refreshed.
The New Lions Mobile Screening Unit (MSU) will be on site for tours all day Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the MSU will offer free screenings to the Dodge City community for sight disorders, hearing testing, blood pressure checks, and blood sugar readings for diabetes testing.  
The International Association of Lions Clubs is the largest community service organization in the world, with 1.37 million Lions in 2008 Countries of the world.
Western Kansas Lions District 17-L, which comprises the entire western half of Kansas, consists 1,450 members in 67 clubs, all dedicated to serving their home communities.