THE LIONS ORIENTATION GAME A 12N-ing Experience [The Lions Clubs of East Tennessee, U.S.A.]

12-N DISTRICT ORIENTATION

PART I
LCI HISTORY

Lions Clubs International began as the dream of Chicago insurance executive 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’ own service group, the Business Circle of Chicago, agreed.

After contacting similar groups around the country, an organizational meeting was held on June 7, 1917, at the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago. The new group took the name of one of the groups invited, the “International Association of Lions Clubs”.

A national convention was held in Dallas, Texas, in October of that year. Thirty-six delegates representing 22 clubs from nine states were in attendance. The convention began to define what the association was to become.

A constitution, by-laws, objects and code of ethics were approved. Among the official objects adopted in these early years was one which read, “No club shall hold out the financial betterment of its members” as its object. The object has remained one of the association’s main tenets ever since.

Dr. W. P. Woods, of Evansville, Indiana, USA was elected as the first president. Guiding force and founder Jones was named acting secretary, thus beginning his relationship with Lions that ended only with his death in 1961.

The royal colors of purple and gold were selected as the official colors when the association was organized in 1917. Purple stands for loyalty to friends and for integrity of mind and heart. Gold symbolizes sincerity of purpose, liberality in judgment, purity in life and generosity in mind, heart and purse to those with need. Today LCI often uses a dark blue in place of purple.

At the 1919 convention the official Lions symbol was adopted after a move to change it was opposed by a young attorney from Denver, Colorado. His name was Halsted Ritter. "The name Lions stands not only for fraternity, good fellowship, strength of character and purpose, but above all, its combination of L-I-O-N-S heralds to the country the true meaning of citizenship: LIBERTY, INTELLIGENCE, OUR NATION'S SAFETY."

At the same 1919 Convention the official Lions emblem was adopted. It consists of a gold letter “L” on a circular purple (or blue) field. Bordering this is a circular gold area with two Lion profiles facing away from the center. The word “Lions” appears at the top and “International” at the bottom. The Lions face both past and future – showing both pride of heritage and confidence in the future.

Just three years after its formation, the organization became international when the first club in Windsor, Ontario, Canada was established in 1920. Clubs were later organized in Mexico, China and Cuba. By 1927, membership stood at 60,000 in 1,183 clubs.

In 1935, Panama became home to the first Central American club; the first club in South America was reorganized in Colombia the following year. Sweden, then France, brought Europe into the association in 1948.

Japan had clubs by 1952, and the so-called “Eastern Bloc” was unblocked in 1989 with the formation of clubs in Hungary, Poland and Estonia. In 1990, a club was chartered in Moscow and today over 100 Lions clubs are demonstrating the value of service in countries once closed to voluntary action.

Perhaps the single event having the greatest impact on the association’s service commitment occurred in 1925 when Helen Keller addressed the Lions at the international convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA. It was there that she challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.”

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.

Each year, during the Lions Day with the United Nations ceremonies, an award is presented to the grand prizewinner of the Lions International Peace Poster Contest.

In 1954 Lions Clubs International adopted their official motto, ‘We Serve’.

In 1957 the first Leo Club was chartered at Abingdon High School in Pennsylvania and Leo Clubs became an official Lions project in 1966.

In 1968 Lions Clubs International created the Lions Clubs International Fund, the charitable arm of lionism. From 1968 thru 2007 LCIF approved over 6500 grants for over $600 million dollars for emergency, humanitarian, educational, and Sightfirst projects.

In 1987 Lions Clubs International was the first service club to invite women into full membership.

In 1988 Lions International Peace Poster Contest is introduced.

In 1990 Lions launched their most aggressive sight preservation effort to date, SightFirst.

The more than US$140 million-plus program strives to rid the world of preventable and reversible blindness by closing the gap between existing health care services and those that remain desperately needed. The unprecedented program joins Lions volunteers with blindness prevention experts and organizations and governments.

Donations to LCIF support grants in these categories: LCIF SightFirst, Core 4, Standard, International Assistance Grants (IAG), Emergency, Major Catastrophe and Major International Service Program.

The more than 841 SightFirst grants thru 2007 have:

provided more than 7 million cataract surgeries and prevented serious vision loss for 20 million.

supported 80.5 million treatments for river blindness.

built or expanded more than 213 eye hospitals/clinics/wards and upgraded more than 325 eye centers with equipment.

improved eye care in 90 countries around the world.

trained more than 305,000 ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, other professional eye care workers and village health workers.

In 2008, at the International Convention in Bangkok, Thailand, Lions Clubs International announced that SightFirst II (2005-2008)campaign had raised over $200 million to fund blindness prevention programs around the world for the next 15 years.

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 Clubs International has grown to include 1.3 million men and women in approximately 45,000 clubs, 743 districts located in 202 countries and geographic areas.

The organization is governed by an International Constitution and By-laws amended by vote of club delegates at each International Convention.

There is also an International Policy manual amended by the International directors at the 4 board meetings they convene each year.

There are currently (2008) 44 members on the International board:
- Four executive officers; 2nd & 1st International Vice Presidents, International President, and Immediate Past International President who make up the Executive Committee. They serve one year in each position.

- Thirty four International directors elected from throughout the 7 Constitutional Areas of lionism. They serve an elected two year term.

- Six Board members are appointed for a one year term by the International President. They have no Board voting privilege.

The International Board issues a standard form Club, District, and Multi-District Constitution and By-laws for use those Lion’s entities who have not enacted an individual one for themselves.

The Mission of Lions Clubs International is:
To create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary service through community involvement and international cooperation.



CONTINUE TO PART I QUIZ

HOME Updated September 4, 2008.