Contribute to the Lions Blog!

Posted by lionsclubsorg on Monday, August 4, 2014 · 7 Comments

With 1.35 million members in over 200 countries and geographic locations, Lions everywhere are making a difference in their communities every day. Every life a Lions member touches – whether a young girl who learns to read through a Lions literacy initiative, or a man who receives the eye care he needs to finally see his family clearly – is an amazing story about passion, dedication and service.

The Lions Blog is about sharing these stories. Are you a Lion with a successful service activity to share? Has a Lions club or member changed your life? We want to hear from you!

Download our Contributor Guidelines to learn what kind of stories we’re looking for.

9 5 1 333



Dear Lions, During this time of year, I look forward to meeting many of you at the region-specific forums. It is inspiring to see Lions come together to discuss relevant topics, share ideas, learn from workshops and seminars, renew friendships and form new bonds. Forums also allow Lions to learn more about LCIF and how we can support Lions globally through our four pillars of service. Another highlight during this time of year is visiting LCIF projects completed by Lions. When the earthquake devastated Haiti in January of 2010, Lions met immediate needs, and also provided for long-term needs and reconstruction. I was able to see these long-term efforts when I visited Port-au-Prince a few weeks ago. In this video taken during my trip to Haiti, you can view the progress of projects like the Montfort Institute for the Deaf, which provides basic education and vocational training for children in Haiti who are deaf. New classrooms and dorms are being constructed, and an LCIF grant is rebuilding the vocational training center on site. You will also see the rebuilt homes of community members who lost everything in the disaster, as well as other construction sites through the rebuilding efforts. It is this commitment to helping others for which Lions and LCIF are known. We live in communities all over the world, and can meet needs for people in many places. Sincerely, Lion Wayne A. Madden Chairperson, Lions Clubs International Foundation Celebrate Lions World Sight Day Next month, Lions around the world will celebrate Lions World Sight Day. This international event is held each year to recognize the importance of curing preventable blindness. From vision screenings to eye health education and any other vision-related activity, Lions are encouraged to participate. The focus of this year's Lions World Sight Day, held on October 10 in Mossman, Australia, is the importance of community vision screenings. As part of Lions World Sight Day, LCIF awarded a US$50,000 SightFirst grant to support the eye health activities in Mossman. Lions Quest and SightFirst Grants Awarded During the August 2013 Lions Quest Advisory Committee meeting, 26 grants were awarded totaling US$1,450,133. This is the largest LCIF grant amount ever awarded for Lions Quest projects! Through these grants, Lions Quest programs will support students in countries like India, Lebanon, Mexico, the United States, Zambia and more. The SightFirst Advisory Committee met and awarded 32 grants totaling US$7,475,345 in August as well. As part of the grants awarded, SightFirst will work to eliminate trachoma in Ethiopia, Niger and Mali; provide cataract surgeries in Nepal; establish diabetic retinopathy screenings in Brazil; create a low vision network in the United States; and more. View the full list of grants awarded online. USAID Partnership to Increase Literacy in Macedonia Lions Clubs International (LCI) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have announced an initiative to increase literacy resources for children with visual impairments in Macedonia. LCI and USAID each committed US$250,000 to increase the availability of early education opportunities in Macedonia and provide assistive technology and literacy resources. LCI's financial contribution was made possible through a SightFirst grant, awarded by LCIF.

Lions Clubs International & LCIF \| 300 W. 22nd St. \| Oak Brook, IL \| 60523 \| USA Click here to unsubscribe