LatestThe Psychology of HelpingWhen a photo appeared in September 2015 of a three-year old Syrian boy who drowned while trying to reach Europe with his family, the world seemed to momentarily open its eyes to a refugee crisis that had been quietly building for years. The boy’s name was Alan Kurdi, and in…more...The PianistOne warm September day a young man drove up to the Lion’s food tent near Gates, Oregon, pulling a flatbed with a grand piano on it. He is a pianist in a large orchestra, but due to COVID-19 all of his performances were canceled. Since the people couldn’t come to…more...Tornado Puts Small Town in TailspinWhen an EF3 tornado tore through Seneca, S.C., last spring, destroying more than 200 homes and damaging another 1,700, it passed within one quarter mile of the Golden Corner Food Pantry, the largest food pantry in Oconee County. They serve an average of 1,000 households a month, including hundreds of…more...Revving Up for A RaffleOn October 11, the Morris Lions in Illinois will pull a ticket and give some lucky winner the keys to a red 1971 Camaro with a split bumper. They will have sold more than 15,000 raffle tickets for this, their 24th classic car raffle, in 34 years of hosting the…more...Cans for Kids with Cancer The Marquette Lions spent weeks in an empty chicken barn sorting cans for recycling. The Marquette Lions envisioned a simple three-hour event to collect and recycle empty, refundable aluminum cans. But they ended up moving a mountain — a mountain of 81,501 empty beverage cans worth…more...Past International President Rohit C. Mehta, known as the Father of Indian Lionism, died on the morning of September 17, 2020. He was 91 years old. The late Past International President Mehta became a Lion in 1956 and after years of dedication and service to the association, became International President…more...Students in Anchorage Develop Life Skills Through Lions QuestAnchorage School District has been a nationwide leader in SEL programming for many years, but was searching for one unified program to implement across their middle schools. Lions recognized a unique opportunity; through their own network, they had connections with district leadership, and through LCIF, they had access to both…more...'Love at first sight'When PDG Ana Maria Silva walked through the Acosta Ñú Pediatric General Hospital's cancer ward and saw children receiving chemotherapy, she felt a lump in her throat. Silva and her fellow Lions had brought the children toys to celebrate Los Reyes Magos, a South American holiday, playing a role similar…more...Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and (Re)soldLion Ross Paine has 53,000 reasons why people should recycle stamps. The Australian Chapter of the LCI Stamp Club has just completed a record 12 months in which they sold more than 400 kilos (882 pounds) of stamps at auction, raising AUD$53,000 (US$38,333) to help children with cerebral palsy walk.more...Read My SmileDennis Dulniak says his Florida Lions club took a Florida COVID-19 lemon and made lemonade. It’s turned out to be pretty sweet. Over five weeks the Lions of District 35-O made and distributed more than 600 clear face masks free to family, friends, and associates of deaf and hearing impaired…more...Relief from the Comfort of HomeLearning that your child has cancer is unfathomable. It is a moment you will surely never forget, sitting in the doctor’s office, trying to understand the words coming from the doctor, feeling as if the world around you is crashing. It is easy to let your mind think the worst,…more...Lions Mobilize to Shield Healthcare WorkersWhen the country went into lockdown due to COVID-19, DG Waldoylson da Silva Miranda’s manufacturing facility, which he owns with his wife, Tatianna Afio, came to a grinding halt. As Miranda hunkered down with the rest of the country to wait out the virus, he watched a steady stream of…more...Don't Stop Believin'The Edison Metro Lions in New Jersey first thought they could help others through COVID-19 by making non-medical facemasks for their community. But that didn’t materialize, says PDG Eddie Hui, founder and director of the Edison Metro Lions Club and music group. Sewing is not their expertise. Music is. District…more...Beds for Little HeadsThe Tinley Park Lions in Illinois took a vote on how to celebrate their club’s 70th anniversary. Would it be a dinner or a dance? They chose neither. They wanted to do what their small but mighty club does best. They wanted to serve. Tinley Park…more...Wayne A. Madden, a ClassicPast International President Wayne Madden passed away on May 30, 2020 at the age of 73. Madden is remembered as the friendly hometown boy who “done good.”more...United in Kindness and DiversityThrough the vibrancy of our global membership, innovation, and hard work, Lions everywhere are providing much needed hope to so many communities.more...Peace is the PathwayIn 1988-89, despite the bombings and the violence engulfing his hometown of Beirut, Lebanon during the height of the Lebanese Civil War, 13-year-old Mustapha El Tawokji had a clear image of peace. He drew a soft and peaceful picture of a dove flying over a bed of roses, winning the…more...Essential LionsLions have always known that serving is essential work. But as the global health crisis took hold this spring, many Lions found themselves as newly defined “essential workers.” It’s a surprise to no one that Lions work just as hard to help others on the job as they do on…more...No More Naked BabiesWhen the members of the Lions Club of Tokai, in Cape Town, South Africa, learned that new mothers in poor areas were often discharged from the hospital with their newborns wrapped in just a paper towel, they knew they had to act.more...Past LCIF Support Prepares Sierra Leone for COVID-19From 2014 to 2016, Sierra Leone battled the Ebola virus. That battle helped prepare them for today's battle with COVID-19.more...When Seeing Clearly is a Luxury, Lions Create ChangeIn underserved areas of Utah, USA, eye care can be inaccessible and unaffordable. Lions, who care deeply about the welfare of their community, recognize the large number of children going without eye care and are working to provide the care they need.more...Better TogetherWhen the world’s largest service organization comes together with one of the United States’ largest health benefits companies, good things are bound to happen.more...Let's Celebrate Our Incredible LCI Forward SuccessAs we entered our second century of service, we had a vision: to increase our humanitarian impact, innovate our service, and position our organization, our global foundation and our clubs for long-term success. We needed a roadmap to successfully guide us into the future and help us reach these goals.…more...Knights of Prevention & EducationWakeup call After receiving bad news about eight years ago, Lion Scott Michels was struck by a moment of clarity that changed his life. Michels, who’d been counseling troubled youth in his community of Wilmington, Delaware, had just learned that one of those young people had been arrested again. “I…more...All Eyes On the North American Membership InitiativeIn 1917, Melvin Jones laid the groundwork for what would become an international beacon of kindness and service. In a relatively short time after Lions Clubs International’s founding, the organization grew beyond borders and cultural barriers, gaining members across the world. The organization today has more than 1.4 million members…more...Lions Solve a Food Scarcity ProblemWhen the only grocery store for miles closed in the small town of Tionesta, Pa., residents found themselves in a food desert. It seems hard to believe on the banks of the Allegheny River, along the lush Allegheny National Forest, but getting healthy food meant driving to towns 30 to…more...After Flooding, the Revival of an EcosystemIn the aftermath, the city of Fargo purchased the land (and homes) in the floodplain. The homes were razed and the area was banned from development. Jane Pettinger, a Lion who lives in Fargo, not far from the River, says the area was in limbo. The homes had been torn…more...Taking Care of the EarthAs the world honors the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the environmentally conscious Lions of Bowie, Maryland, have their own big numbers to celebrate. The Lions will hit the 500 mark on rain barrel sales this spring, having sold the recycled plastic 55-gallon barrels since starting the project in 2010.…more...The Doctors Are InOn January 26, 20 doctors, all members of Lions Club Doctors Unité in Casablanca, set out for Douar Ait Tamjat-Tagleft, a small village near Taroudant, a coastal city in the south of Morocco. Their mission, done in partnership with Moubadarat Al Khayr association of Béni Mellal, was to provide medical…more...Mission InclusionThe organizers of the OSEAL Leo Forum 2020 teamed up with Special Olympics Asia Pacific (SOAP) and Special Olympics Cambodia to organize an afternoon of Special Olympics Unified Sports, which places individuals with intellectual disabilities on teams with those without disabilities. Part of the purpose of the forum was to…more...The Bird ArtistIn early spring, sometimes as early as the first cold mornings of March, Jeff Klinefelter will rouse before daybreak and drive out to his pond to get in place before the migrating ducks or other birds light on the water or the woodland edge.more...Empowering LionsThe LCIF Annual Report 2018 - 2019 Since 1968, LCIF has dedicated our energies to increasing the ability of Lions everywhere, helping them empower the communities they serve. With every grant we give, our history grows, along with the impact of Lions. Today, we could not be more proud of…more...Thriving In The Digital EcosystemScientists are still unsure when, or how exactly, animals took flight. They do know it happened four separate times: in insects, bats, birds, and pterosaurs. Whether gliding from treetops or jumping from the ground, at some point in history animals began flapping their arms. And eventually, they flew.more...Cycles Help Disabled Feel Freedom on WheelsCycles Help Disabled Feel Freedom on Wheels Nearly 40 million Americans live with a disability. If Joe Tarver had his way, all 40 million would be on bicycles. “People need exercise, and there’s no exception,” says Tarver, a member of the Lubbock (Texas) Lions Club. That’s why, for three decades…more...Animatronic Pets Bring Real JoyIt was early August 2018, and Susan Matroni was listening to the evening news from her home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when she looked up and saw her mother on the television screen. “I don’t usually sit down and watch the news early, but for some reason I turned on the…more...More Than One Way To ServeStories from LCIF’s 2017-2018 Annual Report Lions are doers. There is so much to be done in the world. And the physical act of helping can feel so good—hammering a nail in the frame of a new house for a tornado victim, ladling soup for a hungry child, or ushering…more...Giving the Non-Verbal a VoiceJust because a person is non-verbal doesn’t mean he or she is without the need to communicate. Like everyone else, maybe more than everyone else, the non-verbal need to voice their wants, needs, and emotions. But how? At an Ohio respite home for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, staff…more...Leos Feed into Helping Those Living with HIV/AIDSThe Coppell High School Leo Club in Texas reached out to seven non-profit organizations in their quest to find a community project. What they chose proved that a little kindness and conversation over a warm, home-cooked meal can go a long way. On five occasions the Coppell Leos AIDS Supper…more...Around the World Without Leaving Your SeatFor more than fifty winters the DeWitt Noon Lions in Iowa have provided a remedy for cabin fever. A US$5 donation to Lions buys armchair travelers in the DeWitt Operahouse Theatre a first-class ticket to the club’s Winter Travelogue Series, where this season they can explore the Arctic Circle, the…more...Play Together, Stay TogetherJuurikkalahden Kiri (JUKI), the largest youth soccer club in Sotkamo, Finland, has joined with the Sotkamo Lions Club to organize a free weekly sports activity available to everyone – locals and tourists alike – to help families stay connected and increase physical fitness. With so much competing for our attention…more...Connecting the DotsIn Tennessee, a Norris Lions service project to make the walk to school a little nicer for elementary students turned into a joint project with the children and a celebration of art. It all began with the Norris Lions’ project to spruce up a tunnel in the town that connects…more...Super KidsLions in Germany believe life should have as many magical moments as possible. Those moments can help keep courage up and hope alive in difficult times. And that's exactly what the Braunschweig Lions Club wanted to do for a total of nine children at the Braunschweig Pediatric Cancer ward (K5).…more...Your Best Lion Year Ever2020 - 2021 Being a Lion isn’t only about serving; it’s also about having fun. With new clubs popping up, and old clubs taking a new look at how they Lion, there are all kinds of ways to design a fun and productive year of service. Here’s your guide to…more...A Heartfelt Gift to Families in NeedIn the summer of 2019, the doors to Heartfelt House opened in Springfield, Oregon, offering affordable lodging to out-of-town families of patients at the newly constructed PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. Among the more than 600 donors who contributed from US$10 to US$1 million are Lions. More than…more...This Old HouseWhen this young couple’s dream home wasn’t safe for their son, Lions stepped in – and brought their tool belts. Jay and Veronika McHugh had hundreds of people living around them but knew none of them. Their busy city life in Ottawa, Ontario, left them longing for a tighter knit…more...Pride in the ValleyA black sheep leads the quest to make sure everyone is all right. Joyce Bergshoeff is a fast talker. Open and warm, the 48-year-old nurse and mother of three gushes the way proud mothers often do when describing their children. Growing up, her eldest child was “brilliant, very outgoing, a…more...Kindness Mattered To The Man In The Bow TieA tribute to International First Vice President Judge Haynes Townsend In the fall of 2019, the video team at Lions Clubs International headquarters sat down with First Vice President Judge Haynes Townsend to begin capturing footage for his presidential videos. We interviewed the Judge, his family, and those who knew…more...Singapore: Lions Converge on the Lion CityJune 26 to 30, 2020 Singapore is a place unlike any other. An independent city-state in Southeast Asia that is home to nearly 6 million people, this tiny nation is a vibrant blend of Asian and European cultures that make it the ultimate melting pot. It’s this diversity that makes…more...A Blueberry Orchard for GenerationsAn Empty Space Next door to the Albany Victory Gardens in Albany, New York, were unsightly, deserted lots. There were homes on the land that were previously declared uninhabitable, so they sat empty, dangerous, and unbeneficial to the environment. Lion Gregory Sheldon envisioned a better use for this land. He…more...