Lions Clubs International
Beginning in 1917, Melvin Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago business leader, asked a simple and world-changing question – what if people put their talents to work improving their communities? From the original Chicago location, Lions Clubs spread all over the United States and the world. Almost 100 years later, Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization, with countless stories of local Lions acting on the same simple idea: let’s improve our communities.
In 1925, 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.
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.
Today, Lions Clubs International extends our mission of service regularly 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 207 countries and geographic areas.