Grosse Ile, MI

Background of Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International -- Triumph of an Idea
In 1917, a Chicago insurance agent named Melvin Jones convinced his luncheon club, the Business Circle of Chicago, that it should ally itself with other independent clubs to form a national organization that would be dedicated not only to networking for business and social purposes, but to the improvement of the community as a whole. Among the groups invited was the Association of Lions Clubs, headquartered in Evansville, Indiana and led by Dr. W.P. Woods. At the time of the meeting, June 7, there were several Lions clubs already in existence, some having been organized in 1916. They were an outgrowth of a now-defunct fraternal organization called the Royal Order of Lions.

The Business Circle and other clubs agreed to rally under the Lions name, and a convention was called for October at Dallas, Texas. Thirty-six delegates representing 22 clubs from nine states heeded the call, approved the ³Lions Club² designation, and elected Woods as the first president. Guiding force and founder Jones was named acting secretary, thus beginning an association with Lions that ended only with his death in 1961.

The convention also began to define what the association was to become. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, the colors of purple and gold approved, and a start made on the Lions Clubs Objects and Code of Ethics. Remarkably, considering the materialism of the era, both Objects and Ethics encouraged Lions to put service ahead of profit, and to uphold the highest standards of conduct in business and the professions.

Community leaders soon began to organize clubs throughout the United States. The association become ³International² with the formation of a club in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in 1920. Clubs were later organized in Mexico, China, and Cuba. By 1927, membership stood at 60,000 in 1,183 clubs. In 1935, Panama became home to the first Central American club; the first club in South America was organized in Colombia the following year. Sweden, them France, brought Europe into the association in 1948.
Japan had clubs by 1952, and the so-called ³Eastern Bloc² was unblocked in 1989 with the formation of clubs in Hungary, Poland and Estonia. In 1990, a club was chartered in Moscow and today over 100 Lions clubs are demonstrating the value of service in countries once closed to voluntary action.

The Name
The legal name of the association is "The International Association of Lions Clubs." It¹s entirely proper, however, to use the shorter form of "Lions Clubs International."

The Emblem
The current Lion emblem was adopted at the 1919 convention. Today, Lions throughout the world are recognized by it. It consists of a gold letter ³L² on a circular purple (or blue) field. Bordering this is a circular gold area with two Lion profiles facing away from the center. The word "Lions" appears at the top, and "International" at the bottom. The Lions face both past and future -showing both pride of heritage and confidence in the future.

The Motto
The official motto of the association is simply "We Serve." What better way to explain our mission?

The Slogan
The slogan is "Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety ".

Official Colors
The royal colors of purple and gold were selected as the official colors when the association was organized in 1917. Purple stands for loyalty to friends and for integrity of mind and heart, and for integrity of mind and heart. Gold symbolizes sincerity of purpose, liberality in judgment, purity in life and generosity in mind, heart and purse to those in need.


Courtesy of Lions Welcome Publication.