Downtown Organization 100 Years of Service to San Diego
The Downtown San Diego Lions Club is celebrating 100 years of service to the San Diego region. What started at a lunch meeting in 1921 at the US Grant Hotel with 12 influential local businessmen, who were convinced San Diego needed an organization to serve the community, has now grown to over 120 members and today is one of the largest Lions Clubs in the country.
Chartered April 8, 1922, the Downtown San Diego Lions Club’s mission has been to support non-profits that help Veterans, homeless, elderly, disabled, deaf and blind community and underserved youth, improving the world one human being at a time through their programs.
As a non-profit, they award scholarships for underserved kids in the inner city, host a national high school varsity baseball tournament and youth summer camp. They have helped fund programs that have help fund homeless, disabled, military, seniors, at risk youths and many others.
The organization has received countless awards over the years most recently the “Outstanding Grant Making Organization” at National Philanthropy Day and the Malin Burnham award for “The Most Admired Service Organization.”
Over its 100 years, the Downtown San Diego Lions Club has accomplished many notable achievements including:
- Funding buildings for the Girl Scouts of America in Balboa Park, Lions Optometric Vision Clinic, Blind Recreation Center, and their own Lions Manor.
- Supported more than 450 charitable / nonprofit organizations through grants and financial support $120,000 each year.
- Developed and hosts the Mike Morrow Baseball Tournament, started in 1951, now called the San Diego Lions Baseball Tournament.
- Sponsor and serve at Lions Camp Jack, which provides a week of recreational outdoor camp for financially disadvantaged children.
- “Adopted” several elementary and secondary schools such as Valencia Park Elementary School, Monarch School for homeless children, and Mark Twain High School for students needing a second chance.
- Building the Lion Manor low-income housing for seniors with disabilities.
The Downtown San Diego Lions Club continues to be the premier service organization in San Diego and there are several ways to get involved in this wonderful organization to help the San Diego community including joining the club and signing up for one of the many committees they have, become a corporate partner and/or financially through the welfare foundation to support the grants and youth programs.
For more information on The Downtown San Diego Lions Club and to get involved, please visit https://www.sandiegolions.org/.
Category: Business, Donations, Finance, Local News, Nonprofit
