A Legacy of Caring: Empowering Lions’ Service in Vision

Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) has received a $2.8 million gift from an anonymous donor’s estate benefiting programs for blind and visually impaired people across the United States.

This generous gift has been included in the fundraising for Campaign 100: LCIF Empowering Service, which raised $325 million due to the dedication, leadership and service of many Lions.

As the campaign’s historic success was celebrated at the 2022 Lions International Convention, it is fitting this extraordinary estate gift hearkens back to the 1925 International Convention where Helen Keller issued her famous call for Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.”

Before that convention ended, the association dedicated itself to answering Keller’s call. Hundreds of millions of lives have been changed through Lions’ vision-related work globally, and the association remains dedicated to working to end preventable blindness and aid the visually impaired.

Although the donor was unaware of Keller’s challenge when deciding to drop used eyeglasses in an eyeglasses collection bin at a local Lions club, that experience, coupled with an observation of Lions’ passionate service in the community, ignited an immediate desire to share resources to support Lions’ service.

As estate plans were prepared with professional advisors, the donor was pleased to learn that 100 percent of donations to LCIF support Lions’ service through LCIF grants and programs. This was instrumental in the donor’s decision to structure the gift to allow Lions to continue to improve the lives of the blind and visually impaired in communities throughout the United States.

This gift will ensure LCIF’s ability to magnify Lions’ service to those in need for generations to come.

To learn more about how you can help LCIF, contact Robert Kanonik, J.D. at +1.630.468.7067 or robert.kanonik@lionsclubs.org.