How Willmar Noon Lions Club Fits Into Lions Clubs International Structure:
Lions Club International is made up of many Lions Districts throughout the world. Lions Clubs International is governed by the elected International Board of Directors, consisting of the officers and 31 international directors. Lions Club International's headquarters is located in Oak Brook, Illinois, just outside Chicago. Over 340 full-time staff members work at the headquarters. There are also branch offices that exist worldwide. Staff is led by an executive administrator, who oversees all headquarter operations and works to carry out the policy decisions made by the International Board of Directors.
Willmar Noon Lions Club is within Lions Multiple District 5M. Multiple District 5M serves the State of Minnesota and the Canadian Provinces of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Within Multiple District 5M there are 13 Districts. Willmar Noon Lions Club is within Distict 5M4.
District 5M4 is within the western Minnesota Counties of: Renville, Meeker, Kandiyohi, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift, Pope, Stevens, Big Stone, Traverse, Grant and Douglas. There are eight Zones within District 5M4, of which Willmar Noon Lions is a member of Zone 7. Zone 7 is made up of Lions Clubs from the communities of Kerkhoven, New London, Spicer, Pennock and Willmar. A volunteer Lion member from one of the clubs is the Zone Chair who organizes meetings of the clubs to connect, share knowledge and collaborate on service projects.
Both Lions Multiple District 5M and District 5M4 have an operational structure in place with a Constitution and Bylaws, The District 5M4 Cabinet is made up of the District Governor, Past District Governor, Officers, Zone Chairs, and volunteer Lions members who sit on various Lions Foundations and programs as well as members who are members of various Lions Global Teams that assist clubs with such matters as membership and leadership development. To see a listing of Lions members who make up the District 5M4 Cabinet please visit the 5M4's website.
Lions Clubs International's Global Causes:
Childhood Cancer, Diabetes, Disaster Relief, Environment, Humanitarian, Hunger, Vision, and Youth. Hearing is also included in Multiple District 5M.
Some examples of programs under LCI's global causes are: Diabetes Camps, Diabetes Peer Support Groups, Strides for Diabetes Awareness, Type 2 Diabetes Screening, Lion Eye Banks, Recycling Eyeglasses, Eyeglasses Recycling Centers, Sight First, Lions Quest and Youth Camps & Exchange.
Some of LCI's key service partners onclude: Corporate Social Responsibility, Sight For Kids, The Choose Kindness Project, LCIF's Global Hope Partnership Africa, Lions & UNODC Partners in Prevention, Special Olympics, Leader Dogs for the Blind, The Carter Center, and World Health Organization.
Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF)
https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/discover-our-foundation/mission
LCIF was founded in 1968 as the charitable arm of LCI to assist Lions with humanitarian projects. It is Lions member's foundation for service through grants and programs. "LCIF transforms lives through the power of giving, with more than $1.3 billion in grants impacting 200 countries and regions. Your support sustains our mission, ccreating lasting impact one life at a time."
"LCIF has three major objectives: Humanitarian Services, which encompasses a wide range of projects from the local level to universal needs, such as medical research. Vocational Training includes those programs that help the underprivileged and disabled gain independence so they can improve their economic and social well-being. The final obective is Major Disaster Relief, which helps to rebuild and restore important programs and services after a natural disaster."
Additional Information on LCIF's Humanitarian Services
LCIF supports large-scale humanitarian projects projects that are often beyond the scope of what individual clubs can finance on their own. LCIF's major programs under Humanitarian Needs:
- Preserving Sight (Sight First): This is perhaps LCIF's most well known initiative, stemming from Helen Keller's challenge to Lions in 1925 to be "Knights of the Blind." Sight First funds projects to prevent and treat major causes of preventable and reversible blindness, provide eye care services, develop infrustructure, train personnel, and offer rehabilitation and education in underserved communities. This includes efforts against diseases like river blindness and trachoma, and provide vision screenings and surgeries.
- Serving Youth: LCIF is committed to empowering youg people. A prominent program in this area is Lions Quest, which is a positive youth development and education program. Lions Quest provides school-based curriculum and training to help young people develop life skills, make positive changes, resist drugs and alcohol, and learn through service. LCIF also supports LEO Clubs, which are youth organizations sponsored by Lions Clubs.
- Meeting Humanitarian Needs (Global Needs): Beyond the areas discussed above, LCIF provides grants for a wide range of humanitarian efforts that address various global challenges. These "Global Causes" have expanded to include:
- Diabetes: Supporting education and prevention programs and establishing initiatives around diabetes management.
- Childhood Cancer: Helping Lions establish programs and provide greater service and access to care for children diagnosed with cancer.
- Hunger: Assisting with food security by providing meals and working to build capacity in communities facing food scarcity.
- Environment: Supporting projecs that preserve the planet and promote a sustainable future.
Lions Multiple Disrtict 5M and Minnesota Lions Clubs Foundations:
- Lions Multiple DM5 KidSight Foundation
- Minnesota Hearing Foundation
- Minnesota Lions Diabetes Foundation
- Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation
- Minnesota Lions Childhood Cancer Foundation
Lions MD5M KidSight Foundation provides Lions Clubs in MD5M with the equipment and guidance for Lion volunteers to conduct high quality vision screening of children ages 6 months and older. See additional information about the KidSight Program ubder the Volunteer Projects.Assistance page of this website. https://www.kidsightmd5m.org
Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation with a partnership with the University of Minnesota has established and supported funds for equipment, capital improvements, as well as hearing research for the following: Lions 5M International Hearing Center, The Lions Voice Clinic, The Lions Children's Hearing and ENT Clinic, The Lions Affordable Hearing Aid Project, and the U of M's Department of Otolaryngology Temporal Bone Lab. The Foundation has also funded a Newborn Screening Program in all hospitals in Minnesota and has invested in equipment to allow indidual Lions Clubs to conduct hearing screenings. https://www.5mhf.org
Minnesota Lions Diabetes Foundation raises funds to support research to find a cure for diabetes. It also provides funding for education, screening, programs & services related to diabetes. https://mnlionsdiabetes.org
Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation provides funding for the following projects: Lions Gift of Sight (formerly the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank) and the Used Eyeglasses Program. The Foundation partners with the University of Minnesota on the following 3 program programs: Lions Children Eye Clinic, Macular Degeneration Center, and the Lions Eye Surgery Center. Each of the programs is one of the best state of the art research and care centers in the nation. https://www.mnlionsvisionfoundation.org
Minnesota Lions Childhood Cancer Foundation helps fund research at the Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, the Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, and other organizations participating with childhood cancer research and care. The Foundation also provides services for childhood cancer paitients and survivors. https://mnlionschildhoodcancerfoundation.org
Visit Lion Foundation webpages to learn much more about the good services they all do.
