History of the Walcott Lions Club

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 HISTORY OF LIONS OF IOWA

Current designation for Lions Clubs of Iowa is Multiple District 9, or MD9. The original District 9 included Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Eastern Wisconsin.

The first Lions Club in Iowa was the Sioux City Host Club, organized June 6, 1918. The Des Moines Host Club was formed in 1920, and is the oldest continuous club in Iowa.

Lions State Conventions are held each year, and the first was in Cedar Rapids in 1921.

Also in 1921, William Westfall of Mason City was elected District Governor, and in 1926 Lion Westfall was elected Lions International President. He is the only President ever elected from Iowa.

In 1927, Iowa and Nebraska were split into two Districts.

In 1928, the Lions International Convention was held in Des Moines, Iowa.

1942 was the first Key Breakfast ever held.

A Leader Dog representative attended the State Convention for the first time in 1950, and the delegates adopted the program as one to donate money to.

Through the years, there have been several Lions who have served as Lions Clubs of Iowa State Secretary. Art White was selected as the first State Secretary in 1953, followed by Art Fogarty in 1958. In 1964, his replacement was Dean Moore, and Bernie Zinsli became State Secretary/Field Rep Extension in 1972. Lion Bernie traveled Iowa, Nebraska, and part of Illinois helping establish new Lions Clubs. 1982 brought PDG Dale Anderson to the Lions State office as Secretary, and in 1991 PDG Matteo Cardella became Secretary. PID Gary Fry became State Secretary/Field Representative in 2003. As with Lion Bernie, PID Gary is also involved in chartering new clubs in the State of Iowa, plus his duties as Secretary.

In 1954, the Iowa Lions Sight Conservation Foundation (ILSCF) was started in Des Moines. This is the fund and grant making arm of Lions Clubs of Iowa. In 1978, with hearing as a new project, the name was changed to Iowa Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation. In 1994 the name was shortened to “Iowa Lions Foundation”, the current title.

As part of Foundation services, a Mobile Screening unit for detecting Glaucoma was approved in 1963 and placed in service in the fall of 1965. Iowa Lions were pioneers in the nation for providing this type of service through Lions Clubs. In 2005, after 40 years of continuous service, this screening service was discontinued.

Another segment of the Iowa Lions Foundation is the Iowa Lions Eye Bank. Established in 1955, and a part of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, the Eye Bank collects and disperses corneal tissue for corneal transplants and for research. The Iowa Lions Eye Bank became a charter member of the Eye Bank Association of America in 1962.

In 1994, Lions of Iowa were hosts to the USA/Canada Leadership Forum held in Des Moines.

“Coming to Your Senses”, a screening program to detect vision problems in youngsters age six months to four years, was established in 1999, and continues to be an excellent service. As of July 1, 2007, this screening operates under a new name, IOWA KIDSIGHT.

Redistricting from 9 Districts in the state to 7 took effect July 1, 2007. The new district designations are: 9NW, 9NC, 9NE, 9EC, 9SE, 9MC, and 9SW.

The Lions of Iowa are comprised of 358 individual clubs with a combined membership of just over 10,000 Lions. Iowa is one multiple district (MD9) of Lions Clubs International , which has 45,000 clubs in 205 countries or geograph-ical areas. There are 1.3 million Lions worldwide who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world.

Known for working to end preventable blindness, Lions participate in a vast variety of projects important to their communities. These projects range from cleaning up local parks to providing supplies to victims of natural disasters.

The state office is located in Ames and is overseen by Council Chairman PDG Roger Bublitz.

mission statement:
 

To empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions clubs

History of Lions and the UN