State

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State
www.lionsofmi.com
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History of the Lions of Michigan
1919 -  District 10 (Upper Peninsula) is the
first Lions district formed in the state of
Michigan, with the organization of the Marquette
Lions Club in October.  District 11 (Lower
Peninsula) is formed when the Grand Rapids Lions
Club charters in November. 1920 - Detroit Lions
Club sponsors the Windsor, Ontario Lions Club
this sponsorship creates Lions Clubs
International. 1923 - John Noel becomes the firs
t Lions Clubs International President from
Michigan. 1925 - Helen Keller challenges Lions t
o become "Knights of the Blind".
1932 - White Cane is "born" in Michigan in the
East Side Detroit Lions Club.
1936 - Michigan Legislature passes the "White
Cane Law."
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History of the Lions of Michigan(Contd)
1939 - Leader Dog School is launched in
Rochester. 1940 - Leader Dog becomes a state pro
ject of Michigan Lions.  Karl Sorrick from
Springport becomes the second Lions International
President from Michigan. 1941 - The Lower Penins
ula is divided into two (2) sub-districts and
becomes Multiple District 11.
1946 - Multiple District 11 is divided into four
(4) sub-districts. 1952 - Multiple District 11 i
s divided into five (5) sub-districts. Welcome
Home for the Blind becomes a state project of the
Lions of Michigan. 1953 - S. A. Dodge is elected
as the third Lions International President from
Michigan.
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History of the Lions of Michigan (Contd)
1956 - Multiple District 11 is divided into seven
(7) sub-districts. 1957 - The Ann Arbor Lions Clu
b and Dr. John Henderson start the Michigan Eye
Bank. 1971 - Michigan Eye Bank becomes a state L
ions project. 1974 - The Upper Peninsula is divi
ded into two sub-districts and becomes Multiple
District 10.  The districts are 10-A (west) and
District 10-B (east). 1976 - Michigan Multiple D
istrict 11 is divided into ten (10)
sub-districts. 1978 - Ralph Lynam is elected as
the fourth International President from Michigan.
The Lions of Michigan All-State Band is
established.
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History of the Lions of Michigan (Contd)
1982 - The Michigan Past District Governors
Association is organized. 1984 - Michigan Lions
Service Foundation begins in District 11- B1.
2001 - Multiple District 10 combines District
10-A and 10-B into Single District 10.
2003 - Bear Lake Camp becomes an official project
of Multiple District 11.
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Why Different Districts?
The Upper Peninsula (District 10) and the Lower
Peninsula (District 11) were designated as
separate districts when they were formed in 1919
because of the difficulty of travel between the
two. There was no Mackinac Bridge until the
1950s, and by that time the separate designations
were firmly entrenched. Several attempts to
merge them into one state organization failed.
Except for a few joint projects and committees,
they operate independently.
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Membership Breakdown for Lions of Michigan (as
of 8/31/05)
District Number of Number of
Members Clubs SD 10 1,980 62 1
1 A1 1,218 43 11 A2 1,988 54 11 B1 1,217
41 11 B2 1,353 47 11 C1 1,298 50 11 C2
1,215 45 11 D1 1,568 48 11 D2 1,517 48
11 E1 1,561 51 11 E2 1,515 43 MD 11
Totals 14,450 470 State Totals 16,430 532
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Our State Website

• By visiting our Lions of Michigan State Website
  at www.lionsofmi.com you can link to individual
  websites for each district in the state of
  Michigan.
• You will find a wealth of information on this
  website including the State Office Calendar of
  Events, State Projects, History, White Cane, and
  much, much more.

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State Projects
There are three official state projects
Leader Dog Welcome Homes Midwest Eye-Bank A
ll of these were approved by the respective
conventions of the Single and Multiple District.
Bear Lake Camp is a MD 11 Project, because it was
never presented or approved at an SD 10
Convention.
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State Projects (contd)
All state projects are nonprofit, charitable
organizations with their own corporate identity
and Board of Directors. The Lions State Office
does not collect funds for them or pass them
through. Clubs donate directly to the projects
in amounts they determine. MD 11 and SD 10 ha
ve committees to promote their adopted projects.
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Joint Committees
There are three state committees which include
representatives from both SD 10 and MD 11
Liaison International Convention All State Ba
nd Membership dues include a per member asses
sment for the Liaison Committee and Lions
International Convention.
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Joint Council Meetings
Any council meeting where SD 10 Governor and MD
11 Governors are present is considered a joint
council meeting.
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What are the State Publications?
Both SD 10 and MD 11 produce their own magazine.
The MD 11 magazine is called Lion Pride, and i
t is financed through a mandatory subscription
fee, paid as part of the dues assessment. It is
published nine times annually. Circulation is
approximately 15,000 copies. The Single Distric
t 10 Magazine is published five times a year and
it is financed through a mandatory subscription
fee, paid as part of the dues assessment.
Circulation is approximately 2,250 copies.
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What are the Duties of the Lions of Michigan
State Office Administrative Staff?
The Lions of Michigan State office is located at
5730 Executive Drive, Lansing, Michigan 48911
office hours are 800 a.m. - 430 p.m. The
Lions of Michigan State Office has two
employeesa full-time State Secretary and a
full-time Administrative Assistant/Magazine
Editor. The Lions of Michigan also have a
volunteer State Treasurer. The role of the stat
e office is to support the Lion of Michigan.
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Lions of Michigan Service Foundation

• The Lions of Michigan Service Foundation is a
  501 (c) (3) public charity that was created in
  the early 1980s to address the needs of the
  disadvantaged. The creators envisioned a vehicle
  that would enable Lions Clubs throughout Michigan
  to combine resources and work together to address
  serious human needs beyond the capability of an
  individual Lions Club.
• For more information on the Lions of Michigan
  Service Foundation you can visit their website
  at www.lmsf.net