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THE
LIONS CLUB OF ILMINSTER & DISTRICT |
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Lions
Charity 10k
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Lions is a service organisation with about 1.4 million world wide in 44,000 clubs... Lions Clubs began as the dream of a young Chicago insurance man Melvin Jones, who wondered why local business clubs could not expand their horizons from purely business concerns to the betterment of their communities and the world at large. Jones' idea struck a chord within his own group, the Business Circle of Chicago, and they authorized him to explore his concept with similar organizations from around the United States. His efforts resulted in an organizational meeting on June 7, 1917 and the establishment of The International Association of Lions Clubs in October 1917. Lions stands for: Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation’s Safety and was officially adopted in 1919. The Lion was chosen as the emblem for the organization because the Lion symbolized courage, strength, fidelity and vital action. The emblem shows the Lion’s head facing in two directions. One head is looking to our past and the other is looking to the future. This emblem was adopted in 1920.
Lions
in the
UK. During the Second World War the Queen Mother, then Queen
Elizabeth was Patron of "Waifs and Strays", (later "The Church of
England Children's Society"), and received £80,000 from the Lions of
Ontario to use on behalf of the children who suffered in the London
"Blitz". The Society looked after the evacuation of the children.
After the war the President of the Church of England Children's
Society, Colonel Edward Wyndham visited Toronto to thank the Lions
Clubs of Canada. He met Bruce Malcolm (Lions International Staff
Representative) and was persuaded to visit Lions International
Headquarters in Chicago. He was moved by the spirit of Lionism and
when he returned to London Bruce Malcolm came with him. They
contacted business men in London, many of whom were Canadian
ex-servicemen, who had married and settled in the UK. Some of them
had been associated with the original gifts, and between them they
formed the London Lions Club with 70 members on 29th December 1949.
There are now 20,000 members in the UK spread over about 1000 clubs.
Lions motto is “We Serve” and all club members get involved in projects where we have been able to help, either individuals or local organisations that need some support. Working with a group of like-minded individuals who enjoy what they are doing can give a great buzz... Lions Fund Raising. Basically we have a number of things that we do over the year, that have worked very well for us. Things like the Easter egg draw, Bric-a-Bracs, Summer Fete, our 10k Charity Road Race, Teddy Bear Stalls and Christmas Bazaar. Other innovations have been Fashion Shows, Jazz nights and Rock and Roll evenings. Club Members and wives will man these to minimising our costs. We really do get fantastic support from local communities. Lions Community Service. Internationally, Lions is recognised for service to the blind and visually impaired. In 1926 Lions was challenged by Helen Keller to become “knights of the crusade against darkness” Over the years this has become a major activity involving almost every club. At a more local level our community service work can vary from small donations to help an individual buy a piece of equipment that might be needed to help improve their quality of life, or a set of football shirts for a local junior football team, through to something more major like the Message in a Bottle scheme. mentioned elsewhere in this programme. Lions Ilminster Club Members live across the district, which covers an area of approximately 35 square miles in rural South Somerset. With Ilminster at its centre the district extends as far as South Petherton, Kingsbury Episcopi, Five head, Buckland St. Mary and round to Chard. Lions membership is by invitation and requires the unanimous agreement of all club members. Usually a member will invite a potential member to come along to our meetings and indeed to come to some our social events. The whole thing takes about two to three months before a decision can be made. For more information write to us care of The George Inn Donyatt, Nr Ilminster,TA19 0RW, where we meet on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month or Telephone: 0845 8339612
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