The Lake of the Woods Lions Club is located in a recreational community of some 3,600 homes in Orange County, Virginia, approximately 20 miles from the town of Orange, and roughly the same distance from Fredericksburg and Culpeper. Most of its members come from, and a large part of its benevolence goes to, people living at the Lake or in Eastern Orange County. The Club was organized in the spring of 1982 and was chartered by Lions Clubs International on September 24 of that year with 109 members.

Membership has fluctuated over the years, but it currently is just above that level. The Club remains one of the largest in District 24-C. Two of the members, both deceased, Lions Warren Story and Barbara Story, were District Governors. Lion Marty Stoll, charter member of the LOW Lions, also served as governor of District 24-C. The current District Governor (2009-10) is Lion Norma Shoemaker. Several other members have served on the staffs of District Governors.

The International Association of Lions Clubs was founded in 1917 at the initiation of Chicago businessman, Melvin Jones, who believed local business clubs should expand their horizons from purely professional concerns to the betterment of their communities and the world at large. In 1925, Helen Keller addressed the Lions International Convention and challenged the Lions to become “Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness.” Since then the Lions Clubs have been actively involved in service to the blind and visually impaired.

Lions Clubs International has grown to include 1.4 million men and women in 46,000 clubs located in 193 countries and geographic areas. Following the desire of Melvin Jones, the clubs are primarily service clubs, rather than solely fraternal organizations.

Our motto is WE SERVE!

1. Mission Statement:

To create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs byproviding voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation.

2. Code of Ethics:

TO SHOW my faith in the worthiness of my vocation by industrious application to the end that I may merit a reputation for quality of service.

TO SEEK success and to demand all fair remuneration or profit as my just due, but to accept not profit or success at the price of my own self-respect lost because of unfair advantage taken or because of questionable acts on my part.

TO REMEMBER that in building up my business it is not necessary to tear down another's, to be loyal to my clients or customers, and true to myself. Whenever a doubt arises as to the right or ethics of my position or actions toward others.

TO RESOLVE such doubt against myself.

TO HOLD friendship as an end not a means. To hold that true friendship exists not on account of the service performed by one to another, but that true friendship demands nothing but accepts service in the spirit in which it is given.

Always

TO BEAR in mind my obligations as a citizen to my nation, my state and my community, and to give them my unswerving loyalty in word, act and deed. To give them freely of my time, labor and means.

TO AID others by giving my sympathy to those in distress, my aid to the weak and my substance to the needy.

TO BE CAREFUL with my criticism and liberal with my praise; to build up and not destroy.

3. Lions Clubs International Purposes:

TO CREATE AND FOSTER a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.

TO PROMOTE the principles of good government and good citizenship.

TO TAKE an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community.

TO UNITE the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding.

TO PROVIDE a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest; provided, however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members.

TO ENCOURAGE service-minded people to serve their community without financial reward, and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavors.