Call New Member (s) and sponsors to the front: New member(s) place your left hand on the right shoulder of your sponsor, close your eyes, and follow your sponsor to the front of the room. Keep your eyes closed as I read the following:

I have asked you to spend a few minutes in darkness because it symbolizes the life of the blind. You are doing something that the sightless do every day of their lives. It is a reminder of the battle that Lions fight throughout the world to save sight.

Lions International was founded in 1917 (83 years ago) and today it’s the world’s largest service organization. The reason we have become the largest has a lot to do with the darkness you are now experiencing.

Originally there was no cause for Lions to adopt and support – but nine years after Lions was founded (and 4 years after the La Crosse Lions were founded) a blind and deaf woman by the name of Helen Keller asked permission to speak at our International Convention. She asked the Lions to pick up her crusade and accept Sight and hearing conservation as a major project of Lions International. She didn’t realize the eventual impact of her plea when she asked, "Gentlemen, would you be my Knights of the Blind? We have many problems to overcome and can’t solve them alone – we need help!"

Years later, after Helen Keller became one of the most famous women in American History, she came back to the Lions International Convention with tears in her eyes and said, "Thank You, my Knights of the Blind. Little did I realize that 25 years ago when I asked you to take up my cause, that I would find Lions not only in America, but in Africa, China and all free countries of the world – all working for our one goal – to eradicate the dreaded disease of blindness.

At this time I ask you to open your eyes. Hopefully you will never in your lifetime have to spend any more moments beyond those you just had – in darkness!

ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE __________ LIONS CLUB, WE ARE PLEASED AND PROUD TO HAVE YOU PRESENT AT OUR MEETING. YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO BECOME A MEMBER(s) OF OUR FELLOWSHIP AND WE ARE HAPPY AND PROUD THAT YOU HAVE DECIDED TO ACCEPT MEMBERSHIP IN OUR CLUB AND LIONS INTERNATIONAL.

MEMBERSHIP IN A LIONS CLUB IS A PRIVILEGE. YOU ARE ABOUT TO BECOME A MEMBER(S) OF THE WORLDS LARGEST AND MOST ACTIVE SERVICE CLUB ORGANIZATION, AN ORGANIZATION OF OVER 1.4 MILLION SERVICE MINDED MEMBERS IN OVER 41,000 CLUBS IN COUNTRIES AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

(Talk about Lions International, International Convention and meeting Lions from all over the world, etc.).

ALL OF US BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL BE A GOOD LION AND THAT YOUR MEMBERSHIP WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO OUR CLUB AND TO LIONS INTERNATIONAL. AS LIONS WE SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORS WHO ARE BLIND, HEARING IMPAIRED, SICK. HANDICAPPED OR OTHERWISE DEPRIVED OF THE NECESSITIES IN LIFE. THIS HUMANITARIAN WORK WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE UNLESS MEN AND WOMEN WERE WILLING TO GIVE THEIR TIME AND EFFORT TO THE CAUSE.

(Talk about local Lions Club)

ANY MEMBER HERE WILL TELL YOU FRANKLY THAT TO BE A LION REQUIRES SOME HARD WORK, WORK TO WHICH YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED AND WHICH ALL OF US WILL EXPECT YOU TO DO. LIONISM IS A COOPERATIVE EFFORT IN WHICH EVERY MEMBER SHARES THE LOAD SO THAT THE LOAD OF OTHER LESS FORTUNATE PEOPLE WILL BE LESSENED.

I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE REWARDS OF LIONS MEMBERSHIP ARE GREAT.

YOU WILL ENJOY THE FELLOWSHIP OF SOME OF THE FINEST PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY. YOU WILL BE WARMED BY THE THANKS OF PEOPLE YOU HELP AND YOU WILL BE THANKED BE THE PEOPLE OF THE COMMUNITY YOU SERVE. YOUR GREATEST REWARD IS THE INTERNAL FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN PART IN HELPING ANOTHER PERSON TO SEE, TO HEAR, OR LEARN TO IMPROVE THEMSELVES. I ASSURE YOU THERE IS NO GREATER FEELING THAN THIS. THAT IS WHY WE BECOME LIONS – TO SERVE.

YOU NOW HAVE A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT LIONISM IS TRYING TO DO IN THE SERVICE OF MANKIND. SINCE YOU HAVE EXPRESSED A DESIRE TO AFFILIATE WITH THIS LIONS CLUB AND WITH LIONS INTERNATIONAL, I NOW ASK THAT YOU RESPOND TO MY WORDS WITH AN " I DO" OR "I WILL".

DO YOU HEREBY ACCEPT MEMBERSHIP IN THE _________LIONS CLUB KNOWING THAT SUCH MEMBERSHIP OBLIGATES YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN ALL FUNCTIONS OF THE CLUB?

Answer, "I do".

TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY, WILL YOU ABIDE BY THE LIONS CODE OF ETHICS, ATTEND MEETINGS REGULARLY, ACCEPT SUCH ASSIGNMENTS AS ARE GIVEN YOU AND CONTRIBUTE YOUR SHARE TO THE PROGRAMS OF YOUR CLUB, DISTRICT AND LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL?

Answer, "I will".

YOU ARE NOW OFFICIALLY A MEMBER(S) OF THE ____________LIONS CLUB.

YOUR SPONSOR WILL NOW present you with a Lion Pin which signifies this membership. Before your sponsor PLACEs THE LIONS EMBLEM ON YOUR LAPEL let me describe it to you. The large letter L stands for Law-Liberty- Labor-Love –Life. The L is placed in a circle which represents the unity of each individual member and each local club with Lions International. The letter L and circle are set on a background of purple which represents Loyalty – loyalty to country, friend’s and to one’s self and to integrity of mind and heart.

Surrounding the the purple circle is an exterior of gold that signifies sincerity of purpose, liberty in judgement, purity in life, and generosity in mind and heart. In the exterior of gold you will find the heads of two lions. One looks back reflecting on past accomplishments, while the other looks forward indicating our constant readiness to embrace the future and make it our own.

NOW I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOUR SPONSOR(S), LION ____________, TO RESPOND TO MY WORDS WITH THE WORDS, "I WILL".

"WILL YOU FULFILL THE FOLLOWING OBLIGATIONS TO THE NEW MEMBER:

MAKE HIM/HER FEEL WELCOME BY INTRODUCING HIM/HER TO ALL CLUB MEMBERS?

PROVIDE HIM/HER WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLUB, ITS OFFICERS AND ITS POLICIES?

SEE TO IT THAT CLUB OFFICERS PROVIDE HIM/HER WITH ASSIGNMENTS WHICH WILL ENABLE HIM/HER TO IMMEDIATELY BECOME AN ACTIVE LION?

ARRANGE FOR AN ORIENTATION SESSIONS ON LIONISM?

BE READY TO ANS\\'ER ANY QUESTIONS HE/SHE MIGHT HAVE ON THE OPERATION OF THE CLUB, AS WELL AS ON ANY OTHER SUBJECT OF LIONISM?

ENCOURAGE HIM/HER TO LET YOU KNOW OF ANY EXISTING PROBLEMS AND OFFER POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS?

ASSIST HIM/HER IN DEVELOPING INTO AN OUTSTANDING LION?

ANSWER " I WILL "

CLOSING STATEMENT

FELLOW LION{S), WEAR YOUR EMBLEM CONSTANTLY WITH PRIDE. LET ME CONGRATULATE YOU AND WELCOME YOU INTO THE GREATEST OF ALL SERVICE CLUB ORGANIZATIONS…. THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LIONS CLUBS. ON BEHALF OF THE _________ LIONS CLUB, I NOW PRESENT YOU WITH A NEW MEMBER KIT WHICH CONTAINS A CERTIFICATE OF MEMBERSHIP AND OTHER MATERIALS WHICH WILL HELP YOU TO GET OFF TO GOOD START AS A LION. WE ARE ALL PROUD AND HAPPY TO HAVE YOU AS A LIONS MEMBER.