Lions Of Illinois Foundation - LIF

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Lions Of Illinois Foundation - LIF Our vision is to create a permanent vehicle for the delivery of programs and services for vision/hear

Monetary Support:
The Lions and Leo Clubs throughout the State of Illinois provide the funding for these programs through contributions and fundraising activities of our Foundation administered functions. They are as follows: Lions Candy Day; Sight & Sound Sweepstakes; Tootsie Pop Day; LIF Golf Tournament; Diabetes Awareness Day; Used Eyeglass & Hearing Aid Recycling; Unlock Your Heart Key Recycling, and Camp Lions Adopt-A-Camper campaign. Contributions from the general public are always welcome and are used to fund the mission, purpose, and goal of the Foundation. All contributions are tax-exempt under the 501 (c) 3 status of the Foundation.

We’re out here at the St. Jacob Lions Club, Annual Roar-In’ Car Show South in downtown St. Jacob! It’s a beautiful day, ...
10/11/2026

We’re out here at the St. Jacob Lions Club, Annual Roar-In’ Car Show South in downtown St. Jacob! It’s a beautiful day, come out and join us!

Tonight’s Bingo Bonanza was a success! Fun was had by all, especially the winners. 😉 A big thank you to our game sponsor...
10/11/2026

Tonight’s Bingo Bonanza was a success! Fun was had by all, especially the winners. 😉 A big thank you to our game sponsors for tonight’s games. All proceeds raised go towards the LIF’s Camp Lions program. We hope you’ll join us tomorrow for our Annual Roar-In’ Car Show South! Registration opens at 9am.

Come join us for Bingo at the St. Jacob Lions Club, St. Jacob, IL Activities Center!Bingo starts at 6:45pm!!
10/10/2026

Come join us for Bingo at the St. Jacob Lions Club, St. Jacob, IL Activities Center!
Bingo starts at 6:45pm!!

LIF Staff are starting their morning off right in District 1-CN!Out and about supporting Candy Day fundraising!And helpi...
10/10/2026

LIF Staff are starting their morning off right in District 1-CN!
Out and about supporting Candy Day fundraising!
And helping provide Free Hearing and Vision screenings at the Maryville Fall Fest from 11am-2pm!!
☀️It’s a beautiful day, come visit us!☀️

Happy Illinois Lions Candy Day!!Together We Serve.
10/09/2026

Happy Illinois Lions Candy Day!!

Together We Serve.

Come join us for a fun filled weekend at the St. Jacob Lions Club Activity Center, located in St. Jacob, IL!Saturday nig...
10/08/2026

Come join us for a fun filled weekend at the St. Jacob Lions Club Activity Center, located in St. Jacob, IL!
Saturday night, come on out and get your Bingo on then visit our Annual Roar-In Car Show South.
Monies raised, benefit the hearing and vision services in your community.
We hope to see you there!

Our District 1-F Indoor Screening Technicians team was in Grayslake yesterday, doing FREE Vision and Hearing Screenings ...
10/08/2026

Our District 1-F Indoor Screening Technicians team was in Grayslake yesterday, doing FREE Vision and Hearing Screenings for Preschoolers & Pre-Kindergarteners.

Candy Day is this weekend! Be on the lookout for your local Lions Club around town.Candy Day from the 1960's to TodayIn ...
10/07/2026

Candy Day is this weekend! Be on the lookout for your local Lions Club around town.

Candy Day from the 1960's to Today
In 1960 Candy Day raised $100,000 and $597,000 in 1970.
With the Lions requesting programs and the low-vision and blind themselves needing help and asking for it from the Lions, it was time to change from a committee structure to a Foundation.
With approval from the membership, the Lions of Illinois Foundation came into being on July 1, 1974, as a non-profit charitable organization registered with the office of the Illinois Attorney General and meeting all Internal Revenue Service guidelines for tax-deductible giving.
With the growth that came from the structure of the Foundation, Candy Day would raise over $1,000,000 per year in the 90’s.
The Expectation of the Candy Day Fundraiser was that 50% of the funds required to operate the programs and services to the hearing & visually impaired directed by our Lions of Illinois Foundation would be funded through this single campaign.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Illinois Lions must certainly be blushing. Currently more than 15 states and Australia also conduct Candy Day fund raisers.
Through the hard labor and dedication of Lions in Illinois the LIF now serve not only the visually impaired, but the hearing impaired, and provides Camp Lions, a summer residential camp, especially designed for children with sight and hearing loss, and Camp Helen Keller for Adults with vision and hearing loss. As needs and expenses increase the future of Candy Day becomes even more important to the quality of services & programs we can conduct as we take on the challenge presented to Lions by Helen Keller to be "Knights of the Blind in the Crusade Against Blindness".

📣BLAST FROM THE PAST📣It's the week of Candy Day, are you ready?!This fun ad was ran in the newspaper back in 1968.The Ea...
10/05/2026

📣BLAST FROM THE PAST📣

It's the week of Candy Day, are you ready?!
This fun ad was ran in the newspaper back in 1968.

The Early Years
The first campaign actually did not use the famous candy roll which is so familiar today, but a lapel pin of a white cane. The first year $11,000 were raised and 60% of the donations were granted to the Hadley School for the Blind in Chicago, Illinois and Leader Dogs for the Blind, with local clubs retaining the balance for community efforts. Despite the generosity of the action, the City of Chicago was displeased because city regulations only allowed for charities to hold five "tag days" within city limits in one year. The Lions effort to use a white cane lapel pin was rejected as it was deemed to be a tag.
The second campaign switched to providing Cracker jacks, the popular snack, as the fundraising material. While the public enjoyed this change, the media did not. They were hesitant to give publicity to a commercial product, even in this worthy cause.

📣BLAST FROM THE PAST📣This Candy Day ad was sent in to the newspaper in Geneva, IL back in 1975.🎉It's Candy Day Month!🎉 T...
10/02/2026

📣BLAST FROM THE PAST📣
This Candy Day ad was sent in to the newspaper in Geneva, IL back in 1975.

🎉It's Candy Day Month!🎉 This year's Candy Day is held on October 9, 2026.

History of Candy Day
LIBAC (Lions of Illinois Blind Action Committee) began in 1952 as the result of Past district Governor Marvin Tench who wanted to change the attitude toward blind people. In that time the blind were often objects of ridicule, portrayed as "pencil sellers" and with low regard. Lion Tench and friends wanted the public to recognize them with all the rights to dignity, education, and meaningful employment enjoyed by their fellow Americans.

As a result of Lion Tench's work the Lions of Illinois adopted a resolution to hold a statewide drive to raise funds for services and awareness of the plight of the blind. Prior to 1952 the Lions were dedicated to helping the visually impaired, but funding for projects and services were only raised on either local or District levels. This move to act as a united front statewide, would change the face of Lionism forever.

Address

650 N. Peace Road, Suite G
Dekalb, IL
60115

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+18157565633

Website

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