Lions Clubs International (LCI) is the world's largest secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1.4 million members in 201 countries around the world. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States, the organization strives to meet the needs of communities on a local and global scale. A diverse organization, LCI currently supports the eleven following languages: Canto
nese, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. Lions Clubs International was founded in the United States in 1917 by Melvin Jones, a Chicago businessman. Jones asked, with regard to his colleagues, "What if these men who are successful because of their drive, intelligence and ambition, were to put their talents to work improving their communities?" Jones' personal code, "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else," reminds many Lions of the importance of community service. At the local, zone, region, district, and international level, Lions members exemplify their motto “We Serve.” Lions Clubs focus on programming related to sight conservation, hearing and speech conservation, diabetes awareness, youth outreach, international relations, environmental issues, and other programs that support the local communities where Lions live. Lions are also passionate about developing effective leadership skills in their members and have an extensive leadership development program including an online Lions Learning Center and several leadership institutes
