III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 174 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of Lions Clubs International and celebrating the Lions Clubs International for a long history of humanitarian 

service. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 18, 2017 

Mr. MORAN (for himself, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. ENZI, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. 

PAUL, and Mrs. SHAHEEN) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of Lions Clubs International and celebrating the Lions Clubs International 

for a long history of humanitarian service. 

Whereas, on June 7, 1917, Chicago business leader Melvin 

Jones founded Lions Clubs International in Chicago, Illinois, based on the principle that ‘‘[y]ou can’t get very far 

until you start doing something for somebody else’’; 

Whereas the motto of Lions Clubs International, ‘‘We 

Serve’’— 

(1) was selected in 1954 after having been submitted by Lion D.A. Stevenson of Font Hill, Ontario, in 

an international contest; and 

(2) applies to the charitable and humanitarian priorities of Lions Clubs International, including— 


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•SRES 174 IS 

(A) eyesight preservation and blindness prevention; 

(B) services for individuals with disabilities; 

(C) hearing and speech conservation; 

(D) diabetes awareness; 

(E) youth outreach; 

(F) services for older individuals; 

(G) activities that promote international goodwill; 

(H) disaster relief; and 

(I) environmental protection; 

Whereas, with over 46,000 clubs and 1,400,000 members in 

over 200 countries and geographical areas around the 

globe, Lions Clubs International is the largest service organization in the world; 

Whereas the purposes of Lions Clubs International include— 

(1) to create and foster a spirit of understanding 

among people around the world; 

(2) to promote the principles of good government 

and good citizenship; 

(3) to take an active interest in the civic, cultural, 

social, and moral welfare of the community; 

(4) to provide a forum for the open discussion of all 

matters of public interest, except that members of Lions 

Clubs International may not debate partisan politics and 

sectarian religion; 

(5) to encourage service-minded individuals to serve 

their communities without personal financial reward; and 

(6) to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical 

standards in commerce, industry, public works, and professional and private endeavors; 


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•SRES 174 IS 

Whereas, on March 12, 1920, a Lions Club was chartered in 

Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Lions Clubs became an 

international organization; 

Whereas, in 1925, at the Lions Club in Cedar Point, Ohio, 

Helen Keller charged members of Lions Clubs International with becoming ‘‘knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness’’; 

Whereas, in 1926, polar explorer and member of the District 

of Columbia Lions Club, Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Jr., 

flew over the North Pole carrying the flag of Lions Clubs 

International; 

Whereas, in 1930, after witnessing an individual with a vision 

impairment having difficulty crossing a street, Lion 

George Bonham painted a cane white with a red band for 

use by visually impaired individuals; 

Whereas, in 1931— 

(1) the first Lions Club was established south of the 

United States in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; and 

(2) the first Lions Clubs International convention 

was held in Toronto, Ontario; 

Whereas, in 1935, during the Lions Clubs International convention in Mexico City, Amelia Earhart, who was an honorary member of the New York City Lions Club, completed a record-breaking nonstop flight from Los Angeles, 

California, to Mexico; 

Whereas, in 1939, the members of the Detroit Uptown Lions 

Club converted an old farmhouse in the State of Michigan into a school to train dog guides for visually impaired individuals, helping to popularize dog guides 

worldwide; 


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•SRES 174 IS 

Whereas, on June 6, 1939, the first Little League baseball 

game was played at Park Point in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, after Lion Carl Edwin Stotz appealed to Lions 

Clubs International, the Young Men’s Christian Association, and other community partners for support to provide an organized baseball program for children; 

Whereas, in 1944, the first eye bank in the world was established in New York City, and as of March 2017, most eye 

banks are sponsored by Lions Clubs International; 

Whereas, in 1945, Lions Clubs International assisted in 

drafting the Charter of the United Nations, which began 

a lasting relationship between Lions Clubs International 

and the United Nations that includes Lions Clubs International aid and volunteers for— 

(1) the United Nations International Children’s 

Emergency Fund; 

(2) the World Health Organization; 

(3) the United Nations Educational, Scientific and 

Cultural Organization; and 

(4) other humanitarian projects; 

Whereas, in 1957, the Leo Clubs youth program of Lions 

Clubs International was established to provide young people with the opportunity for personal development 

through volunteer work; 

Whereas, as of March 2017, there are approximately 157,000 

Leos and 600 Leo Clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas worldwide; 

Whereas, in 1968, the Lions Clubs International Foundation 

(referred to in this preamble as ‘‘LCIF’’) was established 

to assist Lions Clubs International with global and largescale local humanitarian projects; 


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•SRES 174 IS 

Whereas LCIF has given more than $826,000,000 in grants 

to support the humanitarian work of Lions Clubs International; 

Whereas, in 1972, LCIF awarded its first grant, in the 

amount of $5,000, to assist flood victims in South Dakota; 

Whereas, in 1977, Lion Jimmy Carter became the 39th 

President of the United States; 

Whereas, in 1985, LCIF awarded its first Major Catastrophe 

Grant, in the amount of $50,000, for earthquake relief 

in Mexico; 

Whereas, in 1986, Mother Teresa accepted a Lions Humanitarian Award; 

Whereas, in 1987, Lions Clubs International amended its bylaws and invited women to become members, and women 

are now the fastest growing group of new members in 

Lions Clubs International; 

Whereas, in 1990, LCIF launched SightFirst, an initiative 

that— 

(1) assists Lions Clubs International in activities to 

restore eyesight and prevent blindness on a global scale; 

and 

(2) eventually raised more than $415,000,000 to 

target low vision, trachoma, river blindness, childhood 

blindness, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma; 

Whereas, in 1995, LCIF began a partnership with the Carter 

Center, led by former President and Lion Jimmy Carter, 

to combat river blindness in Africa and Latin America, 

and by 2003, LCIF and the Carter Center had provided 

50,000,000 river blindness treatments; 


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•SRES 174 IS 

Whereas, in 2001, LCIF partnered with the Special Olympics 

on Opening Eyes, an initiative to provide vision screening 

for Special Olympics athletes; 

Whereas, in 2002, Lions Clubs International chartered a club 

in China, which became the first voluntary membership 

group in China; 

Whereas, in 2007, the Financial Times ranked LCIF as the 

best nongovernmental organization worldwide with which 

to establish a partnership; 

Whereas, in 2010, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed $5,000,000 to the One Shot, One Life measles 

initiative, and Lions raised more than $10,000,000 to 

support measles prevention efforts during the subsequent 

2 years; 

Whereas, in 2011, LCIF awarded its 10,000th grant, bringing the total amount awarded to grant recipients by 

LCIF to $708,000,000; 

Whereas, in 2013, LCIF partnered with the GAVI Alliance 

to protect millions of children from measles and rubella 

in 2013; 

Whereas LCIF committed $30,000,000 for immunizations, 

an amount matched by the United Kingdom and the Bill 

& Melinda Gates Foundation; 

Whereas, in 2013, with the support of Lions Clubs International and the Carter Center, river blindness was eliminated in Colombia; and 

Whereas, in 2014, Lions Clubs International launched the 

Centennial Service Challenge, a global initiative to serve 

100,000,000 people around the world: Now, therefore, be 

it 


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•SRES 174 IS 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) congratulates Lions Clubs International on 

3 its 100th anniversary on June 7, 2017; 

4 (2) recognizes Lions Clubs International for 

5 100 years of promoting community service and hu6 manitarian assistance; 

7 (3) encourages Lions Clubs International to 

8 continue to emphasize the values of community serv9 ice and improving the community for all individuals; 

10 and 

11 (4) applauds Lions Clubs International for in12 stilling in young people the value of community serv13 ice. 

Æ 


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