About
The over 1.4 million members in more than 48,000 clubs in over 200 countries are different in many ways, but share a core belief – community is what we make it. In addition to humanitarian service, Lions enjoy fellowship and develop leadership skills.
Our History
Lions meet the needs of local communities and the world every day because they share a core belief - to serve their community.
Lions have a dynamic history. Founded in 1917.
A Chicago Businessman named Melvin Jones was instrumental in helping his club The Chicago Business Circle to do more than promote good business practices. He convinced the members that selfless service to others would create a better community and world. Melvin saw that a network of clubs working together could do so much more than individuals alone. He contacted similar organizations around the country and invited them to a meeting. Most agreed to merge, taking the name of the largest of the groups. On June 7, 1917, The Association of Lions Clubs, Inc. was created In Chicago, Illinois.
It was because of Melvin Jones's desire to form a local business club for the betterment of the community and the world at large that the Lions Club is what it is today. His favorite saying was “You can’t get very far until you start doing something for someone else.”That passion was his way of life."
In 1925, Helen Keller was a guest speaker at a Lions Club Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio. She challenged the Lions to become the "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness." During this speech, the Lions Club adopted vision loss as the primary community service effort. Since that time, the primary mission of Lions Clubs International has been to rid the world of preventable and reversible blindness and provide services for people who are already blind or visually impaired.
Lions Club International Foundation was established in 1968 to assist Lions with global and large-scale humanitarian projects. Lions are also involved in disaster aid and giving to those in need in communities far and near.
