Club Introduction

Lions CLUBS INTERNATIONAL Organization (LCI)

Lions Clubs International was founded in 1917 as an affiliation of Lions Clubs. LCI is a non-political, non-religious service organization open to men and women by invitation only. There are now over 1.4 million Lions in 46,000 clubs in 210 countries.

The mission of LCI is “To empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions Clubs.” The motto is “We Serve.” Our five main areas of focus are: Vision, Environment, Hunger, Childhood Cancer, and Diabetes. Each club determines how they will support these causes as well as others that affect their communities. Visit lionsclubs.org/welcome to learn more about Lions Clubs International.

Lions CLUBS INTERNATIONAL FOUNDAtion (LCIF)

Lions Clubs International Foundation is the financial arm of LCI. LCIF has awarded 12,701 grants totaling more than $950 million since its founding in 1968. Examples of LCIF donations include the following:

• Prevented serious vision loss for more than 30 million people
• Provided vision screening for more than 350,000 Special Olympics athletes from 85 countries
• Engaged more than 13 million students in the youth development program Lions Quest
• Built or expanded 660 eye hospitals/clinics/wards
• Trained 681,000 eye care specialists
• Conducted more than 20 million vision screenings for children through Sight for Kids
• Mobilized more than $415 million through two fundraising campaigns for the SightFirst program

FHL Lions Club supports LCIF through our annual Parade of Green donations, and through supplementary donations for disaster relief, e.g., Suburban Ramsey Emergency Coalition (SREC). 

falcon heights – lauderdale Lions CLUB (FHL LIONS CLUB)

The Falcon Heights – Lauderdale Lions Club was chartered on May 14, 1986. Our club is part of District 5M-6, which covers Washington, Ramsey, and Dakota counties. There are 43 Lions Clubs in our District led by a District Governor and staff – all volunteer positions. The clubs come together at a midwinter convention in January each year. 

We elect officers and board members every April for the fiscal year that starts on July 1. The president runs the monthly board meetings, represents the club at district meetings, and generally oversees club operations. The first vice-president assists the president and acts in his or her absence. The treasurer maintains the club’s finances. The secretary maintains the club records. The Lions Pen is the club’s monthly electronic newsletter for all members. The latest club information may be found on our website here: fhllions.org/

FHL Lions Service Projects

• Snelling Avenue Cleanup:
  We clean Snelling Avenue twice a year as part of Adopt-A-Highway.
• Falcon Heights Ice Cream Social
  We put up two large tents and assist in the ice cream social each July. We also host an information table as a recruiting tool.
• Lauderdale Day in the Park
  We help fund Day in the Park each July. We also host an information table as a recruiting tool.
• Bike Drive:
  We conduct periodic bike drives and donate all bikes collected to organizations that serve needy youth.
• Harvest Pack:
  We host periodic food packing events. Half the food we pack stays in our local community.
• Dictionary Project:
  Every fall we donate dictionaries to third graders and thesauruses to fifth graders at the following elementary schools: Brimhall, Parkview, Falcon Heights and St.Rose.

FUNDRAISERS

• State Fair Parking
  We raise money by parking cars during the State Fair in a lot at Snelling Avenue and Energy Park Drive. We hire youth groups to assist us. Last year we contributed $6075 to youth groups for their help with SF parking.
• Christmas Tree Sales:
  We have sold Christmas trees at FH Community Park every year since the club founding in 1986. Last year we contributed $1310 to RAHS hockey and wrestling teams for their help with tree sales.

CONTRIBUTIONS

• Parade of Green
  We make our annual contributions for international, state, and local initiatives of Lions Clubs International at the Parade of Green at the midwinter convention each January. Since 1994 (when we started electronic record keeping) we have contributed $282,000 to LCIF, MN Lions Hearing Foundation, MN Lions Vision Foundation, MN Lions Diabetes Foundation, MN Lions Childhood Cancer Foundation, Leader Dogs for the Blind, Can Do Canines, Camp Confidence, and Camp Needlepoint, Project New Hope, True Friends, Inc., and Special Olympics MN.

• Local Schools:
  We have contributed over $190,000 to our local schools for arts, athletics, and academic programs since 1994. We award two $1,000 scholarships each year to RAHS seniors who are residents of either Lauderdale or Falcon Heights.

• Local Community
  Since 1994 we have contributed $140,000 to the local community and $20,000 to senior programs. We support park improvements, block nurse programs, and the Roseville Area Senior Program. We made an emergency $5000 contribution for those suffering from the effects of the COVID pandemic.

• Youth Groups
  We pay youth groups to help with State Fair parking and with Christmas tree sales. Since 1994 we have contributed $323,000 to these groups for their help.

• Capital Improvements
  We occasionally make large contributions for special projects. Examples include $20,000 for the Roseville Library for purchase of technology and books for those with low vision, $20,000 for VR goggles for the new Roseville Area Middle School IDEA Lab, and $3300 for a CNC machine for the RAHS Firebears robotics team.

OTHER INFORMATION:

• Monthly Board Meetings

We hold board meetings on the 2nd Monday of each month. All members are invited to attend and give input at the board meetings, but only officers and directors are eligible to vote.

• Monthly Social Meetings:
  Except in the summer, we hold social meetings on the 4th Monday of each month. These meetings provide an opportunity for all club members to enjoy fellowship while also hearing from speakers on interesting topics. If a topic is of widespread interest, we will invite the community to attend.
• Induction Dinner
  We hold an annual dinner in the fall of each year where the District Governor inducts officers and board members and fills us in on the state of the district. This is our opportunity to enjoy fellowship and a nice meal while recognizing new members, and handing out awards.
• Mid-Winter Convention – Parade of Green:
  District 5M-6 hosts a 3-day midwinter convention each January. Here the official business of the District is conducted, talks are given on various topics, and a memorial service is conducted for Lions lost during the past year. There are opportunities for fellowship, including Friday night and Saturday night parties.
• FHL Teams:
  We have formed teams to help us carry out our mission to serve. Teams allow board members to work on areas of interest while connecting with members who aren’t on the Board. We strongly encourage each club member to join one or more of these teams within one year of joining us:

More information on the duties of each team and the current members may be found in the attachment.