About Us
 
The Newtown Lions Club was chartered in 1949. The club carries out the Lions motto “We Serve” by supporting and participating in international and state programs and by contributing to the local community. Fund raising activities include our annual Classic Mustang Raffle, The Great Pootatuck Duck Race, and various community projects. All funds raised thru these efforts go towards our charitable efforts. The club and its members do not benefit from any funds generated from these activities

In Memoriam of Bill Honan

Founding Member of the Newtown Lions Club

Take a Historic Trip Down Memory Lane with the Newtown Lions Club

Take a Photo Tour of Newtown

William A. Honan - Founding President Newtown Lions Club

1923 - 2009

 We Serve!   Newtown Lions Club and our affiliated Leo program for high school youth are part of Lions Clubs International (LCI), the largest service organization in the world with over 1.4M members in 200 countries and regions worldwide. As Lions and Leos, we serve to see our communities inspired, equipped, and transformed. We believe kindness and leading by example matter. And we’re proud to make a difference in our backyards and around the globe while building friendships and leadership skills. We welcome all adults to work with us on service projects, join us for a meeting on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings monthly, or inquire about membership.

What We Do

Many of our local service projects align with LCI’s global focus on five areas of need:  Diabetes, Vision, Hunger, Environment, and Childhood Cancer. Our ongoing local service projects include:

  • pre-K - 5 school vision screening
  • used eyeglass collection
  • diabetes awareness program developed with Kevin’s Community Center
  • food drives for local food banks
  • blood drive staffing
  • home repair with Homefront
  • Orchard Hill Nature Preserve maintenance
  • Lose the Litter road and public space cleanup
  • Main Street summer flag maintenance

During the pandemic the Lions partnered with other agencies to deliver groceries, provide support to isolated seniors, and help local restaurants feed struggling families. Where there’s a need, there’s a Lion.

In addition to hands-on service projects, the Newtown Lions raise funds to help support multiple local, regional, and global programs. Through our Lions District, we support the Connecticut Eye Research Foundation, guide dogs for the blind, the Lions Low Vision Center, the Connecticut Lions Speech and Hearing Centers and the Research Center for Macular Degeneration at Yale University among others. Our annual Newtown Lions Mustang Raffle and Great Pootatuck Duck Race Raffle have become anticipated Newtown traditions, the latter serving as a community festival as well as an important fundraiser. The local agencies we help fund reflect local needs, such as the Sandy Hook Elementary Fund for those affected by the 12/14 tragedy, Therapy Dogs, assistance for families affected by autism, Meals on Wheels and many more.

Recently a Newtown Lion realized the need for adaptive playground equipment to allow children in wheelchairs to play alongside other children. In just over a year, the Lions rallied residents and local businesses and joined forces with the Town of Newtown and Parks and Recreation to raise the needed $170,000. A grand Grand Opening on June 4, 2022, celebrated this great new Newtown feature at Dickinson Memorial Park.

If the past 100 years have taught us anything, it’s that as we serve, we grow. And we were never meant to stop. Service is our journey. Let’s explore it together. 
Orchard Hill Clean-up
 Club members participate in community service projects like clean up of the Orchard Hill Nature Preserve or fixing up a home for a member of the community. We sponsor events that are provided free to the community such as the Fall Health Fair and the annual spring U.S. Air Force Band. The Club provides funding for local community organizations as well as state and national programs.
 
Since 1917, Lions clubs have offered people the opportunity to give something back to their communities. From involving members in projects as local as cleaning up an area park or as far-reaching as bringing sight to the world's blind, Lions clubs have always embraced those committed to building a brighter future for their community.

past presedents

Past Presidents

Newtown Lions 2009 Classic Mustang Car Raffle Drawing

 Lions are also involved in a variety of other activities to improve their communities and help people in need, such as assisting the hearing impaired, providing diabetes awareness and education materials, working on environmental projects and developing youth programs.

Our programs are continually changing to meet new needs and greater demands, but our mission has never wavered: "We Serve."

 

HISTORY OF THE LIONS CLUBS AND OF THE NEWTOWN LIONS

                        The first Lions Club was made up from several independent Chicago business clubs, which consolidated in June 1917 to better serve their fellow man and help their community. This was the idea of a Chicago insurance agent, Melvin Jones. The idea quickly was adopted by others, and, just four months later, in October 1917, delegates from twenty-two dubs in nine states held the first convention in Dallas, Texas. The convention approved the “Lions” designation, a constitution and by-laws and made a start on objectives and a code of ethics.

                        Lions Clubs continued to organize throughout the United States, and the association became international with the formation of clubs in Canada in 1920. With the addition of clubs in China, Mexico and Cuba in 1926 and 1927, membership was at 60,000 in 1,183 clubs. Columbia had the first club in South America in 1936; Sweden, Switzerland and France the first in Europe in 1948. Japan’s first club was formed in 1952. Today, Lions International is the largest service organization in the world with clubs in 200 countries and geographic areas. Nearly 1.3 million Lions are dedicated to serve their fellow man in their local, national and international communities, without regard to race, religion or politics.

                        All Lions Clubs contribute to Lions International through dues per individual member and by club contributions.   Lions Clubs International Foundation (L.C.LF.) dispenses millions of dollars for catastrophe relief for hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes and other disasters. It also makes grants for service projects around the world, such as an eye clinic in Ecuador, equipment for cancer research in Austria and dormitory renovation for the blind of Arkansas. Although the primary objective has been and is the research, treatment and cure of visual problems and their causes such as diabetes and cancer, other human problems such as hearing loss, drug abuse and physical and mental handicaps also are addressed through grants and established programs.

                        Lionism began in Connecticut when the Bridgeport Lions Club was chartered on December 19, 1921. New Haven, New Britain, Hartford and New London followed in 1922. Originally, our District included both Rhode Island and Connecticut, but by 1938, the growth of Lions Clubs required a division and Rhode Island became its own District. By 1950, our District (District 23), had grown so much that the Lions International approved its reorganization into a multiple district. Sub-districts 23A (New Haven and Fairfield counties), 23B (Hartford and Litchfield Counties), and 23 C (New London, Middlesex, Tolland and Windham counties) were created. Each sub-district annually elects its own district governor and support organization.

            The Newtown Lions Club, chartered in 1949, is one of 51 clubs in District 23A. There are over 2,000 members in the district, which is divided into four regions with two zones in each region. Each zone has between six and eight Clubs. The Newtown, Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield/Candlewood, New Fairfield, and Southbury clubs comprise Zone 5 in Region Three.

             The Newtown Lions carry out the motto “We Serve” by supporting and participating in International, national, state and local programs.  A list of the charities and community projects we support is found in the Project Budget section of this booklet.  We are proud to continue the tradition started by Melvin Jones more than ninety years ago. For more on Lions International Club History click here

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