- To be the global leader in community and humanitarian service.
- To empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions clubs.
- To Organize, charter and supervise service clubs to be known as Lions clubs.
- To Coordinate the activities and standardize the administration of Lions clubs.
- 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 Show my faith in the worthiness of my vocation by industrious application to the end that I may merit a reputation for quality of service.
- To Seek success and to demand all fair remuneration or profit as my just due, but to accept no profit or success at the price of my own self-respect lost because of unfair advantage taken or because of questionable acts on my part.
- To Remember that in building up my business it is not necessary to tear down another's; to be loyal to my clients or customers and true to myself.
- Whenever a doubt arises as to the right or ethics of my position or action towards others, to resolve such doubt against myself.
- To Hold friendship as an end and not a means. To hold that true friendship exists not on account of the service performed by one to another, but that true friendship demands nothing but accepts service in the spirit in which it is given.
- Always to bear in mind my obligations as a citizen to my nation, my state, and my community, and to give them my unswerving loyalty in word, act, and deed. To give them freely of my time, labor and means.
- To Aid others by giving my sympathy to those in distress, my aid to the weak, and my substance to the needy.
- To Be Careful with my criticism and liberal with my praise; to build up and not destroy.
Beginning in 1917
Chicago business leader Melvin Jones asked a simple and world-changing question – what if people put their talents to work improving their communities? Almost 100 years later, Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization, with 1.35 million members in more than 45,000 clubs and countless stories of Lions acting on the same simple idea: let's improve our communities.1920: Going International
Just three years after our founding, Lions became international when we established the first club in Canada. Mexico followed in 1927. In the 1950s and 1960s international growth accelerated, with new clubs in Europe, Asia and Africa.1925: Eradicating Blindness
Helen Keller addressed the Lions Clubs International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA, and challenged Lions to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness." Since then, we have worked tirelessly to aid the blind and visually impaired.1945: Uniting Nations
The ideal of an international organization is exemplified by our enduring relationship with the United Nations. We were one of the first nongovernmental organizations invited to assist in the drafting of the United Nations Charter and have supported the work of the UN ever since.1957: Organizing Youth Programs
In the late 1950s, we created the Leo Program to provide the youth of the world with an opportunity for personal development through volunteering. There are approximately 144,000 Leos and 5,700 Leo clubs in more than 140 countries worldwide.1968: Establishing Our Foundation
Lions Clubs International Foundation assists Lions with global and large-scale local humanitarian projects. Through our Foundation, Lions meet the needs of their local and global communities.1990: Launching SightFirst
Through SightFirst, Lions are restoring sight and preventing blindness on a global scale. Launched in 1990, Lions have raised more than $346 million for this initiative. SightFirst targets the major causes of blindness: cataract, trachoma, river blindness, childhood blindness, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.Today: Extending Our Reach
Lions Clubs International extends our mission of service every day – in local communities, in all corners of the globe. The needs are great and our services broad, including sight, health, youth, elderly, the environment and disaster relief. Our international network has grown to include more than 206 countries and geographic areas.
- Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization. We have 1.35 million members in more than 45,000 clubs worldwide.
- Lions are everywhere. We're active men and women in more than 206 countries and geographic areas.
- Lions have a dynamic history. Founded in 1917, we are best known for fighting blindness – it's part of our history as well as our work today. But we also volunteer for many different kinds of community projects – including caring for the environment, feeding the hungry and aiding seniors and the disabled.
- Lions give sight. By conducting vision screenings, equipping hospitals and clinics, distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease, Lions work toward their mission of providing vision for all. We have extended our commitment to sight conservation through countless local efforts and through our international SightFirst Program, which works to eradicate blindness.
- Lions serve youth. Our community projects often support local children and schools through scholarships, recreation and mentoring. Internationally, we offer many programs, including the Peace Poster Contest, Youth Camps and Exchange and Lions Quest. And our Leo Program provides personal development through youth volunteer opportunities. There are approximately 144,000 Leos and 5,700 Leo clubs in more than 140 countries worldwide.
- Lions award grants. Since 1968, the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) has awarded more than US$700 million in grants to support Lions humanitarian projects around the world. Together, our Foundation and Lions are helping communities following natural disasters by providing for immediate needs such as food, water, clothing and medical supplies – and aiding in long-term reconstruction.
- Lions are active. Our motto is "We Serve." Lions are part of a global service network, doing whatever is necessary to help our local communities.
“You can’t get very far until you start doing something for somebody else” – Melvin Jones, Founder of Lions Club
The International Association of LIONS Clubs is the largest and most active service club organization in the world. Comprising more than 1.4 million members from over 170 countries, The International Association of LIONS Clubs is dedicated to serving those that are less fortunate.
Founded in 1917 by Melvin Jones, a Chicago insurance man, the Association of LIONS clubs became an international association in 1920. The proper name is “The International Association of LIONS Clubs”, which is often abbreviated ” LIONS Clubs International.” One of the main tenets of Lionism is that “No Club shall hold out the financial betterment of its members as its object.”
LIONS stands for “Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation’s Safety.”
LIONS clubs are organized in districts which are often based on national, state or provincial lines. There are 680 districts in the world. If the number of clubs in a district is large, the larger district is called a Multiple District (Ours is Multiple District 323). In our Multiple District, there are 16 districts.
LIONS membership is by invitation only. Membership is open to persons of legal majority who have demonstrated high moral character and a commitment to community betterment. Usually, an active LIONS member, the “sponsor”, will invite a potential member, the “guest”, to his or her LIONS club meeting. Meeting usually occur twice per month. If interested, the guest will be invited to join the club and become an active member.
LIONS clubs and their members conduct a variety of humanitarian projects to better their communities as well as the international community, in general. The major service commitment is toward the prevention of and recovery from blindness. Toward this goal, the LIONS support research into the prevention, treatment and cure of eye disease. However, as noted below, LIONS clubs undertake a wide range of projects and services for the betterment of mankind. Service commitments include:
- SightFirst - An international program dedicated to fighting blindness worldwide. Clubs work individually and through their districts to prevent and treat blinding eye disease.
Sight Conservation and Work with the Blind – LIONS clubs establish glaucoma screening programs, eye banks, eye glasses collection drives and rehabilitation institutes. They help individual visually impaired and blind students, help pay for scholarships for blind students as well as guide dogs. Each year thousands of pairs of eye glasses are collected and sent to third world countries to provide clear vision to those who would otherwise not be able to afford or acquire eye glasses.
- White Cane – The familiar white canes for the blind were introduced by the LIONS.
- Diabetes Awareness – Diabetes is one of the major causes of blindness and many people are not aware that they have the disease. LIONS educate people about the disease and the early warning signs of diabetes. Through the LIONS Club International Foundation (LCIF), the LIONS support medical facilities and research into the prevention, treatment and cure of diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness.
- Hearing and Speech Action and Work with the Deaf – Auditory equipment is furnished to schools with hearing-impaired students. LIONS conduct hearing screening programs, support rehabilitation programs and repair hearing aids for needy children and adults.
- Drug awareness – LIONS provide educational programs designed to prevent drug abuse and allow children to make healthy decisions about their lives.
- Health Services – LIONS provide extensive medical relief to underdeveloped countries and organize a wide range of prevention, detection and treatment programs. Medical research institutions receive a great deal of contributions from LIONS clubs and districts.
- Public Services – LIONS distribute information about the latest methods of food production and protection in third world countries. Other programs relate to traffic, home, farm, school and recreational safety.
- Environmental Services – LIONS work with other organizations to promote a clean and healthy environment. LIONS members clean litter from roadways, clear rubbish from streams and promote a healthier environment for the next generation.
- Citizenship Services – LIONS work with veterans’ organizations and participate in patriotic and civic community programs.
- Educational Services – LIONS award thousands of scholarships every year. LIONS also promote literacy and vocational programs in underprivileged areas.
- Recreational Services – LIONS build playgrounds, swimming pools, gardens, town squares and donate equipment to needy organizations.
- Social Services – LIONS sponsor many programs for the physically and mentally handicapped, aged and underprivileged. LIONS have constructed homes for orphans and the elderly as well as rehabilitation institutes for the handicapped.
- Leo Clubs – LEO (Leadership, Experience and Opportunity) clubs are designed for older school-aged children to engage in activities that are aimed at the underprivileged at the local level.
The Melvin Jones Fellowship recognizes donations of US$1,000. It is the backbone
of LCIF, providing 75 percent of the foundation's revenue. A recognition of humanitarian
work, an MJF is an honor presented to those who donate US$1,000 to LCIF or to people
for whom a donation was made by others.
Contributions can be made by individuals (including non-Lions), clubs or districts.
Contributions can be made in one sum, or in installments of a minimum of US$100
over a five-year period. Melvin Jones Fellows receive an attractive lapel pin, a
plaque and a congratulatory letter.
It is possible to make a donation and choose the MJF recipient later. Write "Melvin
Jones Fellow to be named later" on the check or bank draft.When an individual's
or group of individuals' personal donation(s) are accumulated for a club's or district's
use to select a Melvin Jones Fellowship recipient, LCIF needs the signed consent
Please include such documentation with the completed MJF application that is sent
to LCIF Donor Services.
For Melvin Jones Fellowship contributions or inquiries, contact LCIF Donor Services
Department at 630-571-5466, ext.6897 or e-mail us. To apply for a fellowship, complete
the MJF Application form.
MJF FAQs:
- The Fellowship was established in 1973 and the Progressive program began in 1986
in response to Lions' request for a way to extend their commitment to LCIF.
- Donations through MJFs provide 75 percent of the Foundation's annual revenue.
- There are 100 levels in the Progressive program.
- Most of the funds raised during Campaign SightFirst and Campaign SightFirst II were
through MJF donations.
- There are 318,070 MJFs worldwide and 58,126 PMJFs, as of February 2011
- The MJF luncheon began in 1984 and has been held at each convention since
- All MJFs are invited to the annual luncheon at convention (ticket purchase required)
and their names are on a computer list of donors in the LCIF Room at International
Headquarters
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