What It Means To Be A Lion

This story is from our November 2018 issue. 

“It makes me feel good to say I helped those people. Those people are better off now than when we started.” ROBERT ‘ROCCO’ VIERA, El Paso Del Norte Lions Club, Texas.

“Home is not where you live, it’s where you’re understood. And when I got involved with the Lions, I felt home there.” KEVIN WHITLEY, Anchorage Lions Club, Alaska.

“I figured that I could maybe make a small difference on my own, but by joining with other like-minded people, we could make a much bigger difference.” ZARINA LUCK, Newcastle Lions Club, South Africa.

“I enjoy wearing my vest, and I love people asking, ‘What is a Lion?’ I enjoy being able to tell them. … Lions is the most important thing that’s happened to me in my life.” DOUG DAY, Albuquerque Breakfast Lions, New Mexico.

“If you’re brought up in a family that believes in giving back, you’ll learn that.” PDG CHRIS CARLONE, Metairie Airline Lions Club, Louisiana.

“There are people in Africa who need food. We give them that. There are people in India who need mobility devices. We give them that. There are people here in America who are reaching out and we are reaching back to them. School buses full of gifts. Who else does that? Where there’s a need, there’s a Lion.” CLIFF HEYWOOD, Waihi Lions Club, New Zealand.

“This is the correct place for me to serve the community, as I feel only birds of a feather flock together. This is a place of love and humanity.” STELLA FOO, Lions Club of Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia.

“While I did not aspire for the position of club president, becoming one opened up my consciousness that there are so many poor people in all aspects of life in my community…Suddenly, I realized that they are just lingering beside me and they are so miserable that they need help, not tomorrow but now.” MANNY CUASAY, Quezon City Cubao Lions Club, Philippines.

“Before, when I wasn’t a Lion I was just helping. But when you start to feel the passion, then you understand and that’s why we do what we do. We serve.” JAMA WAHL, Streator Hardscrabble Lions Club, Illinois.

“I had never realized how for such small amounts these individuals would have remained visually impaired for the rest of their lives. I thought…there’s more to life than just biological family considerations. There’s more to life, it’s reaching out to the world at large.” PID A.P. SINGH.

“Oh my god. Rewards within my heart when I am helping people who need help.” CAROL MARSHALL, Albuquerque Breakfast Lions, New Mexico.

Listen to Lions talk about what drives them.