In 1973 a small group of men decided that a second Lions Club was needed in Michigan City. The objective was not to compete with the Michigan City Lions Club which was meeting every week at noon but to form a smaller club that would meet twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings.  This became and has ever since been the Michiana Lions Club.

The very purpose of Lions Clubs the world over is to live up to our motto "WE SERVE". Lions Clubs are the largest service organization in the world existing in many nations. At Michiana, we strive to make achieving this goal both interesting and fun.

Our meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of every month.  The December meeting is our Christmas celebration. The meeting in July is when we install our new officers for the new Lions year which runs from July 1st to June 30th. Meetings are currently held at the Salvation Army church starting at 6:00 PM. Our meetings consist of dinner which is prepared by the Salvation Army staff and going over the business of the club or a short program of interest. 

Our main fundraising events consist of  "Candy Days", the collection of money outside Al's Franklin St., and Al's Karwick Plaza.  The sale of the "Terri Lynn Candy and Nuts" runs from September through October and participation in the Zone 3-A Lions Club golf outing on the Friday of Memorial weekend in May.  There are six (6) clubs from zone 3-A that participate in the golf outing fundraiser.  All profits from these events are totally given to charitable causes in amounts as decided by the Finance committee and approved by the members.

We also participate in projects that serve our community. Vision screening of young children to detect the early onset of sight problems is currently held at the Imagination Station where we have been screening up to 60 youngsters each year.  This month we are adding the Head Start Program at Neiman School where we will screen more than 200 youngsters. Our members individually may participate in local free lunch programs, housing for the homeless, ramp construction, etc.

Our funds are maintained by our Treasurer in three separate accounts. The operating fund pays our dinner bills, International and District per capita assessments, and any other costs associated with operating the club, the emergency fund is used to help any members or members' families who find themselves in need, and the project fund which is used solely for our charitable giving. The Emergency fund is capped at $600.00 and stays at that amount unless used at which point it is slowly rebuilt.

Currently, our yearly dues are $75.00 per member payable in June. The cost for each meeting is currently $5.00 which covers the cost of your meal. At each meeting, a Lion who is titled the Tail Twister visits each member receiving contributions for any specific reason the member wishes to honor, and also may get fined if the member has no Lions identification in view. 25% of these voluntarily given funds go to replenish the emergency fund if it has fallen under $600.00 and the rest goes into operating costs. Honored events may consist of family birthdays, anniversaries, and special happenings. Some of our members who happen to have very large numbers of descendants contribute quite heavily to the Tail Twister. 

Last but not least Lions Clubs International has been and will always be dedicated to improving the lives of those who are visually impaired. To that end, Lions collect used eyeglasses (and you will see the collection boxes in various stores, offices, and clubs) and process them including repair, cleaning, determining scripts, and packaging individually. Then they are shipped to Mexico where groups of visiting Lions screen applicants to find glasses that fit their needs and give them out free. U.S. law prohibits giving them out in the United States. Currently, Michiana and Michigan City Lions Clubs are cooperating in putting together a complete list of where the collection boxes are located so that organized retrieving of glasses can be initiated.

The training and providing of Leader Dogs (once called seeing-eye dogs) are carried out in Rochester, Michigan. The training of one dog costs $41,000.00 and they are given free to those in need, including training the recipient with the dog for three months at the training facility all expenses are covered. Support of this program is covered by donations from Lions Clubs and individuals.

The Michiana Lions Club currently has 13 members. Our membership consists of 3 women and 10 men. We are always happy to have new members join Michiana as our members are our strength!

Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.