Brief History of the Dallas Filipino Lions Clu

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The Birth of DFLC and the Early Years: It is known that whenever two Pinoys get together, they form a club. Whenever these two Pinoys get together with a third, they  immediately organized themselves into a Filipino Community organization. With that spirit, a small group of enthusiastic Filipinos in Dallas got affiliated with another international organization. The meetings were normally held during lunch hour during business days. This became an inconvenience for members to attend the meetings regularly, so they were encouraged to look for another bonafide organization, that they can serve at their convenience. Orlando Obar was designated to scout the DFW area for an alternative service organization. In 1986 about 40 prospective members gathered together and formally organized the DFLC club as an affiliate of the Lions International. The club was chartered on May 23rd, 1986 at the City of Richardson Civic center, under the auspices of the International Association of Lions Club, with the Governor of District 2X1 John Eads presiding.Lion Fred Embuscado put together the Constitution and Bylaws. Lion Orly Obar was elected the 1st President after the charter and the Dallas Filipino Lions Club was born. Much success was achieved during the early years, as the group focused on community projects and fund raising events. There were 70 members during the charter night, membership slowly declined until 1999, with only 9 members. Recruiting efforts later, helped boost the membership again.

DFLC Today: Today 25 years later, we have 20 active members and growing. The clubs vision of service to the community remained the same, with full dedication and enthusiasm. DFLC was honored by a dedicated Lion Alice Conway, who was elected as the Governor of the Lions District 2X1, during 2008-2009. She was the first Asian American Woman Lion to be elected for this position. This was a feather in the cap of the DFLC for this recognition. She initiated several service projects including Leader Dogs for the Blind.and expanded the membership.

Vinod Mathur 

Vinod and Gloria Mathur joined the DFLC in 2007 and has been very active since then. He has served as Club President from 2013-2015 and served as District Governor 2019-2020. During his tenure as President he started the Vision Screening Program, a first in District 2-X1. He introduced the SPOT Vision screening device having raised funds to purchase the first device in our district. Since then DFLC has conducted vision screenings to over 12,000 children through the Headstart pre-schools. Lion Gloria started the Diabetes Awareness Program, providing free Diabetes and health screenings. They also started the Feed the Hungry Program providing free lunches at the homeless shelters.

Currently PDG Vinod Mathur also serves at the State level. He is the Global Membership Coordinator for the State of Texas and also serves as Area 1A coordinator covering Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri. Both PDG Vinod and Gloria are dedicated Lions and have taken DFLC to new heights.