CHICAGO — Lions 100th international convention will be held June 30 through July 4 at the McCormick Place Convention Center downtown Chicago.
Chicago business leader Melvin Jones founded Lions Club International in Chicago on June 7, 1917.
The founding of Lions Club International was based on his personal code, “you can’t get very far until you start doing something for somebody else.”
The Lions motto, “we serve” applies to charitable and humanitarian priorities including sight preservation and blindness prevention, disabilities, hearing and speech conservation, diabetes awareness, youth outreach, the elderly, international goodwill, disaster relief, environmental issues and many other programs.
Lions Club International is the world’s largest service organization with 46,000 clubs and over one million members in 210 countries and regions around the world. In Illinois, there are 509 Lions clubs and over 14,700 members.
This weekend, in Chicago over 26,000 volunteers from 105 countries will be greeted by a simple message “be kind.” Ads will be placed around the city encouraging people to do an act of kindness.

If you have an interest in joining the Lions, they would love to have you. Becoming a Lions club member gives you the opportunity to volunteer locally, or internationally. Make new friends and professional connections. Lead projects that make your community a better place to live all while having fun.
Lions Clubs International Purpose is:
To Organize, charter and supervise service clubs to be known as Lions clubs.
To Coordinate the activities and standardize the administration of Lions clubs.
To Create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.
To Promote the principles of good government and good citizenship.
To Take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community.
To Unite the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding.
To Provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest; provided, however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members.
To Encourage service-minded people to serve their community without personal financial reward, and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavors.
Rochelle Lions Club meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month in the Baldwin Room at Hickory Grove at 6:30 p.m. For more information contact Kevin Zilm or Tom Hill.