[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 174 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 174
Recognizing the 100th anniversary of Lions Clubs International and
celebrating the Lions Clubs International for a long history of
humanitarian service.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 18, 2017
Mr. Moran (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Paul,
Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Boozman, Ms. Murkowski, Ms. Collins,
Ms. Hassan, Mr. Blunt, and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
June 7, 2017
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to with an amended preamble
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 100th anniversary of Lions Clubs International and
celebrating the Lions Clubs International for a long history of
humanitarian service.
Whereas, on June 7, 1917, Chicago business leader Melvin Jones founded Lions
Clubs International in Chicago, Illinois, based on the principle that
``[y]ou can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody
else'';
Whereas the motto of Lions Clubs International, ``We Serve''--
(1) was selected in 1954 after having been submitted by Lion D.A.
Stevenson of Font Hill, Ontario, in an international contest; and
(2) applies to the charitable and humanitarian priorities of Lions
Clubs International, including--
G (A) eyesight preservation and blindness prevention;
G (B) services for individuals with disabilities;
G (C) hearing and speech conservation;
G (D) diabetes awareness;
G (E) youth outreach;
G (F) services for older individuals;
G (G) activities that promote international goodwill;
G (H) disaster relief; and
G (I) environmental protection;
Whereas, with over 46,000 clubs and 1,400,000 members in over 200 countries and
geographical areas around the globe, Lions Clubs International is the
largest service organization in the world;
Whereas the purposes of Lions Clubs International include--
(1) to create and foster a spirit of understanding among people around
the world;
(2) to promote the principles of good government and good citizenship;
(3) to take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social, and
moral welfare of the community;
(4) to provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public
interest, except that members of Lions Clubs International may not debate
partisan politics and sectarian religion;
(5) to encourage service-minded individuals to serve their communities
without personal financial reward; and
(6) to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in
commerce, industry, public works, and professional and private endeavors;
Whereas, on March 12, 1920, a Lions Club was chartered in Windsor, Ontario,
Canada, and Lions Clubs became an international organization;
Whereas, in 1925, at the Lions Club in Cedar Point, Ohio, Helen Keller charged
members of Lions Clubs International with becoming ``knights of the
blind in the crusade against darkness'';
Whereas, in 1926, polar explorer and member of the District of Columbia Lions
Club, Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Jr., flew over the North Pole carrying
the flag of Lions Clubs International;
Whereas, in 1930, after witnessing an individual with a vision impairment having
difficulty crossing a street, Lion George Bonham painted a cane white
with a red band for use by visually impaired individuals;
Whereas, in 1931--
(1) the first Lions Club was established south of the United States in
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; and
(2) the first Lions Clubs International convention was held in Toronto,
Ontario;
Whereas, in 1935, during the Lions Clubs International convention in Mexico
City, Amelia Earhart, who was an honorary member of the New York City
Lions Club, completed a record-breaking nonstop flight from Los Angeles,
California, to Mexico;
Whereas, in 1939, the members of the Detroit Uptown Lions Club converted an old
farmhouse in the State of Michigan into a school to train dog guides for
visually impaired individuals, helping to popularize dog guides
worldwide;
Whereas, on June 6, 1939, the first Little League baseball game was played at
Park Point in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, after Lion Carl Edwin Stotz
appealed to Lions Clubs International, the Young Men's Christian
Association, and other community partners for support to provide an
organized baseball program for children;
Whereas, in 1944, the first eye bank in the world was established in New York
City, and as of March 2017, most eye banks are sponsored by Lions Clubs
International;
Whereas, in 1945, Lions Clubs International assisted in drafting the Charter of
the United Nations, which began a lasting relationship between Lions
Clubs International and the United Nations that includes Lions Clubs
International aid and volunteers for--
(1) the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund;
(2) the World Health Organization;
(3) the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization; and
(4) other humanitarian projects;
Whereas, in 1957, the Leo Clubs youth program of Lions Clubs International was
established to provide young people with the opportunity for personal
development through volunteer work;
Whereas, as of March 2017, there are approximately 157,000 Leos and 600 Leo
Clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas worldwide;
Whereas, in 1968, the Lions Clubs International Foundation (referred to in this
preamble as ``LCIF'') was established to assist Lions Clubs
International with global and large-scale local humanitarian projects;
Whereas LCIF has given more than $826,000,000 in grants to support the
humanitarian work of Lions Clubs International;
Whereas, in 1972, LCIF awarded its first grant, in the amount of $5,000, to
assist flood victims in South Dakota;
Whereas, in 1977, Lion Jimmy Carter became the 39th President of the United
States;
Whereas, in 1985, LCIF awarded its first Major Catastrophe Grant, in the amount
of $50,000, for earthquake relief in Mexico;
Whereas, in 1986, Mother Teresa accepted a Lions Humanitarian Award;
Whereas, in 1987, Lions Clubs International amended its bylaws and invited women
to become members, and women are now the fastest growing group of new
members in Lions Clubs International;
Whereas, in 1990, LCIF launched SightFirst, an initiative that--
(1) assists Lions Clubs International in activities to restore eyesight
and prevent blindness on a global scale; and
(2) eventually raised more than $415,000,000 to target low vision,
trachoma, river blindness, childhood blindness, diabetic retinopathy, and
glaucoma;
Whereas, in 1995, LCIF began a partnership with the Carter Center, led by former
President and Lion Jimmy Carter, to combat river blindness in Africa and
Latin America, and by 2003, LCIF and the Carter Center had provided
50,000,000 river blindness treatments;
Whereas, in 2001, LCIF partnered with the Special Olympics on Opening Eyes, an
initiative to provide vision screening for Special Olympics athletes;
Whereas, in 2002, Lions Clubs International chartered a club in China, which
became the first voluntary membership group in China;
Whereas, in 2007, the Financial Times ranked LCIF as the best nongovernmental
organization worldwide with which to establish a partnership;
Whereas, in 2011, LCIF awarded its 10,000th grant, bringing the total amount
awarded to grant recipients by LCIF to $708,000,000;
Whereas, in 2013, LCIF partnered with the GAVI Alliance to protect millions of
children from measles and rubella in 2013;
Whereas LCIF committed $30,000,000 for immunizations, an amount matched by
partner organizations;
Whereas, in 2013, with the support of Lions Clubs International and the Carter
Center, river blindness was eliminated in Colombia; and
Whereas, in 2014, Lions Clubs International launched the Centennial Service
Challenge, a global initiative to serve 100,000,000 people around the
world: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) congratulates Lions Clubs International on its 100th
anniversary on June 7, 2017;
(2) recognizes Lions Clubs International for 100 years of
promoting community service and humanitarian assistance;
(3) encourages Lions Clubs International to continue to
emphasize the values of community service and improving the
community for all individuals; and
(4) applauds Lions Clubs International for instilling in
young people the value of community service.
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