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What is a Lions Club? What do Lions Clubs do? Who are Lions? What are some major Lions Club interests? What do Lions do for young people? What are our objectives? What is our mission statement? How can I join a Lions Club? Back to Home Page

For over 80 years, Lions clubs have brought civic-minded people together to improve their communities, support youth programs, work to eliminate preventable blindness, and lend a helping hand to the disabled. Lions raise funds and give their time freely to help the less fortunate. The Lions' motto, WE SERVE, is not only a motto, but our definition and philosophy.

Each Lions club is autonomous and is empowered to develop and support programs that serve the needs of the people within its community. Many clubs also participate in projects that are regional and international in nature, such as financially sup-porting an eye screening project that may serve the people within the local area, or giving funds to the Lions Clubs International Foundation which funds projects around the world. The club would first identify and measure the needs of the community, and then club members vote to decide which programs the club will undertake.

The general membership of the club can meet twice a month to discuss the issues facing the community, hear project updates and listen to guest speakers discuss topics that are of interest to the members. The club's board, headed by the club president, holds a separate meeting to maintain the operation of the club.

The idea is simple. The system works and has allowed people from all walks of life to work together, side by side, all over the world.

Lions are more than 1.4 million strong ... men and women ... young and old. You will find us in more than 180 countries and geographical areas from the hinterlands of Australia and Brazil to thriving urban centers like New York City and Milan. We speak dozens of languages and vary in nature and customs.

We share a common spirit. Since our beginning in 1917, we have been united in a single cause: helping those less fortunate. We are tackling the tough problems like blindness and drug abuse as well as diabetes awareness --and finding help and training for the deaf, disabled, underprivileged and the elderly. In fact, whatever the community needs to make life better, we're there to help.

We are the youngest major social service organization, yet we have grown to be the world's largest. We are succeeding because we have embraced all those committed to building a brighter future for the world and For themselves.

And, with a new generation of enlightened members, Lions clubs are working smarter and Faster with greater commitment than ever before.

We are the Lions...and, WE SERVE.

BRINGING RAYS OF LIGHT TO THOUSANDS

For more than 70 years, Lions have been recognized throughout the world for their service to the blind and visually impaired. Back in 1925, when Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become"Knights of the Blind,"she could not have possibly imagined the impact of Lions commitment to blindness prevention.

Bringing rays of light to the darkness of countless people around the world, Lions have established the majority of eye banks worldwide, funded ground-breaking research on leading causes of blindness, organized eyeglass recycling efforts and helped hundreds of thousands of visually impaired people develop the skills to live productive lives.

SIGHTFIRST: ELIMINATING BLINDNESS WORLDWIDE

Lions launched SightFirst in 1990 as an aggressive attack on the rising tide of blindness around the world. Forty million people are blind, yet 80 percent of all blindness is preventable or reversible.

Developed as a bold response to the World Health Organization's prediction that the number of people who are blind would double in 25 years, SightFirst works to close the gap between existing health care services and those that are needed.

Topping more than $140 million in funds raised through a major, three-year Fundraising drive, Lions have initiated SightFirst programs in more than 40 countries on Five continents. Lions have joined with governments, ophthalmic professionals and other organizations to help establish long-term solutions in health care infrastructure, training of health care professionals, treatment and public education.

Over the years, Lions have developed pro-grams that help young people live up to their potential - programs that stimulate an awareness of what is going on in the world around them:

• The Lions-Quest"Skills For Growing"program for elementary school students and the"Skills for Adolescence"curriculum for middle school students have helped millions of young people around the world acquire the skills and self-esteem they need to live productive, happy, drug-Free lives.
• Through the Lions International Youth Exchange program, more than 5,000 youngsters travel yearly to a foreign country, where they live with host families and experience cultures different from their own.
• In an effort to educate children about the concepts of peace and international under-standing, Lions Clubs International sponsors the International Peace Contest. Using only pictures, children -- ages 11 to 13 -- from around the world are challenged to depict their personal interpretations of world peace.
• Lions clubs and districts sponsor and operate international youth camps to bring together young people from different countries. In addition, each summer, thousands of disadvantaged and disabled youths -- for whom summer camp would otherwise be just a dream - attend Lions-sponsored camps.
• Leo clubs offer youngsters ages 12 and older a chance to serve their communities and experience the camaraderie of their peers.
• Sponsored by local Lions clubs, Leo clubs have an opportunity to make an impact on their communities and learn how they can continue to make a difference for the rest of their lives.
• To provide teens with the tools they need to get started on their own community service projects, Lions created"The Future is Ours...So Now What?", a complete in-school program that provides motivation and guidelines For teens to become volunteers.

• To create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.
• To promote the principles of good government and good citizenship.
• To take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community.
• To unite the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding.
• To provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest; provided, however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members.
• To encourage service-minded people to serve their community without personal financial reward, and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavors.

TO CREATE AND FOSTER a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation.