Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world. The men and women of the Lions Clubs are dedicated to serving those in need, whether in their own community or half-way around the world. In addition to humanitarian service, they enjoy fellowship and develop leadership skills. 

Our local Monocacy Lions Club was chartered in 1940. The club currently has 54 members with four new members inducted just last week.  Members are drawn from the communities of Barnesville, Beallsville, Boyds, Comus, Dickerson, Poolesville and surrounding areas. 

Members of the Monocacy Lions Club have dedicated themselves to serving our community.  "We Serve" is the Lions motto, which exemplifies their personal dedication to assist both locally and within our Lions district.  

The Lions Club handles the PACC 5K at Poolesville Day, they operate mobile eye exam and hearing testing units at local schools and provide holiday food baskets for WUMCO clients. The eyeglasses they collect in a drop box near Whalen Commons are rehabilitated for distribution to those in need.  

They are proud to support the training of leader dogs for the blind, the Lions support Camp Merrick for the vison and hearing impaired and those with diabetes, and they provide scholarships to Poolesville Senior High students. Middle and High School students can join the Leo Service Clubs. The Lions sponsor blood drives with the American Red Cross and sponsor a local paper shredding drive. 

The Monocacy Lions Support and/or Sponsor: 

  • After school youth programs 
  • Community Blood Drives – Note the blood drive at the Baptist Church on January 25th 
  • Community Halloween Party 
  • John Poole M. S. LEO Club 
  • Poolesville H. S. LEO Club 
  • Leader Dog Program for the Blind 
  • Lions Visions Research Foundation 
  • Lions Camp Merrick for visually and hearing-impaired youth 
  • Lions Community Outreach Foundation 
  • Mercy Health Clinic 
  • Programs for the hearing impaired 
  • Rebuilding Together 
  • Upper Montgomery Co. Fire Dept. 
  • WUMCO Help, Inc. 

 

They Provide to the Community: 

  • Christmas Toys for needy children 
  • Free Eye exams and glasses for the needy 
  • Food baskets for needy families 
  • Medical equipment to the physically impair 
  • Hearing exams and hearing aids 
  • College scholarships 
  • Vision and hearing screenings 
  • Vision screening for preschool children 

 

Watch for these fundraisers that allow the Lions to give back to our community:  

  • Golf Tournament Fall  
  • Manage Poolesville Day 5K Race for PACC  
  • Ice Cream at the Montgomery County Fair  
  • Auction – February 24th, 2025 

 

They welcome new members to help fulfill their mission. If you are interested in joining, reach out to Tom Conlon ([email protected]) or any current member for information. 

 About Lions Clubs International  

It is generally accepted that Chicago insurance broker Melvin Jones founded the Lions Club in 1917. But some credit Dr. William P Wood of Evanston Indiana who, with 3 other Evanston doctors, founded the Royal Order of Lions in 1911.  They observed first-hand the needs in their own communities and their club purpose became "to do deeds of charity within its membership". The Royal Order of Lions became a service organization with 55 chapters. However, by 1916, The Royal Order of Lions was struggling.  

In 1917, Mr. Jones was looking to expand the influence of his own small business club and placed newspaper ads asking members of the many individual business and service clubs in the US to meet with the idea of merging into one organization. That meeting (perhaps the first Lions Convention) took place in Dallas, TX and Dr. Wood took part.  Dr. Wood offered the structure of his Royal Order of Lions as the basis for the new service organization as they drafted a constitution, bylaws, and a code of ethics. 

By 1920 the Lions Clubs became international with a chapter in Canada. By 1927 60,000 members in 1183 clubs worldwide were performing charitable works. 

In 1945, Lions Clubs was one of the first NGOs to help draft the charter that created the United Nations and in 1957 the first Leo Program was launched. 

The SightFirst Program, the Lions' biggest sight preservation campaign, was started in 1990, raising over $346 million to pay for cataract surgeries, expand eye hospitals and clinics, distribute sight-saving medication and train eye care professionals across the world. 

Look into this worthy organization.