Required course · 101
Lions History
Where we came from, what we stand for, and why it still matters. A short, interactive journey through the story of Lions Clubs International.
If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.
What you'll be able to do
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Tell the founding story of Lions and Melvin Jones's role in it.
- Explain the meaning behind the Lions name, motto, slogan, Objects and Code of Ethics.
- Describe Helen Keller's 'Knights of the Blind' challenge and its lasting impact.
- Trace the association's global growth and the birth of LCIF, Leo and women's membership.
- Connect this history to your own club's mission today.
The big picture — mind map
Tap any branch to reveal its key ideas. Start at the centre and work outward.
Lions History
In the early 1900s, business lunch clubs were common — but most existed so members could promote one another's businesses. Their unofficial motto might have been 'you help me and I'll help you.' Melvin Jones, a gifted Chicago insurance man, belonged to one such group, the Business Circle, and grew restless with a club that existed only for personal profit.
He asked a question that changed everything: what if these driven, capable people put their energy into improving their communities? In 1917 he invited clubs from across the country to Chicago. On June 7, at the LaSalle Hotel, they agreed to form a single association devoted to service. That October, at the first convention in Dallas, they adopted a constitution, chose the colours purple and gold, and drafted the Objects and Code of Ethics.
If a Lions Club follows out its Objects, it will have the full program — interested in world affairs, national problems, the needs of its own community, and the welfare of individuals.
— Melvin JonesWhat we stand for
Every part of the Lions identity was chosen on purpose. Open each card to see why.
Why 'Lions'?
The name was not chosen at random. From ancient times the lion has symbolised four qualities the founders wanted for the association:
CourageStrength
ActivityFidelity
Fidelity carries special meaning for Lions: loyalty to a friend, to a principle, to a duty, and to a trust.
The slogan: L.I.O.N.S.
Chosen in 1919, the slogan spells the name: Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety. It reflected the patriotism of its era and still speaks to the values of freedom and service.
The motto: 'We Serve'
It is hard to believe our two-word motto wasn't adopted until 1954 — chosen from more than 6,000 suggestions. 'We Serve' captures the moving spirit of every Lion: to help others across every barrier that separates people.
Objects & Code of Ethics
The Objects say what Lions should do; the Code of Ethics says how a Lion should live. Melvin Jones studied codes throughout history and found them full of negative commands. What Lions adopted instead was a positive leadership code — without a single 'thou shalt not' in it.
The emblem
The familiar emblem — a golden L flanked by two lion profiles — shows a lion facing both the past and the future: proud of the past, confident of the future, looking in all directions to do a service. It was approved in 1920.
'Knights of the Blind'
In 1925, Helen Keller — deaf and blind since infancy — stood before the Lions convention and asked them to take up a cause. Her closing words became a mission:
Will you not constitute yourselves knights of the blind in this crusade against darkness?
The Lions accepted. From eyeglass collection and vision screenings to cataract surgeries and the white cane, service to the blind has defined Lions ever since.
A century in milestones
Tap a milestone to read more.
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Melvin Jones — the founder of Lions — is born on Jan 13 in Fort Thomas, Arizona. He later builds a successful insurance business in Chicago.
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On June 7 at the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago, Melvin Jones gathers independent business clubs and asks a bold question: what if successful people worked to improve their communities, not just their profits?
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At the first convention (Oct 8–10, Dallas), Lions adopt a constitution, the colors purple and gold, and draft the Objects and Code of Ethics that still guide us.
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The slogan L.I.O.N.S. is chosen at the third convention in Chicago.
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The first club outside the United States is chartered in Windsor, Ontario, Canada — and the familiar Lions emblem is approved.
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Helen Keller challenges Lions at their convention in Cedar Point, Ohio to become 'knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.' Service to the blind becomes a defining Lions cause.
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Lion George Bonham of Peoria sees a blind man struggling to cross a busy street and introduces the white cane to alert drivers. By 1956 every U.S. state has a white-cane law.
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Lions is one of the few non-governmental organizations invited to help shape the UN Charter at the San Francisco Conference. The partnership with the UN continues today.
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From more than 6,000 suggestions, the motto 'We Serve' is chosen — two words that capture the spirit of every Lion.
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The first Leo Club is chartered in Pennsylvania, giving young people their own path to service. It becomes an official Lions program in 1967.
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Lions Clubs International Foundation is created to fund large-scale humanitarian projects too big for a single club — from disaster relief to fighting blindness.
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Lions becomes the first major service organization to invite women as members. Their leadership transforms clubs, districts and the association.
The people behind the headlines
Melvin Jones
FounderA Chicago insurance man who believed clubs of talented people should serve their communities, not just network. He turned that belief into a global movement and served as its guiding secretary for decades.
Helen Keller
The challenge-giverDeaf and blind from infancy, she became a world-famous author and activist. Her 1925 speech asked Lions to become 'knights of the blind' — and set the course of Lions service for a century.
George Bonham
The innovatorA Peoria Lion who, seeing a blind man lost in traffic, invented the white cane so drivers would know to give the right of way. A simple idea that spread across the world.
Check yourself
Five quick questions. Pick an answer to see instant feedback.
Bring it home
- Which Lions value — courage, strength, activity or fidelity — best describes our club right now, and which needs growing?
- Helen Keller turned a personal cause into a global mission. What local need could our club champion the same way?
- 'Our history is still being written.' What is one line you want our club to add to it this year?
This interactive lesson was written by Amman Royal Swords Lions Club from the historical facts presented in Lions University Course 101 (Lions History), produced by the USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum. For the official webinar, handouts and the graded quiz, visit the official course page.
Official course