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Lion's
History
The International Association of Lions
Clubs began as the dream of Chicago businessman Melvin Jones. He
believed that local business clubs should expand their horizons
from purely professional concerns to the betterment of their
communities and the world at large.
Jones' group, the Business Circle of
Chicago, agreed. After contacting similar groups around the
United States, an organizational meeting was held on June 7,
1917 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The new group took the name of
one of the invited groups, the "Association of Lions Clubs," and
a national convention was held in Dallas, Texas, USA in October
of that year. A constitution, by-laws, objects and code of
ethics were approved.
Among the objects adopted in those
early years was one that read, "No club shall hold out the
financial betterment of its members as its object." This call
for unselfish service to others remains one of the association's
main tenets.
Just three years after its formation,
the association became international when the first club in
Canada was established in 1920. Major international expansion
continued as clubs were established, particularly throughout
Europe, Asia and Africa during the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1925, Helen Keller addressed the
Lions international convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA. She
challenged Lions to become "knights of the blind in the crusade
against darkness." From this time, Lions clubs have been
actively involved in service to the blind and visually impaired.
Broadening its international role,
Lions Clubs International helped the United Nations form the
Non-Governmental Organizations sections in 1945 and continues to
hold consultative status with the U.N.
In 1990, Lions launched its most
aggressive sight preservation effort, SightFirst. The US$202
million program strives to rid the world of preventable and
reversible blindness by supporting desperately needed health
care services. Lions have launched Campaign SightFirst II to
raise at least US$150 million to continue and expand the
extraordinary work of SightFirst.
In addition to sight programs, Lions
Clubs International is committed to providing services for
youth. Lions clubs also work to improve the environment, build
homes for the disabled, support diabetes education, conduct
hearing programs and, through their foundation, provide disaster
relief around the world. Lions have launched Campaign SightFirst
II to raise at least US$150 million to continue and expand the
extraordinary work of SightFirst.
Lions Clubs International has grown to
include 1.3 million men and women in approximately 45,000 clubs
located in 202 countries and geographic areas.
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