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HISTORY OF LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL

Begining 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 more than 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 clubs and
countless stories of Lions acting on the same simple idea: let's improve
our communities.
Going International 1920: 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.
Eradicating Blindness 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.
Uniting Nations 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.
Organizing Youth Programs 1957: 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.
Establishing Our Foundation 1968: 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.
Launching SightFirst 1990: 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.

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