January is the birth month for many extraordinary people. This week—January 13— marked the birthday of a man whose name may not ring a bell, but whose contribution continues to be felt worldwide through the devotion and hard work of a global family begun by him —volunteers known around the world as the Lions Club.

Melvin Jones, born on January 13, 1879 in Fort Thomas, Arizona, was the mover and founder and in 1913 took a small businessmen’s club in Chicago to what within three years became an international organization. Since then, Lions have earned high marks for both integrity and transparency.  It is an organization with a clear mission and a steady vision.

HELEN KELLER AND HER CHALLENGE

A seminal moment occurred not too many years after the Lions had organized themselves.

They invited Helen Keller, the first blind and deaf woman to ever graduate from college, to be the keynote speaker at their 1925 International Convention, held in Cedar Point, Ohio.

She said to them, “I suppose you have heard the legend that represents opportunity as a capricious lady, who knocks at every door but once, and if the door isn't opened quickly, she passes on, never to return. And that is as it should be.”

“I am your opportunity. I am knocking at your door. I want to be adopted. The legend doesn't say what you are to do when several beautiful opportunities present themselves at the same door. I guess you have to choose the one you love best. I hope you will adopt me…and what I offer you is full of splendid opportunities for service.”

She then spoke of the American Foundation for the Blind, which was only four years old at the time. She said, “It grew out of the imperative needs of the blind, and was called into existence by the sightless themselves. It is national and international in scope and in importance. It represents the best and most enlightened thought on our subject that has been reached so far. Its object is to make the lives of the blind more worthwhile everywhere by increasing their economic value and giving them the joy of normal activity”

“Try to imagine how you would feel if you were suddenly stricken blind today. Picture yourself stumbling and groping at noonday as in the night; your work, your independence, gone. In that dark world wouldn't you be glad if a friend took you by the hand and said, "Come with me and I will teach you how to do some of the things you used to do when you could see?"

The Lions listened well. They took up her challenge to be the knights of the blind, and that is why— no matter where you find the Lions working, they will have some project or goal which includes protecting and restoring vision in the communities in which they live.

Melvin Jones, the man whose personal code – "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else" – became a guiding principle for public-spirited people the world over, died June 1, 1961 at 82 years of age.

INTERNATIONAL SIGHTFIRST ACHIEVEMENTS

* Awarded 1,163 SightFirst grants in 102 countries for a total of more than US$305.4 million

* Restored sight to 7.7 million people through cataract surgeries

* Prevented serious vision loss for more than 30 million

* 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

THE LOCAL CLUB

The Lions Club of Pago Pago, in the tradition of Lions Club everywhere, recently completed a two-week project in partnership with LBJ Medical Center and a medical team from OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University) which included vision screening, medical eye exams, and distribution of reading and prescription eyeglasses. Over the Thanksgiving holidays, the local club hosted the team of surgeons and technicians who were also able to render eye surgeries, primarily for cataract and pterygium cases, free of charge for hundreds of residents of the territory.