Lions Clubs International facts for kids
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| Formation | June 7, 1917 |
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| Founder | Melvin Jones |
| Type | Service club |
| Headquarters | Oak Brook, Illinois, U.S. |
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Membership
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1,389,075 |
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President
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Fabrício Oliveira |
Lions Clubs International is a worldwide group that helps people. Its main office is in Oak Brook, Illinois, in the U.S. As of January 2020, it had over 46,000 local clubs. More than 1.4 million people were members, including young people in their Leo groups. They work in over 200 areas around the world.
Contents
How Lions Clubs Started
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Lions Clubs International began in 1917 in Chicago, Illinois. A business leader named Melvin Jones started it. He believed that business clubs should do more than just focus on business. He thought they should also help their communities and the world.
Melvin Jones's group, the Business Circle of Chicago, agreed. They contacted similar groups across the United States. On June 7, 1917, they held a meeting in Chicago. The Business Circle then joined one of the invited groups, which was called the "International Association of Lions Clubs."
Later that year, at a big meeting in Dallas, Texas, they made important decisions:
- They created rules for how the club would work.
- They decided their main goal was "unselfish service to others." This means helping people without expecting anything in return.
- They chose Woods as their first president.
- Melvin Jones became the secretary-treasurer.
The Lions motto is "We Serve." This means they are dedicated to helping others.
What Lions Clubs Do
Lions Clubs work on many different projects to help people. They focus on several important areas.
Helping People See and Hear
Lions Clubs are well-known for their work with people who are blind or have trouble seeing. This focus began in 1925. A famous person named Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf, spoke to the Lions at a meeting. She asked them to be "Knights of the Blind." Since then, Lions have worked hard to help people with vision problems.
They also help people with hearing problems. For example, in Perth, Australia, Lions have checked people's hearing for over 30 years. They also helped start the Lions Ear and Hearing Institute. This center helps diagnose and treat ear and hearing problems.
Health and Community Projects
Lions Clubs support many health projects. They help hospices, which are places that care for people who are very sick. They also have community programs like "Message in a Bottle." This program helps vulnerable people by putting important medical information in a bottle in their fridge. This way, emergency services can find it quickly.
Lions also raise money for international causes. They have helped after big events like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. They also support global campaigns like Sight First. This campaign works to prevent blindness around the world.
Supporting Research
Lions Clubs help fund important medical research. For example, in Brisbane, Australia, the Lions Medical Research Foundation provides money to scientists. Their funding helped Ian Frazer with his early work on a vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV). This vaccine can help prevent cervical cancer.
Working with the United Nations
Lions Clubs International has supported the United Nations since it started in 1945. They were one of the groups invited to help write the United Nations Charter. This shows their commitment to global cooperation and helping people worldwide.
Lions Clubs International Foundation
The Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is like a helping hand for Lions Clubs. It's described as "Lions helping Lions serve the world." When people donate to LCIF, the money is used to give grants. These grants help local Lions clubs with big projects that would be too expensive for them to do alone.
The Foundation helps Lions make a bigger difference in their communities and around the world. Some of their main projects include:
- SightFirst Programs: These programs work to prevent blindness. They include projects for childhood blindness, eye health, and fighting diseases like River blindness and Trachoma.
- Other Sight Programs: These include vision screenings for children.
- Disability Programs: They support services for the blind, help with diabetes prevention, and work with groups like Habitat for Humanity. They also help provide affordable hearing aids.
- Youth Programs: These include Leo clubs, which are for young people, and Lions Quest, a program that teaches life skills.
Fighting Blindness with SightFirst
The SightFirst program is a major effort to fight blindness. In 2012, Lions Clubs joined a big program to get rid of certain diseases. Through SightFirst, they aim to stop blindness caused by trachoma, a disease that affects the eyes. They have spent millions of dollars in many countries. This money helps pay for eye surgeries, medical training, and providing medicines. They also support better sanitation to prevent the spread of the disease.
Becoming a Member
Becoming a member of a Lions Club is by invitation. This means you need an active member to sponsor you. Even with a sponsor, the club's leaders must approve your membership. Lions Clubs choose their members carefully because it takes time and money to be involved. Members are expected to be good people in their community. They usually attend meetings once or twice a month.
Lions Clubs International is organized in levels. Members can move up from a local club to leadership roles at zone, district, and even international levels.
In 1987, the rules changed to allow women to become members. Many clubs now have women members. Famous members have included former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who is a Royal Patron for Lions Clubs in the British Isles. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest, was also a Lions Club member.
Lions Clubs Around the World
Lions Clubs started to expand internationally on March 12, 1920. The first club outside the U.S. opened in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. By 1937, they had a club in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Today, Lions Clubs operate in more than 200 countries and have over 1.4 million members.
International Convention
Every year, Lions Clubs hold a big international meeting called a convention. It takes place in different cities around the world. Members come together to meet other Lions, choose the leaders for the next year, and take part in many activities. At the convention, Lions can vote, watch parades, share ideas about their projects, and trade pins and souvenirs.
The very first convention was held in 1917 in Dallas, Texas. The convention planned for New Orleans in 2006 had to move to Boston because of damage from Hurricane Katrina. The most recent convention was held in Melbourne, Australia, from June 21 to 25, 2024.
See also
In Spanish: Club de Leones para niños
