Making History Every Day
With every project completed and each person served, we make history. We’ve been around for over 100 years, yet our story is still in the making. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s being written by helping hands, by shovels hitting the dirt, and by lives and communities being improved in over 200 countries and geographic areas around the world.
1917: The Beginning of Lions Clubs International
In response to social problems created by World War I and rapid industrialisation, a Chicago businessman named Melvin Jones invites business clubs from around the USA to a meeting where the Association of Lions Clubs is formed.
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1920: Lions Go International
Just three years after founding, Lions International becomes international when the Border Cities Lions Club in Windsor, Canada is established. At the time, Lions were active in 23 U.S. states with a total of 6,400 members.
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1925: Becoming “Knights of the Blind”
Helen Keller addresses Lions at the International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA. She famously challenges Lions to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness." This begins a century-long mission—impacting hundreds of millions of lives through vision-related work.
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1945: Uniting Nations
Lions and other representatives from 46 nations meet to help establish the NGO section of the United Nations (UN), underscoring Lions International’s commitment to a "certain and lasting peace for the world." Today, Lions continue to work with the UN at the annual Lions Day with the United Nations and…
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1957: Leos Are Introduced
The Leo Program is developed to provide the youth of the world with an opportunity for personal development through volunteering. Today, there are more than 175,000 Leos and 7,000 Leo clubs in over than 140 countries worldwide.
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1968: Establishing Our Foundation
Lions Clubs International Foundation is created, with the mission "to support the efforts of Lions clubs and partners in serving communities locally and globally, giving hope and impacting lives through humanitarian service projects and grants." Today, our foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants.
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1990: Launching SightFirst
Lions launch a campaign to help restore sight and prevent blindness on a global scale. More than 488 million people have been impacted over the last 30 years.
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2017: Lions Turn 100
The 100th year of serving local communities and the globe is celebrated at the Lions Clubs International Centennial Convention in Chicago, Illinois, USA—the same city where the association began.
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We Are Just Getting Started
Lions MD 321As we continue to move further into our second century of service, our commitment to taking action and making a positive impact on the world is stronger than ever. The over 1.4 million people who are Lions already know the power of putting kindness in action. But for those who are not, we encourage you to reach out to one of our 47,000 clubs and see how you too can get involved in one of the greatest forces for good the world has ever known.