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The LIONS (Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation’s Safety) was founded in 1917 in Chicago, Illinois. It began with business men wanting to give back to their community. The motto of the Lions became, and still is, “We Serve.”
In 1925, Helen Keller asked the Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Her request inspired the Lions to focus on helping people with sight and sound needs.
The Lions is currently the largest service organization in the world, with 1.35 million members in 46,000 clubs, in 206 countries. Lions help people receive glasses and hearing aids, support victims of natural disasters, recycle glasses, build parks for children, and provide many other needed services.
The Galena Lions Club was chartered on September 14, 1936. This chapter has provided support and service throughout the years to the Galena community, with sight and sound needs and many community projects.
Here are some of the ways the Galena Lions Club has served
in the last five years:
- $57,310 donated for the needs of local community
organizations, including the Galena ARC, United Churches of
Galena, Food Pantry, Girl Schouts, Boy Scouts, Toys for Tots,
American Red Cross NW Il. Chapter, Galena Area Emergency
Medical Services, Safe Haven, Tyler's Justice Center, Galena
Stauss Community Care Center, & 6th Grade Field Trips.
- $36,148 donated to sight and hearing causes, such as
individuals in need of eye exams, glasses, hearing aids, and
cataract surgery, as well as scopes for Horseshoe Mound
viewing, and audio books for the Galena Public Library.
- Built kiosks at the city owned Gateway Park and Horseshoe
Mound to provide information sights for the public.
- $19,000 given as scholarships to students pursuing and
education towards occupations in sight and hearing fields.
- Collected and recycled over 600 pairs of glasses, to
benefit those in need.
- $10,000 donated to various state, national, and
international needs, such as the Leader Dog Program in
Rochester Hills, Michigan, the Illinois Eye Bank, and Lions of
Illinois Foundation, Camp Lions, and disaster relief in
several different areas of the state, country, and the world.
To serve our community by providing voluntary services and financial assistance, especially in the areas of sight and hearing, within an atmosphere of fellowship and fun, and in keeping with the Lions’ traditions of community involvement, international cooperation, and environmental protection.
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