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HISTORY

The International Association of Lions Clubs was founded in 1917 in Chicago Illinois (USA). At the time of it’s foundation Lions Clubs International may have been the youngest of all service clubs, it soon became de largest worldwide. There are 1,4 million members in 45.000 clubs spread over 197 countries and geographical areas.
LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL’s headquarters is situated in Oak Brook, Illinois (USA).
You can visit their site: www.lionsclubs.org

To all LIONS the motto “WE SERVE” is their most important principle and reason of existence.

At the first convention in Dallas in 1917, there was a lot of disagreement about finding a suitable name for the association. In 1919 Melvin Jones’ idea to call it the ‘Association of Lions Clubs’ was adopted, which was also the name of his Bussiness Circle in Chicago that was inspired on the stone statue in front of the Institute of Arts featuring 2 lions.

The lion symbolising brotherhood, camaraderie, and strength. A young Denver lawyer by the name of Halsted Ritter added the decisive argument that the letters in the word LIONS formed an acronym meaning: “Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation’s Safety”, the essence of American citizenship. The Lions international emblem (member’s pins), one lion’s head facing the past and an other facing the future, was derived from a painting of the female French artist Rose Bonheur (1920).

“We serve” is introduced later in time.

 

 

HISTORY of LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL

Melvin Jones
Founder of Lions Club International (1879-1961): "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else." This simple statement can be considered the start of ‘Lionism’.

After becoming Secretary of his Business Circle in Chicago, young businessman MELVIN JONES soon realized that a big group of influential people could form a strong potential that could be deployed in favour of the community, especially to support the needy. On June 7th 1917, 12 representatives of 27 invited clubs gathered in Chicago to learn about his ideas.

Although not seconded by all present, they decided to create a national organization. In October of that year a constituent meeting was held in Dallas (Texas), 36 representatives from 22 clubs in 9 states attended. Here the organization’s statutory regulations as well as a code of ethics were formulated, board members were appointed and the club was divided into districts.

Very important was the adoption of the Oklahoma delegation’s motion stating that clubs that are part of the organization should never have the objective to enrich it’s members.

Dr. William P. Woods, a surgeon from Evansville and former head of the Royal Order of Lions in Indiana, was appointed first president/chairman.

The concept of servitude and commitment to the general welfare resulted in the creation of the motto “WE SERVE”, that was officially adopted at the convention of 1950.

The organization expanded rapidly. The number of clubs and members grew and in 1920 the first Lions Club outside the USA was founded in Canada, followed by Central and South America.

In 1925 Helen Keller addressed the international convention of Lions in Cedar Point, Ohio. In conclusion she spoke out her whish that all Lions worldwide would commit themselves to become ‘knights of the blind in a crusade against darkness’. From that point on, the battle against preventable blindness and providing help for the blind and visually impaired, has become Lions’ primary humanitarian cause.

In 1990 a programme was launched called ‘Sight First’, with an impressive budget of $ 143,5 million. It mainly finances the battle against ‘riverblindness’ and ‘cataract’, two reversible conditions. Thanks to Lions, millions of people worldwide have regained their visual abilities.

Although Lions already planned the creation of clubs outside the American continent in 1937, World War II slowed them down. Only in 1947 a new step in the evolution of ‘Lionism’ was set in Australia, followed a year later by the first European clubs opening in Stockholm and Geneva.

At the convention of Taipeh in 1987, the word ‘male’ was omitted from the organization’s statutory regulations. From then on the already existing ‘Lioness Clubs’ in our multi district 112, were converted to full scale Lions Clubs and new clubs of female Lions were launched. Since Taipeh, clubs can have both male and female members.

 

LIONS ORIGIN IN BELGIUM
Early 1951 Léon Vannuvel met Jean-Pierre Galand, lawyer and founder of the first Swiss Lions Club and Tony Delage, an American Lion charged with the expansion of Lions in Europe. As a result the first Belgian club was a fact in May 1952.
Bit by bit interest started to grow amongst a group in Brussels and on 31 March 1952 the club became official under the name of ‘Bruxelles’, nowadays known as ‘Bruxelles Centre’. The charter was handed on 17 May that same year. To insure the required number of charter members (20) and as a token of appreciation, Tony Delage was nominated member.

A few months later Antwerp obtained their charter followed by Liège (currently called Liège Cité) in spring 1953, then followed by Ghent and Namur. La Panne’s charter (a smaller town at the Belgian coast) was handed in 1954 and their charter member Paul Simpelaere became the first Belgian leading man of the international organization in 1960.
As victims of the unfortunate floods, the Belgian Lions Clubs receive help from the global organization in 1953, resulting in the foundation of the Medical Centre in Hingene.

The first national convention is held in Keerbergen (Belgium) in May 1953, with 100% turn up from the 5 existing clubs and those that are still going through the motions of foundation.
During Expo 1958 all foreign Lions are welcomed in Belgium at the ‘Welcome Centre for Lions’.

King Boudewijn accepts the title of Honorary President (Chairman) of the Belgian district on 3 March 1959, a token of recognition and a great honour for our association. At present the Honorary President is reigning king, Albert II.
(source: www.lions.be)

King Albert II

 

 

FOUNDING LIONS CLUB GAVERE RHODELAND
After a few years of preliminary work, the LC Gavere Rhodeland was officially launched on 7 March 2005 (charter date) under the presidency of Patrick Van de Velde. Ten days later the founding members obtained their emblems.

Charter President, Patrick Van de Velde, gets his emblem pinned on by District 112A Governor Raoul Rombaut.

 

On 7 May 2005 International President Clement Kusiak (Linthicum, Maryland, USA) hands the Charter to our Vice-President Armand Van Caenegem and Secretary Dominique Defrance.

From left to right: Secretary Dominique Defrance, Vice-President Armand Van Caenegem, International President Clement Kusiak en District 112A Governor Raoul Rombaut.