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The Victoria Lions Club consists of a merge between the Victoria Imperial Lions Club and Gordon Head Lions Club.  The decision was to keep the original charter of the Victoria Empress Lions Club that had the oldest charter (1969) which later became the Victoria Imperial Lions Club.

History of the Victoria Imperial Lions Club

Throughout its history the Victoria Imperial Lions Club has a proud history of service to the community with an emphasize on services to the blind and prevention of blindness.  In 1925, Lions Club International accepted the challenge of Helen Keller to become :"Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness.  In the spirit of this challenge the Empress Lions Club founded the first Low Vision Aid Centre at the Victoria General Hospital in 1979.  The Centre was named in memory of the late Lions Norman Lidster, a published author who was blind and paralysed.

In the 1980s and 1990s, a major service activity was glaucoma screening in the shopping malls.

In 2012, the club established and continues to coordinate the Lions iPhone Project for the Blind.  The project intended to make iPhones available to the blind who can benefit from the superior technology embodied in the device with over 50 iPhones given out with the support of 18 Lions Clubs on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

History of the Gordon Head Lions Club

The Gordon Head Lions Club was chartered in 1980  and has been involved in supporting many groups in the Greater Victoria Community from CNIB, support for the homeless, "Back Door for Teens", Diabetes, Shelbourne Community Kitchen, Dandelion Society, Open Door.  Over the years, Gordon Head Lions raised funds through a booth at the Saanich Fair, and selling cotton candy and snow cones at local events.  The membership donates personal funds every Christmas to purchase "soup" for the less fortunate with assistance from Country Grocer.  To assist the BC Lions Society for Children with Disablitles we man a tree collection site.  We were noted in earlier years of having a club band called "The Hawgs".  

The Gordon Head Lions Club have been very involved with the Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest winning several "Merit Awards" over the years.

The Name:  "Victoria Lions Club"

In the mid-1940's, the original Victoria Lions Club was chartered by Lion Joe Chanter and changed its name to the Victoria Central Lions Club to indicate that it was the first Lions Club formed in Victoria, British Columbia.  The Club had significant influence in the development of Lions Clubs on Vancouver Island, involved in hosting many Conferences and Conventions.  Unfortunately, age and membership concerns had the club disappear with its membership joining many clubs in the area.  The new Victoria Lions Club hopes to continue the fine work done by the original Victoria Lions Club.

The Victoria Lions Club will continue some of the major projects of the two Lions Clubs including:  iPhone Project, Peace Posters, support of the Shelbourne Community Kitchen, and Our Place, along with many other programs to numerous to mention.

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.