WTNY 9-26-2007 00:23
International Lions Club
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with 45,000 clubs and nearly 1.35 million members in 200 countries around the world. Its motto is "We Serve". The international headquarters is situated in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States.
Lions Clubs International was founded in the United States in 1917 by Melvin Jones. A former Freemason, Jones once said "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else."
Membership is by invitation and attendance at meetings is expected on a monthly or fortnightly basis. Lions are a community-based organization with a hierarchy that can take a member from a club to office at zone, district, national (also known as multiple district) and international levels. All funds raised by Lions Clubs from the general public are used for charitable purposes, with administration costs kept strictly separate and paid for by members.
Lions Clubs International originally consisted of all-male membership. Over recent years many clubs have admitted women, but some all-male clubs still exist. In 2003 half of the male members at the Lions Club in Worcester, England resigned when a woman joined the club.