In 1917, a Chicago business leader asked a simple and world-changing question – what if people put their talents to work improving their communities? Almost 100 years later, Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization, with 1.3 million members and countless stories of Lions acting on the same simple idea: let's improve our communities.
That business leader was Melvin Jones. He convened an organizational meeting of clubs that formed Lions Clubs International on June 7, 1917, in Chicago. Later that year, Lions held the first national convention in Dallas and created a constitution, by-laws, objects and a code of ethics.

1920: Going International
Just three years later, Lions went international when we established the first club in Canada. Mexico followed in 1927. In the 1950s and 1960s international growth accelerated, with new clubs in Europe, Asia and Africa.

1925: Helen Keller and the "Crusade Against Darkness"
One of our earliest and most influential causes has been eradicating blindness. That began in 1925, when Helen Keller addressed the Lions Clubs International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA. She challenged us to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness." Since then, we have worked tirelessly to fulfill her charge to aid the blind and visually impaired.

1945: Uniting Nations
The ideal of an international organization is exemplified by our enduring relationship with the United Nations. We were one of the first nongovernmental organizations invited to assist in the drafting of the United Nations Charter and have supported the work of the UN ever since.

1957: Establishing Youth Programs
In the late 1950s, we created the Leo Program to provide the youth of the world an opportunity for personal development and contribution. There are now more than 5,500 Leo clubs in more than 130 countries, with more than 140,000 Leos worldwide.

1990: Launching SightFirst
In 1990, we launched our most aggressive sight preservation effort, SightFirst. This US$215 million program aims to rid the world of preventable and reversible blindness by supporting desperately needed health care services. In 2008, Lions completed Campaign SightFirst II, which raised more than US$200 million to expand the program.

2014: Centennial Service Challenge
Lions Clubs International begins its Centennial Celebration by pledging to benefit 100 million people through projects impacting youth, vision, hunger and the environment. Lions honor their long tradition of service and look to the future by coming together to strengthen their local communities and the global community.

2017: Centennial and Beyond
Lions will celebrate our 100th anniversary and first century of service!