TORRINGTON – Eleven years ago, Torrington resident Val Grant was looking for a way to give back to her community. Now, she’s helping Lions Club celebrate its centennial year as Wyoming’s district governor.
“After I raised my children, I was looking for ways to volunteer,” Grant said. “(Longtime Torrington Lion) Mel Gabel was my math teacher in high school. When Torrington started asking female members to join, and looking for younger members, he reached out to his (former) students.”
Fortunately, Grant and the Lions Club were a perfect fit. She’s served as vice president and president of the local chapter over the years, and said the value of being a Lion can be summed up in the club’s motto.
“The motto means a lot to me, ‘Where there’s a need, there’s a Lion,’” she said. “We do whatever needs to be done. The funds we raise are spent locally. Our dues are sent to international disasters.”

Grant’s goals for the future of the club are closely aligned with her origins as a Lion.
“To increase and retain membership – all service organizations are struggling with members getting older. I would also like to get more women involved. Wyoming Lions Clubs have about 20 percent women, while other states have as much as 30 to 60 percent women (members),” she said. “Statewide, my biggest passion is our (Allen H. Stewart) camp for vision-impaired youth on Casper Mountain. We have a weeklong school in July, where we teach … computer skills, how to read Braille (and more).”
At the international convention in Chicago last month, and after two years of leadership training, Grant was named district governor of Wyoming – meaning she is now considered a member and representative of the state’s 44 clubs and 1,100 members.
Her responsibilities as district governor include visiting all the clubs in the state, a duty Grant called “a challenge,” as well as acting as Grand Marshal in the Wyoming State Fair parade, set for Aug. 19 in Douglas.
Grant will also be at the Allen H. Stewart Lions Camp on Casper Mountain during the eclipse. She’s heading up the Thursday before, but will take a day off to attend the parade in Douglas.
“I will be making beds, doing dishes and laundry for aeronautic individuals coming from Houston to Casper Mountain,” Grant said. CBS, PBS and IMAX will also reportedly be on the mountain to film some of the scientists’ experiments.
Although it may keep her busy, Grant said her position with Lions Club is all part of her desire to volunteer.
“It’s the largest service organization in the world, and in its centennial year, is taking on the new service of helping those with diabetes,” she said, “This last year, the club served 1.4 million people. Our new goal is to help 200 million by 2021.”