ANNUAL STATE OF SERVICE REPORTThe Global Leader In Humanitar ian Service

2011-2012

We Are Global

CA I U.S. and Affiliates, Bermuda and Bahamas US

CA II Canada CANADA

CA III South America, Central America, Caribbean & Mexico FOLAC

CA IV Europe EUROPA

CA V Orient & Southeast Asia OSEAL

CA VI India, South Asia, Africa & Middle East ISAAME

CA VII Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, S. Pacific ANZI

Ninety-five years ago, Melvin Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago business leader,

asked a simple and world-changing question – what if people put their talents

to work by improving their communities?

Almost 100 years later, Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service

club organization, with a global network comprised of over 1.35 million

members in over 207 countries.

This Annual State of Service Report provides an overview of the impact Lions

are making in service to their communities. Lions from around the world

worked to address some of the most pressing issues facing our global

community, including disaster preparedness and relief, health and wellness,

and environmental sustainability.

Lions were also challenged to expand their service to individuals with vision

loss. Since Helen Keller asked Lions to be the “knights of the blind in the

crusade against darkness” at the 1925 Lions International Convention, Lions

have served hundreds of millions of people by providing vision screenings,

eyeglasses, education (including access to assistive technology and Braille

learning materials), cataract surgeries, vision-related services, and advocating

for the blind and visually impaired.

Lions continuously demonstrated their unyielding commitment to community

service by serving millions more people and organizing thousands more

activities in all corners of the world.

As you read through the report, we hope that you will be touched by the

stories behind Lions service and inspired by how powerful a network of

volunteers can be in meeting the needs of more than 46,000 communities

around the world.

Wayne A. MaddenInternational President

Wing-Kun TamImmediate Past President

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2 We Make A Difference

Service Highlights

SERVICE ACTIVITIESIn 2011-12, participating clubs (approxi-

mately 50% of all clubs) reported nearly

450 thousand service projects, a 28%

increase over last years’ reported serv-

ice activities.

The total number of people served in

the 2011-12 fiscal year was well over

200 million people. A 25% increase over

last year’s reported number.

Lions members represented in this re-

port invested over 550 million hours of

service into developing and integrating

service projects in all corners of the

globe.

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTSLions were challenged at the beginning

of the year to plant one million trees;

upon the completion of the tree planting

campaign, Lions reported planting over

15 million trees worldwide.

Lions served a total of 16 million people

through their combined efforts under

the Global Action Campaigns and in-

vested a total of 207 million service

hours to these efforts.

STRATEGIC HIGHLIGHTSThe seasonality assessment revealed that Lions were most active in the first

and second quarters of the fiscal year. The highest amount of service activities

were reported in the month of October. This assessment provides new insights

on the seasonality of Lions service that can be used for targeted programming

and promotion of related resources during specific times of the year.

Through the implementation of Project Refresh, a secondary study that was

conducted on membership, we were able to compare differences in activity

reporting between “blue” clubs and “gold” clubs. This evaluation revealed that

there are significant correlations between membership engagement and

service activities.

LOOKING AHEADThis report provides key insights that can be used to develop more targeted

service planning tools and resources to support Lions within a particular

geographic or program area. The report also allows us to assess Lions level

of service engagement and explore possible correlations with membership

growth.

While the data are not fully representative of the all geographic areas (particu-

larly Europe and ISAAME where club reporting is still quite low), the report can

be an important part of long range planning for the Association.

Looking ahead, more clubs should be encouraged to use the service activity

report, particularly in the underrepresented areas, in order to allow for a more

accurate analysis of Lions service trends. It will also be important to monitor

service and level of engagement with the introduction of various campaigns

and special initiatives.

ENGAGING OUR YOUTH In August of 2011, Lions were encour-

aged to organize and participate in a

variety of service projects working with

the youth in their communities. The

campaign provided a means to not

only mobilize youth to participate in

projects that made a difference in their

communities, but also enabled them to

learn new skills and apply their leader-

ship through service. The “Engaging

our Youth” campaign had the highest

amount of reported activities this past

year. On average, each Lions club

served 100 people through this cam-

paign. The average Lions club invested

6 hours into planning and implementing

youth related activities. In total, 1.6 mil-

lion people were served through this

campaign.

SHARING THE VISION Lions have a long history of serving the

blind and visually impaired dating back

to 1925 when Helen Keller challenged

Lions to become "knights of the blind in

this crusade against darkness." During

the month of October, Lions placed an

additional emphasis on this area of

service by organizing a variety of vision

related health projects in commemora-

tion of “World Sight Day”. Specific

projects included education and aware-

ness events, vision screenings, eye-

glass collection, and assistance to the

visually impaired. In total Lions served

5.5 million people and collected a total

of 678 thousand eye glasses. Each

club, on average, organized 5 activities

and served 100 people. This illustrates

the commitment that Lions have to

continually being ‘knights of the blind’.

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RELIEVING THE HUNGER During the months of December and January, Lions were called to fight hunger in their

communities. Lions took on the challenge by organizing a variety of projects including

community-wide food drives, school-based feeding programs, distribution of food

baskets for needy families, and special events to raise awareness about hunger and

poverty. Lions clubs served more people through the “Relieving The Hunger” cam-

paign than any other campaign. Each club, on average, organized 5 activities and

served 127 people. In total, over 8 million people worldwide were served through this

campaign.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT During the month of April, Lions were challenged to organize projects to improve and

protect their local environment in celebration of Earth Day. Clubs participated in a vari-

ety of projects as part of the campaign, including highway/community clean ups,

recycling, and community education and awareness events. Reporting clubs dedi-

cated more service hours (206 million) to “Protecting Our Environment” than any other

campaign. On average each club served 80 people. Lions were also challenged to

plant a million trees this past year—a goal that was surpassed just three months into

the campaign.

Global Service Action Campaigns

4 We Make A Difference

Global ServiceProject Highlights

ENGAGING OUR YOUTH IN ISTANBUL Lions actively provide the youth in their

communities with opportunities for

achievement, learning, contribution,

and service through the sponsorship of

youth development projects. In August of

2011, the Kazasker Lions Club spon-

sored a personal development and skills

camp for the “Engaging Our Youth” cam-

paign. The camp was a joint project

between the Atalar Lions Club and the

Kazasker Lions Club. This camp is an an-

nual event that has been ongoing for six

years. The youth camp consisted of an

intensive week of art and cultural proj-

ects. The participants of the training pro-

gram were exposed to hands-on

activities through team building, work-

shops, and small group discussions fos-

tering the spirit of peace, understanding,

and cooperation.

SHARING THE VISION IN GHANA Since 1998, Lions “World Sight Day”,

held annually in October, has focused at-

tention on eliminating preventable blind-

ness and improving sight. Lions clubs

around the world conduct special sight-

related projects on this day including col-

lecting eyeglasses, conducting vision

screenings, and raising awareness. On

October 21, 2011 the Accra Lions Club

of Ghana scheduled a community eye

screening in commemoration of “World

Sight Day”. This event benefited over 300

people, who were screened and treated

for various eye diseases including cos-

metic conjunctivitis, cataracts, and refrac-

tion errors.

RELIEVING THE HUNGER IN COLOMBIA Today, there are more than one billion people who do not have enough food to eat.

That means that one person out of every seven live in a state of chronic hunger.

In an effort to alleviate hunger in their region, the Monarch Baranoa Lions Club in

Colombia organized food distributions at 20 grocery stores. The goal was to reach

a large scale of urban municipalities, according to the World Food Program (WFP)

there are currently 6 million Colombians living below the extreme poverty line. With

over 43 years of service, the Monarch Baranoa Lions Club believes in large scale

projects that extend relief to populations most in need of assistance.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT IN THE U.S. After discussing Past International President Tam’s goal of planting one million trees,

the Baileys Cross Road Host Lions Club in Virginia was excited to take part in the

challenge. They previously participated in projects with their local middle school,

Glasgow, and they decided to ask the school's garden club to assist them in this

venture. Both the advisor and club members knew this was a great opportunity to

work together to beautify their grounds, protect the environment, and help meet the

goal to plant one million trees. The Lions attended a local training program, led by a

representative from the Virginia Department of Forestry. They learned about why

planting trees was important, tree selection, and how to properly plant and care for

the trees. After the training the Lions planted trees on the school grounds. The

school plans to make a plaque in appreciation and a bench to place in the dedi-

cated area.

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6 We Make A Difference

Immediate Past President Wing-KunTam began the 2011-12 fiscal year by challenging Lions around theworld to plant one million trees todemonstrate the strength of ourglobal network. During the 2011-12fiscal year Lions reportedly plantedover 15 million trees.

Why trees? It’s no secret that trees help

the environment, but you may be surprised

by all the benefits that planting a tree can

provide. Trees are like the lungs of the

planet. They breathe in carbon dioxide and

breathe out oxygen. They also reduce ero-

sion to save soil, help preserve local water

sources, and provide habitat for wildlife liv-

ing under more and more stress. Planting

trees on a local level can affect the carbon

dioxide and oxygen rates in the entire

world.

Tree Planting Campaign Lions planted 15.2 million trees which

will result in the oxygen supply for over

30 million people.*

*A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48lbs. per year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings - McAliney, Mike. Documentationand Information Sources for Land Resources Protection.

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GRAPH 2. Average Number of Service Hours per ClubDedicated to Tree Planting

0

50

100

150

200

250

163

250

25

75

114100

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GRAPH 1. Average Number of Trees Planted by Club

Prince Hussain Aga Khan and Past International President Wing-Kun Tam plant a silver oak tree markingjoint commitment to plant 1.5 million trees in Kenya.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS IN PERU Members of the Lions Club “El Por-

venir” spearheaded an environmental

awareness campaign in the northern

area of Bello Horizonte Trujillo. They

held meetings with top officials and

community leaders in the area to

explain the objectives of the project

(entitled "Planting Oxygen"), and

paid visits to institutions of higher

education to raise awareness among

students about environmental stew-

ardship. The project also included a

tree planting activity. This project was

a huge success and helped to raise

environmental awareness in their

region.

SAND CONTROLS IN INNER MONGOLIAIn order to protect the environment

and meet the needs of sand controls

in the Alashan area (in Inner Mongo-

lia), the China Council of Lions Clubs

organized a joint tree planting proj-

ect. Through this project Lions from

7 districts of mainland China planted

1 million trees on 18,000 acres land

in Bayan, Inner Mongolia. Through

this project, Lions not only raised

awareness, but also they were able

to build a relationship with local gov-

ernment and the community.

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BIO-FUEL IN TANZANIALions Club Perstorp has been supporting sustainable tree planting projects for over

8 years. The Lions planted Jatropha trees which benefit the poor families living in the

Kashumbiliro district. Since the trees can help the community produce oil, the impov-

erished families will be able to have a source of income to support their livelihood and

allow them to send their children to school. This project illustrates a commitment to

sustainability and innovation through tree planting.

8 We Make A Difference

Service ActivityOverview

During FY2011-2012, reportingclubs collectively served over 200million people around the world andinvested over 550 million hours toserving their communities.

CATEGORICAL ANALYSIS The four most reported service areas

were: Community and Culture, Health

and Wellness, Disaster Preparedness and

Relief, and Environmental Services. Graph

3 illustrates the average number of serv-

ice hours and people served for each of

the four categories.

This graph illustrates a positive correlation

between service hours and people

served. The more time clubs invest into

service the more people are served

through that investment.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the Community

and Culture service area accounted for

the most activities (52%), people served

(34%), and service hours (70%). It is in-

teresting to note that although Health and

Wellness only accounted for 25% of

activities, it made up 36% of the total

number of people served.

0

50

100

150

200

GRAPH 3. Average Per Club

173163

144

109

4152

67

96

Serv

ice

Hour

s

Peop

le S

erve

d

Serv

ice

Hour

s

Serv

ice

Hour

s

Serv

ice

Hour

s

Peop

le S

erve

d

Peop

le S

erve

d

Peop

le S

erve

d

Community&

CultureHealth&

WellnessDisasterPreparedness

&Relief

EnvironmentalServices

FIGURE 1. Service Engagement By Key Program Areas

25%

8%

15%

52%

70%

7%4%

19%

Activities Service Hours

24%

36%

34%

6%

People Served

Community & Culture

Health & Wellness

Disaster Preparedness

Environment

COMMUNITY AND CULTURE Lions value community enrichment and

cultural awareness. Reporting clubs

organized over 106,000 community

service activities throughout the year.

Community and culture projects

represent 52% of all the reported

service activities.

HEALTH AND WELLNESSHelen Keller challenged Lions to be

“knights of the blind” in 1925, and

Lions have worked on vision and hear-

ing projects ever since. Reporting clubs

organized more than 52,000 Health

and Wellness service activities, attribut-

ing to 25% of all reported activities.

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RELIEF When disaster strikes Lions are often

times the first ones on the scene.

Reporting clubs organized more than

16,000 disaster preparedness and relief

activities which accounted for 8% of all

reported activities.

ENVIRONMENT Lions have organized environmental

service projects in support of the asso-

ciation’s policy on the human environ-

ment for more than 30 years. Today,

Lions environmental service projects

represent 15% of all reported activities,

with over 30,000 reported environmental

service activities.

9

Reporting clubs organized over 106,000

community service activities throughout

the year, which accounted for more than

341 million service hours that benefitted

nearly 146 million people around the

world. The most common activities in-

cluded social community events (14%),

civic services (13%), sports and recre-

ation events (10%), art and cultural

events (8%), food bank and distribution

(7%), and other community service ac-

tivities.

The Osu Children's Home was estab-

lished in 1949, since then it has be-

come the largest orphanage in Ghana

to look after children who have been

abandoned, abused, and displaced.

After visiting the Osu Children’s Home

the Accra Lions Club realized that the

orphanage was in great need of re-

pairs. The building posed health haz-

ards to the children of the home. The

Lions cleaned the grounds of the or-

phanage and made repairs to the facil-

ity. The Lions also unclogged and

disinfected the plumbing to eliminate

potential breeding areas for mosqui-

toes and help reduce the frequent inci-

dence of malaria. The Osu Children's

home was very thankful for this under-

taking and thanked Lions for helping

reinstate a clean and safe environment

for the children.

Health and WellnessReporting clubs organized more than 52,000 Health and Wellness service activ-

ities throughout the year, including service related to vision, hearing, and diabetes,

which accounted for more than 203 million service hours and benefitted more

than 20 million people worldwide. The most common activities included Health

support services (23%), Eyeglass recycling (17%), and Vision screenings (14%).

Together, Lions collected over 5.1 million eyeglasses and more than 22 thousand

hearing aids, and assisted more than 3 million individuals who are vision and

hearing impaired.

On the chilly morning in November more than 250 participants waited by

the starting line ready to make stronger strides in defeating diabetes. At

5:45am the gunshot fired and the race began in celebration of World Dia-

betes Awareness Month. The Baguio Everlasting Lions Club in the Philip-

pines organized a Lions Strides Walk & Run for diabetes awareness. Free

diabetes screenings were conducted after the run along with eye exami-

nations. The high risk patients were screened by ophthalmologists from

the Baguio General Hospital. The registration fee included a commemora-

tive t-shirt, race bib, certificate and information on diabetes prevention.

Cash prizes, medals, and pins were also awarded to the top finishers of

each category. The proceeds that were raised from this event will be used

to fund the clubs upcoming diabetes projects.

10 We Make A Difference

Community and Culture

Disaster Preparedness and Relief Reporting Lions clubs organized more

than 16,000 Disaster Preparedness and

Relief activities which accounted for over

588 thousand service hours and bene-

fitted more than 15 million people world-

wide. The most common activities

included blood drives (60%), emergency

health service (4%), and emergency sup-

plies collection (3%).

There was a loud explosion from the

powerful blast that filled the streets of

Abuja on August 26, 2011. Dozens

were injured and some critically hurt

after a bomb exploded outside of the

UN building in Nigeria. UN chief Ban

Ki-moon called the attack "an assault

on those who devote their lives to

helping others". The Abuja Metropol-

itan Lions Club in Nigeria rose to the

cause and provided relief to those in-

jured. They created a social media

campaign to recruit local volunteers.

Their unparalleled service motivated

the people in their communities to

give aid to those in distress. Hospitals

were said to be overwhelmed by the

number of injured and appealed for

blood donations. Lions sponsored a

blood collection drive and donated

relief materials to the National Hospi-

tal of Nigeria. When disaster arises

Lions are there to provide assistance

and relief. In the 2011-12 fiscal year

alone Lions reported serving over 15

million people through disaster pre-

paredness and relief projects.

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EnvironmentReporting clubs organized more than 30,000 environmental service activities which ac-

counted for over 1 million service hours. The most common activities included tree

planting (43%), clean up services (21%), and recycling (14%).

An estimated, 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide every year, contributing

to toxic emissions and ultimately damaging our environment. According to a num-

ber of studies by the Plastic Development Council, India will emerge as the third

largest consumer of plastics in the world by end of 2012. Plastic bags and plastic

waste are also the biggest contributors to environmental pollution in India. The

Rajahmundy Rainbow Lions Club in India organized a “Say No to Plastic” aware-

ness rally to inform their community about the environmentally harmful effects

that plastic has on the environment. The event was televised and publicized

through various news publications adding to the visibility and awareness of the

campaign. The Rajahmundry Rainbow Lions Club noted that this campaign was

the first one of its kind in the region.