It was June 30, 1925, when 45-year-old Helen Keller took the stage at the ninth annual Lions International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio. Her historic address was a rally cry that not only guided the course of Lions’ service over the past century — it established boldness as an enduring trait.Keller was a maverick in her own right. At just 18 months old, an unknown illness rendered her deaf and blind. Such impairments were especially difficult at a time when there was limited care and treatment for vision and hearing loss.Still, she persisted.At age seven, Keller met her lifelong companion Anne Sullivan, the “miracle worker” who would teach her to spell — and understand — words in sign language. With the help of Sullivan and other teachers along the way, Keller mastered the alphabet (both handwritten and in braille for blind readers), learned to read and write, and eventually speak. She went on to become the first deafblind graduate of Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Keller’s hardships motivated her to become a champion for the underrepresented. She was an activist for many causes, but she was best known for her work with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). And it was there that she made her biggest impact, advocating for the needs of those with vision loss. But she knew she couldn’t do it alone. So she turned an invitation to speak at the annual convention of an up-and-coming service club organization into an opportunity.Standing before a room filled with energetic Lions, Keller made her appeal.“Try to imagine how you would feel if you lost your sight tomorrow. Picture yourself stumbling and groping at noonday as in the night, your work, your independence gone! In that dark hour, wouldn’t your heart cry out for a friend to teach you how to live in the dark?“I appeal to you, Lions — you who have your sight, your hearing, you who are strong and brave and kind — will you not constitute yourselves Knights of the Blind in my crusade against darkness?”Moved by Keller’s words, the Lions were ready and willing to take on the challenge. And over the past 100 years, they have persisted.Vision continues to be a leading cause that Lions around the world serve, working to improve the lives of the visually impaired and prevent avoidable blindness. But Keller’s inspiration has transcended beyond vision. Lions have taken on numerous other challenges facing our world, supporting eight official global causes and serving communities in countless other ways.Perhaps most importantly, Lions serve the world with the same passion and boldness that Keller exuded on that stage in Ohio a century ago. Her fighting spirit will continue to be a guiding force well into the future.Watch a reenactment of Helen Keller’s full address to Lions and hear the words that kick-started our work to serve the blind and visually impaired at lionsclubs.org/helen-keller.