Lions Clubs International Fact Sheet

Membership

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest
service club organization with 1.3 million members
in 45,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic
areas.
Lions are men and women who volunteer their time
to humanitarian causes. Founded in 1917, the
association’s motto is “We Serve.”

Service to Others

Worldwide, Lions clubs are recognized for their
service to people who are blind and visually
impaired. This service began when Helen Keller
challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in
the crusade against darkness” during the 1925 Lions
Clubs International Convention.

Today, Lions extend their commitment to sight
conservation through countless local efforts, as well
as through their international SightFirst Program,
which works to eradicate blindness. Lions also
collect and recycle eyeglasses for distribution in
developing countries year-round and especially
during May, which is Lions Recycle for Sight
Month, and October, as a way to mark Lions World
Sight Day, which is held the second Thursday of
each October.

In addition, Lions make a strong commitment to
young people through many youth programs. Lions
also work to improve the environment, build homes
for the disabled, support diabetes education, conduct
hearing programs and, through their foundation,
provide disaster relief around the world.

Based on a recent report of Lions clubs worldwide, it
is estimated that each year Lions clubs donate
approximately US$449 million and 76 million hours,
which is equivalent to more than 31,000 people
working full time for a year.

International Foundation

Lions Clubs International Foundation is the
charitable arm of Lions Clubs International. The
foundation’s mission is to support the efforts of
Lions clubs around the world in serving their local
and global communities by funding humanitarian
service projects. www.lcif.org

Sight Programs

In 1990, Lions established SightFirst, a US$202
million global initiative to fight the major causes of
preventable and reversible blindness. The
unprecedented program joins Lions volunteers with
blindness prevention experts and organizations and
governments. The more than 841 SightFirst grants
have:

• provided more than 7 million cataract surgeries
and prevented serious vision loss for 20 million
• supported 80.5 million treatments for river
blindness
• built or expanded more than 213 eye
hospitals/clinics/wards and upgraded more than
325 eye centers with equipment
• improved eye care in 90 countries around the
world
• trained more than 305,000 ophthalmologists,
ophthalmic nurses, other professional eye care
workers and village health workers
Lions have launched Campaign SightFirst II to raise
at least US$150 million to continue and expand the
extraordinary work of SightFirst.

Founded: 1917
Motto: “We Serve”
Members: 1.3 million
Clubs: 45,000 clubs in 200 countries

and geographic areas

 
 
International Headquarters:

Oak Brook, Illinois, USA


Lions clubs support other sight-related activities.
Lions clubs and members:

• provide 600,000 free professional glaucoma
screenings and make 26,000 corneal
transplants possible each year
• establish and support a majority of the world’s
eye banks and hundreds of clinics, hospitals
and eye research centers worldwide
• collect an estimated 30 million pairs of used
eyeglasses annually and send approximately 6
million pairs to Lions Eyeglass Recycling
Centers for recycling and distribution at no
cost to those in need in developing countries
• offer screenings, eyeglasses and sports goggles
to athletes through the Special Olympics-Lions
Clubs International Opening Eyes Program-more
than 100,000 athletes have been screened

• provide free quality eye care, eyeglasses,
Braille-writers, white canes and other assistive
devices for thousands of people each year
Youth Programs

Numerous programs exist to assist Lions in fulfilling
the needs of the youth in their communities.

Lions Services for Children

Lions provide local and international health and
education services that improve the lives of children
and young adolescents who suffer from poverty,
homelessness, abuse, neglect, disease and
disabilities.

Lions Quest

Lions clubs sponsor school-based programs that
teach young people basic life skills and civic values
that promote social and emotional learning, character
development, substance abuse and violence
prevention skills and a commitment to service. Lions
Quest brings the school, family and community
together to promote the development of healthy and
responsible young people.

Leo Clubs

Lions clubs in approximately 130 countries sponsor
more than 5,500 Leo clubs. The 140,000 Leo
members, ages 12-28 or maximum age as
determined locally, perform community service
activities and support a worldwide project to help
children in adverse circumstances.

International Youth
Camps and Exchange

Each year, thousands of young people, ages 15-22,
learn about other cultures while participating in
Lions camps and staying with Lions host families in
countries around the world.

Lions International
Peace Poster Contest

Each year more than 375,000 students, ages 11-13,
from approximately 100 countries, express their
ideas about world peace through artwork, which is
judged at local, regional, national and international
levels. One grand prize and 23 merit posters are
awarded.

Service Activities

Lions clubs build stronger communities through a
variety of projects and activities that:

• address unmet needs such as teaching life
skills to children, building playgrounds and
supporting the elderly
• reduce blindness caused by diabetic
retinopathy through diabetes education, early
detection and treatment programs and support
of research
• conduct hearing projects, including newborn
hearing screenings and providing hearing aids
• preserve our water, air and land
• improve international relations through
assistance projects, exchange programs and
health missions to the developing world, often
in conjunction with the United Nations and
other organizations
• provide disaster relief, including food, supplies
and healthcare screenings

300 W 22ND ST OAK BROOK IL 60523-8842 USA
Phone: 630-571-5466 Fax: 630-571-8890
www.lionsclubs.org

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