Austin Founder Lions Club has resumed meeting in-person, although the location at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has changed. The club now meets in Building 605. Occasionally, we meet on Zoom or off-site, so check each week's program information carefully, including meeting time.

2023 Rose Day Fundraiser

Mardi Gras Casino Night was a Great Success

On February 17, 2023 the Austin Founder Lions Club held its 3rd annual Casino Night fundraising event at the Red Oak Ballroom on Anderson Lane.  The theme this year was Mardi Gras. 

Benefiting Lions Charitable Community Activities, including vision screening for pre-K children and eye exams and eyeglasses for low-income adults; eyeglass recycling; Texas Lions Camp for Austin area children with special medical needs; scholarships for Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired graduates; and Meals on Wheels.

11th ANNUAL SPORTING CLAY SHOOT-OUT WAS A GREAT SUCCESS!

The NFL Alumni – Austin Chapter again partnered with Austin Founder Lions Club to host the 11th Annual Sporting Clay Shoot-Out Tournament on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, at Capital City Clays!  All enjoyed a fun day and a delicious lunch, and helped raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – Austin Chapter and other Lions’ and NFLA’s charitable community services. 

Lions Donate $3,000 to 6 AISD Schools

On April 28, 2022 the Austin Founder Lions Club met at the headquarters of the Austin Independent School District and presented 6 checks of $500 each to the principals of 6 public schools. These were schools that are named after now deceased Lions Club members. The schools are: Boone Elementary School, named after Lion George Boone; Cowan Elementary School, named after Lion Dennis E. Cowan; Kocurek Elementary School, named after Lion Willie I. Kocurek; Pickle Elementary School, named after Lion J.J. "Jake" Pickle; Widen Elementary School, named after Lion Carl T. Widen; and Gus Garcia Young Men's Leadership Academy, named after Lion Gustavo L. "Gus" Garcia. The principals of each school explained how they planned to use the money for their school and students. After the presentation of the checks, AISD Superintendent and fellow Lion Stephanie S. Elizalde updated club members on AISD budget and academic issues.

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

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 8¢ 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

Established 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.