Lions Clubs International
Fact Sheet


Membership

       As of October, 2006 Lions Clubs International had nearly 1.35 million members
in more than 45,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas.

       Lions are men and women who volunteer their time to humanitarian
causes. Founded in 1917, the association's motto is "We Serve."


Service History

       Worldwide, Lions clubs are recognized for their service to the blind
and visually inpaired. This service began through a challenge issued by
Helen Keller to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against
darkness" during the Lions 1925 International Convention.

       Today, Lions extend their commitment to sight conservation
through countless local efforts, as well as through their international
SightFirst Program.

       Lions also make a strong commitment to young people and are
instrumental in youth outreach programs.


Sight Programs

       In 1990, Lions established SightFirst, a US$143.5 million global
initiative to fight the major causes of preventable and reversible blindness.
The unprecedented program joins leading blindness prevention experts,
blindness prevention organizantions, governments and Lions volunteers in
an effort to establish long-term solutions in elimating preventable and
reversible blindness.

SightFirst has:
       provided more than 2.2 million cataract surgeries

       annually treated more than 3.3 million people with ivermectin to
       prevent river blindness

       funded 68 eye clinics and hospitals that are completed or under
       construction

       screened more than six million patients for eye diseases.

In addition to SightFirst, Lions clubs continue to support other
sight-related and service activities.

Lions:
       provide 600,000 free professional glaucoma screenings and make
       25,000 corneal transplants possible each year

       establish and support a majority of the world's eye banks, hundreds
       of clinics, hospitals and eye research centers worldwide

       collect more than four million pairs of old, unwanted eyeglasses,
        annually, for free distribution to the poor in developing countries

       provide thousands each year with free quality eye care, eyeglasses,
       Braille-writers, large print texts, white canes and guide dogs.


International Youth Programs

       Second only to Lions' commitment to aiding the blind and visually
impaired is a strong dedication to serving young people.

Lions Youth Outreach:
       This comprehensive program challenges young people to learn, to
achieve and to serve. By focusing on volunteerism and substance abuse
prevention, it steers young people away from harmful behaviors such as
gang involvement, violence and substance abuse.


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