[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 86 (Thursday, May 18, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3046-S3047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 174--RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF LIONS CLUBS 
INTERNATIONAL AND CELEBRATING THE LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL FOR A LONG 
                    HISTORY OF HUMANITARIAN SERVICE

  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:

                              S. Res. 174

       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--
          (A) eyesight preservation and blindness prevention;
          (B) services for individuals with disabilities;
          (C) hearing and speech conservation;
          (D) diabetes awareness;
          (E) youth outreach;
          (F) services for older individuals;
          (G) activities that promote international goodwill;
          (H) disaster relief; and
          (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

[[Page S3047]]

     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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