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RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the founders and initial member organizations that became the Lions Club International, dedicated at its founding to "unselfish service to others," first met at the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago on June 7th, 1917; and
WHEREAS, the Lions Club International has since that time been a part of Chicago's history, and has grown to serve worldwide with over 48,000 local clubs and 1.4 million members; and,
WHEREAS, the Chicago Uptown Lions Club was chartered on March 17th, 1921, with the sponsorship of founding Lions Club International member Melvin Jones, and received that year an award for the number of members who joined in the club's founding year; and,
WHEREAS, The Chicago Uptown Lions formed a relationship with Combined Insurance for many years, thus promoting projects to benefit the citizens ofthe Edgewater/Uptown area; and,
WHEREAS, with the help of major donations from W. Clement Stone, Robert McCormick, and a $10,000 grant from the Chicago Uptown Lions, the Boys Club, still located on Sheridan Road and now the Boys and Girls Club, was founded, and students from McKucheon Elementary School were provided with a year of free membership; and,
WHEREAS, the Uptown Lions forged a relationship with the Southeast Asia Center including inviting its staff to be included as members ofthe board of directors; and,
WHEREAS, the Chicago Uptown Lions Club's Lions Candy Day supports the work ofthe Lions of Illinois Foundation; and,
WHEREAS, the Chicago Uptown Lions Club continues to support the needs of visually impaired individuals throughout the world by soliciting thousands of pairs of used glasses and other items, which are transported to the Lions of Illinois Foundation in DeKalb, IL for preparation and distribution; and,
WHEREAS, the Chicago Uptown Lions Club offers free vision and hearing screenings to neighborhood residents through a mobile unit parked at the Broadway Armory and staffed by Uptown Lions members as well as a trained person from the Lions of Illinois Foundation; and,
WHEREAS, the Chicago Uptown Lions continue to meet monthly both virtually and in person to promote the needs of the Uptown and Edgewater areas as well as the initiatives of Lions Clubs International (including hunger, the environment, childhood cancer, diabetes, vision loss/blindness, hearing loss/deafness); and,
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WHEREAS, members ofthe Chicago Uptown Lions continue their club's proud tradition of service as volunteers at community health fairs, senior fairs, blood drives, local festivals, and many other events; and
WHEREAS, members of the club have also participated in district, state, regional and international Lions conventions, including the Lions Club International centennial convention held in Chicago in 2017, and have at times been elected to Lions Club International offices outside the Chicago Uptown Club; and
WHEREAS, in this 100th year of the Chicago Uptown Lions club's operation we find it fitting and right to commend their service and their proud history in the City of Chicago; now therefore:
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the City Council ofthe City of Chicago, assembled here on this 26th day of May, 2021, do hereby celebrate the 100th anniversary ofthe Chicago Uptown Lions and honor their service and devotion; and
Andre Vasquez, Jr. Alderman, 40th Ward
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy ofthis Resolution shall be prepared and presented to the club and its officers as a symbol of our esteem.
