Founded in 1917, Lions Clubs International has nearly 1.4 million members in 45,502 clubs in 190 countries around the world. Clubs participate in service activities emphasizing sight, hearing, diabetes awareness and mental/physical impairments. The mission of Lions Club International is "To create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation.

Helen Keller’s challenge to Lions International in 1925 was to become “Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness.” Since that time service to the blind and the visually impaired has become one of the association’s most significant activities. That crusade has resulted in the establishment of SIGHT FIRST, a global blindness prevention program.

To the Lions, “We Serve” is not just a motto, it is a philosophy that helps to foster a spirit of understanding among the people of the world.

Mission Statement
To create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation.

Lions International Objectives

• To Create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.
• To Promote the principle 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.

Lions Code of Ethics

• 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 doubts 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 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, as 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.

Click HERE to go to their website.

You can also visit the LOCAL (District 5M5) or the REGIONAL (Multiple District 5M – Minnesota, Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario) organization.