Category: President’s Message

Hello, Lions! When I think of Italy I think of great food, beautiful landscapes, and a rich diversity of friendly people. This year, Italian Lions—more than 1,300 clubs and 40,000 members strong—are opening their doors to the global Lion community in July, and I hope you will consider joining me there. Milan, in particular, has […]

Hello, Lions! When I was a child I planted trees with my family at our summer cottage, and later my children did the same. My son wasn’t always happy about it, being out there, digging holes. He saw a whole lot of small trees that didn’t mean much to him. But now he’s all grown […]

Hello, Lions! In the months leading up to my term as International President, I was often asked how I would do things differently as the first woman president of our organization. The question bothered me because I didn’t want to lead as a woman; I wanted to lead. Period. In Iceland women have been leading […]

Hello, Lions! When I think of the power of partnerships, I think of the task of raising a family. I remember how difficult it was at times to balance the care and nurturing of my children with the demands of school and work life. On those nights I needed to work, my husband was there […]

Greetings Lions! It is my great pleasure to address the Lion community for the first time as your International President. As we enter a new Lion year I have high hopes for us. My focus during my presidency is on fostering diversity in service. After all, there are more than 1.4 million Lions around the […]

Greetings Lions! “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Have you heard this saying? This is supposed to speak to the limits of persuading people to do things that may be good for them. But I see this differently. I say, maybe the horse wasn’t thirsty. Maybe the horse […]

 Greetings, Lions. Regardless of where you live, the change of the seasons comes with certain rituals. For many of us, those rituals involve food. Whether it’s the smell of your grandmother’s soup or your neighbor’s hot dogs on the grill, the smells of the season fill you with warm memories. But that may not be […]

Greetings, Lions. What is kindness? It is all the things Lions do: It’s serving. In our communities and beyond. But kindness is one of those words that can get overused, and the real meaning sometimes becomes lost. Kindness is any act that makes life better for any living thing, even for just a moment. Isn’t […]

Greetings, Lions. We talk a lot about serving our community as Lions. Service is best when it is personal and close to home, and when it enriches our relationship with our neighbors. But now, as the world becomes smaller, the space between our communities grows smaller, too. Sometimes we focus on how different another culture […]

One of my favorite aspects of being a Lion is the camaraderie I feel with my fellow Lions. I feel protective of them in some ways, and proud in every way. I am especially proud of our women Lions, who have long been a force in our clubs. More than 30 percent of our members […]

Hello, Lions! When building a home, the most important first step is to have a strong foundation that can support the rooms, furniture, and lives that will rest upon it. In serving, it’s equally important to have a solid foundation to support the work we do. Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is that support. It […]

Sometimes, it’s hard to find our way. In the dawn of 2020, our world has been thrust into a great trial. The past few months have seen countries – including my own – tested to their limits. Many people are facing new realities that challenge their ability to make ends meet and provide enough food […]

Greetings Lions, Serving as your International President for the past year has been an honor of a lifetime. Never have I been more humbled and more moved than by the compassion and hard work I saw from Lions every day. Now, in the face of the unique challenges the world is facing, I have been […]

Greetings, Lions. We often talk about the power of Lions working together in service. As an association of more than 48,000 clubs and 1.4 million members, Lions have the opportunity to make a big impact in the world. In Lion year 2019-2020, our clubs performed more than 820,000 service projects, helping 319 million people. And […]

Greetings, Lions. The past year has been one marked by struggle. The struggle to stay healthy; the struggle to serve those in need; the struggle to maintain some sense of who we are in the face of such unprecedented circumstances. But a new year lies ahead. And with that, a renewed sense of purpose and […]

Greetings, Lions. Over the years I have had the great honor and blessing of a loving family. But I’ve also found love in unexpected places. I’ve seen it in the eyes of an orphan as he played sports on a sunny afternoon. I’ve felt it in the warm hands of an elderly woman thanking me […]

Dear Lions, For my first message to you in LION Magazine, I want to talk about the small things. When Lions Clubs International was started more than 100 years ago, it was founded on the idea that those who can help, should. It was that simple. I grew up with those same values. I was […]

Dear Lions, It’s no secret that the world is in need. One of the reasons I became a Lion was because I saw the way Lions were working in their communities to make changes. They were working to make things better for people. And that spoke to me. I wanted to be a part of […]

Hello, Lions! Well, I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing like a new year to fill me with a renewed sense of purpose, and I feel more eager than ever to do the important work that Lions do. Every year I like to take this time to pause and assess how we’re doing as […]

Hello, Lions! Do you have big dreams for your club? Do you want to grow your membership, get young people more involved, or expand the kinds of service projects you do? When you dream big—and I know Lions like to dream big—it can feel overwhelming and hard to know where to start. But here’s the […]

Hello, Lions! In 1917 a group of independent social clubs gathered at the LaSalle Hotel in downtown Chicago. They asked themselves if they might join forces to help their communities. At the time, it was incredibly innovative. International service organizations had yet to become a driving force for good in the world. But with the […]

Dear Lion, Growing up in Brazil as part of an entrepreneurial family, I learned how important it was to have a vision and a plan to achieve it. I also learned the power of community. Community has always been the bedrock of my journey, and the deep sense of belonging and the desire to strengthen […]