About us

The University-Ballard Lions Club is one of the oldest service clubs in the region. The Club has been serving the people of Seattle since 1924. The University Lions merged with the Ballard Lions club in 2016 and the Lake City Lions Club in 2023.

As part of Lions Clubs International we serve both local and global communities. Our club supports projects that include preserving sight, hearing, diabetes, combating disabilities, helping the less fortunate, serving youth, and responding to natural disasters. 

Learn more about the Multiple District 19: https://lionsmd19.org/index.php 

About Lions Club Internationl

Lions Club International (LCI) was started in 1917 by Chicago businessman, Melvin Jones. Jones brought a group of friends together to provide service to the community. His philosophy was that a group of business and professional leaders could do more for the community by working collectively than by working as individuals. 

The history of Lionism supports the wisdom of his philosophy. In 1927 Helen Keller spoke at a Lions Club international Convention and asked the Lions to become ‘Knights of the Blind”. Since that date, the primary focus of Lions has been on serving the needs of sight and/or hearing-impaired individuals within the communities we serve. 

In 1969 Lions clubs in Washington state organized an Eye Bank at the University of Washington to provide corneal tissue for corneal transplants. This is now one of the largest eye banks in the world. Since its inception, the Northwest Lions Eye Bank (now known as SightLife) has provided thousands of corneas for transplants – enabling individuals who were previously blind to be able to see.

The motto of Lions Clubs International is “We Serve”. The University-Ballard Lions Club strives to live up to that motto every day. 

The official LCI website: https://www.lionsclubs.org/en