[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 174 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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, 
    and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the following resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 2010, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed $5,000,000 to 
        the One Shot, One Life measles initiative, and Lions raised more than 
        $10,000,000 to support measles prevention efforts during the subsequent 
        2 years;
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 the 
        United Kingdom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
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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