Austin Founder Lions Club

The Lions Club is an international service organization with 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries. It has no political or religious affiliations. The Austin Founders Lions Club was founded in 1916 and is the oldest continuously operating Lions Club in the world. Membership provides unique opportunities to learn about our city and participate in volunteer activities such as conducting vision screening in Austin ISD elementary schools. Our weekly speakers this year include Mayor Kirk Watson, NPR correspondent John Burnett, Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, Texas Monthly founder Mike Levy, Central Health Director Patrick Lee, and Travis County Judge Andy Brown. Topics at our weekly meetings cover a wide range including culture, environmentalism, and the activities of several local nonprofit organizations.

Visitors are welcome!!!

We meet every Thursday from 11:45-1:00 in Building 626 of the Austin State Hospital near E. 41st and Guadalupe. Occasionally we meet at other locations such as our namesake Lions Municipal Golf Course, so please check the calendar. For further information, email

info@austindowntownlions.org

Vision Screening 2024-2025 School Year

The Austin Founders Lion Club screened the vision of 2,339 Pre-K students in 46 Austin elementary schools during the 2024-2025 school year. 571 (24.4%) failed their exams. All were given vouchers which provide free exams and glasses.  The funds for these vouchers were raised by the club.


Mobile App for Austin Founder Lions Club Members

Austin Founder Lions Club now provides a mobile app to help members more easily stay in touch with club activities and their fellow club members. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. It is provided by Wild Apricot.

Using this app, you can:
  • See a list of upcoming events, register and pay for them.
  • View the details of events you've signed up for.
  • Find other members of the club and contact them.
  • Update your personal profile.
    

Eyeglasses Recycling

Lions International logo

Want to help us give sight to the world? Find local eyeglass recycling drop-off locations HERE

According to The World Health Organization, 153 million people have uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism). Most of these vision impairments are quickly diagnosed and easy to treat with corrective lenses.

Still, millions of people in developing nations are pushed deeper into poverty simply because they don't have glasses. They can't learn, because reading is difficult. They can't work to the best of their ability, because they can't see clearly.

It costs Lions less than 8ยข to provide a pair of recycled eyeglasses and change someone's life. For children, clear vision means a better education, healthier development and a better quality of life. For adults, it means greater employment opportunity and economic strength. For seniors it means less dependence on others. Lions clubs collect millions of eyeglasses each year, making eyeglass recycling one of our most popular activities. Will you help us in our mission to give sight to the world? Donate your used glasses today!

A History of Quality and Service

Donations, philanthropy, civic dutyEstablished in Austin Texas in 1916, our club has been known as the Austin Lions Club, the Lions Club of Austin, and the Downtown Lions Club. In 1976, the name was formally changed to the Founder Lions Club of Austin. We are now known as the Austin Founder Lions Club and the history of the Austin Founder Lions Club is a long one of quality and service.

Past and present members include many of the most prominent names in both Austin and Texas' history - U.S. Congressman J.J. "Jake" Pickle, Austin mayor Gus Garcia, both Willie Kocurek and his son Neal Kocurek, and more - all dedicated to the service of humanity through the spirit of Lionism and its many community outreach programs.

We admit we are a bit proud of our status as the "world's oldest continuously operating Lions Club", but, we like to think that our efforts in community service are typical of Lions Clubs the world over. It's a story of garage sales, golf tournaments, rose sales and other kinds of fund raisers. It's a story of answering the needs of the community and of disadvantaged groups and individuals, through efforts such as our Eyeglasses Recycling program, support of the Texas Lions Camp and the Lone Star Eye Bank, eyeglasses for students and other projects. And it's a story of building and working with other Lions Clubs to promote teamwork in service.

We are perhaps most proud, however, to be a part of Lions Clubs International, which provides the opportunity to support nonpartisan service activities that are worldwide in scope. Through Lions International we can help fight blindness and other social problems around the world while promoting international understanding, and that's what makes our association so special. The club participates in projects with other clubs in surrounding counties known as Lions District 2-S3.

MISSION STATEMENT

TO EMPOWER volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions Clubs.

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get your Lions apparel here

Upcoming Speakers & Events




Join Us on Social Media

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Making a Difference Through Community Service - We Serve.


These are some of the organizations we are proud to support through the donations raised by our community efforts:          

          Texas Lions Childrens camp, Austin Founders Lions club, Austin, Tx, Philanthropy           

  Texas Lions Leader dogs, sight preservation, Austin Founders Lions club, Austin, Tx, Philanthropy

World Services for the Blind
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

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