A few months after the United States
came into WW1, an enthusiastic Life Insurance Company executive in Chicago, by
the name of Melvin Jones together with a few friends felt they had to do something
to help the families of American servicemen sent to Europe to fight and often
to die in the trenches. He called a Convention of like-minded businessmen in Dallas,
Texas in June 1917, as a direct result of which 37 service Clubs were formed in
the United States. The movement spread rapidly throughout the north American continent
and China in the inter-war years. It was subsequently banned in China by Chairman
Mao Tse Tung, and not revived there until last year thanks to the efforts of the
Lion Clubs of Hong Kong.
Although
Lions International were held in such high esteem that they were invited to help
draft the constitution of the United Nations, the movement did not spread into
Europe until after WW2. During the war many British children were sent to Canada
as evacuees where they were mainly looked after by members of the Canadian Lions
Clubs. Post war, as a gesture of appreciation for their selflessness and kindness
and admiration of the concepts of the Lion movement, it was decided to form a
Lions Club in London. Britain became just the fifth country in Europe to
have Lions Clubs when the Lions Club of London Host was formed in 1950.
Membership is open by invitation to service-minded people over the age of 18,
regardless of colour, race or creed. Today, clubs are active in almost every 'free'
country. They are currently growing fastest throughout SE Asia, Africa, India
where Lions are actively involved in assisting recovery after the recent tsunami.
Lions stand for:
