Lions . . ."Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety"
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Lions . . ."Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety" |
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Since 1917, Lions have served the world's population through hard work and commitment to make a difference in the lives of people everywhere. With 1.4 million members (1,398,161 in 44,831 clubs in 186 countries and geographical areas as of January 31, 2001) Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization. Lions are recognized worldwide for their service to the blind and visually impaired.
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' own 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 "Association of Lions Clubs,"
and a national convention was held in Dallas in October of that year.
Perhaps the single event having the greatest
impact on the association's service commitment occurred in 1925 when Helen
Keller addressed the Lions at their 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."
In 1990 Lions launched their most aggressive sight
preservation effort to date, Sight First. The more than US$130 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 Lions emblem consists of a gold letter "L" on
a circular purple field. Bordering this is a circular gold area with two lion
profiles facing away from the center. The word "Lion" and "International" appear
at the top and bottom. The Lions are meant to face both a proud past and
confident future.
The current Lions emblem was adopted at the 1919 convention. Today, Lions
throughout the world are recognized by it. The official colors are purple and
gold -- purple for loyalty and integrity; gold for sincerity, liberality,
purity, and generosity. |
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Lions Clubs International
Headquarters 300 W. 22nd Street Oak Brook, Illinois, USA 60523-8842 |
Tel. (630) 571-5466 |
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Florida Lions Camp
2819 Tiger Lake Road Lake Wales, FL 33898 863-696-1948
website managed by Kristen Frontera KFrontera@gmail.com |
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