Brief History of the Dallas Filipino Lions Club

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. DFLC initiated the first Vision screening program in the district in 2013. We are the first to purchase the SPOT screening device and by 2017 we have vision screened over 5000 children with the Head Start group of schools. The clubs activities have focused on helping the Sight and Tissue Foundation, participate in the Low Vision Clinics for the uninsured and low income families, helping in the Sports Extravaganza for the visually impaired children, the Texas Lions Camp for handicapped children, Diabetes Awareness program and the gift of Life (blood and tissue donation). DFLC also supports local and international charities, and has been selected twice as the Club of the Year in the District 2X1. The club is set for expansion in the future with exciting projects which has captured the enthusiasm of the new members.