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A Brief History of Lions Clubs International
Jones spoke to businessmen from other clubs in Chicago and found that there were many who found his idea worthwhile. Twelve men from different clubs met in Chicago on June 7, 1917 and created the "Association of Lions Clubs". Later that year the first national convention was held in Dallas, Texas. The tenet that, "No club shall hold out the financial benefit of its members as its object" was adopted very early on. Thus was set the unselfish tone of Lions Club activity. The Lion's motto is, simply, "We Serve". The first International club was formed in Ontario, Canada in 1920. The 1950s and 1960s saw major international expansion. Now there are over 1.4 million members in the world's largest service organization encompassing 46,000 clubs in over 190 countries. Lions International's devoted efforts on behalf of the blind and visually impaired stem from the 1925 international convention held in Cedar Point, Ohio. Helen Keller addressed the convention and challenged Lions to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness". Lions took up the challenge and have devoted tremendous effort in service to the blind and visually impaired since that day. In fact, the main areas of focus for Lions International are vision research/service and youth services.
A Brief History of Deer Park Lions Club Deer Park got its start in 1974. Members of Roaring Run Lions Club believed that the Smallwood/Gamber area of Carroll County could support a club on it's own. Two of the members of Roaring Run who were very influential in the early years were George White and Bob Bullock. Deer Park will always owe them a debt for their help in getting us up and running. We currently include 29 Lions in our membership. We have five of our Charter Members still with us. Our members have served in the offices of Cabinet Secretary, Zone Chairman, and Regional Chair. Deer Park Lions Club is deeply involved in vision related service- we collect eyeglasses, we donate money to vision research, we provide eyeglass exams and eyeglasses for those in need, and more. We also have other service interests. We take part in Maryland's Adopt-A-Highway plan (Rt. 91 from Gamber to the park-n-go). Our youth service includes contributions to local Boy Scouts, Little League, and Carroll County Career & Technology Center graduates. We have an inventory of hospital equipment available to those in need. So if you attend a Lion's Club event, or have a chance to make a donation, remember: it is not intended to benefit any of the individuals involved, but rather to benefit your community and your world. A list of our members is available here.
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Lions
International got it's start in 1917 in Chicago, Illinois. An insurance man named Melvin
Jones wondered why the business club he belonged to couldn't offer
something more to its community.
