Founder's Club

Kay Fukishima, International President 2003-2004, addresses attendees of the Founder's Club Luncheon during the International Convention in Denver.

The Lions Club of Denver was founded on June 25, 1917 with 53 charter members. By virtue of being organized in the same year as Lions International the Denver Den is recognized as a Founder's Club. Only 23 Lions Clubs in the world can claim the honor of being a Founders Club. One of the 1917 charter members, Judge Halstead Ritter, created the slogan "Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety" (LIONS) which still continues to be the official slogan for Lions Clubs all over the world.

Cub Years

In 1921, the Children's Milk Fund was established. Following WWI many children of poor families were attending public schools without adequate nourishment. Our Lions Club funded the purchase of milk and crackers for many of those needy children. In the 1920's $1.00 would buy 40 half-pints of milk! This worthwhile program continued until 1961 but on a declining basis.

In 1922, The Denver Den sponsored the Douglas County Lions Club and in 1926 the Denver Den sponsored the Englewood Lions Club. Today there are two branches of the Englewood Club.

In March, 1936, the Denver Den sponsored the Hugo Lions Club. Although there is presently a Lions Club in Hugo, the one sponsored by the Denver Den was dissolved many years ago and is no longer active.

WWII and Beyond

Within three weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, our Club bought $2,500 of U.S. War Bonds which was a lot of money in those days. In October, 1942, our Club sponsored the Golden Lions Club into the world of Lionism.

In June of 1949 the Denver Den sponsored the Aurora Lions Club. The Club presently has about 20 members of which 8 are women. The major service of the Club for the past 27 years has been a cooperative effort between the Club, Aurora schools and the PTA.

In September, 1952, the Directors approved the establishment of a foundation and on October 14th of that year, Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Colorado Secretary of State and the Denver Lions Foundation was born. The first major project of the Foundation was the construction and furnishing of the Eisenhower chapel located on the 2nd Floor of the Denver Club Building on 17th Street in downtown Denver.

Rude Park

The second major project of the Foundation was the construction in 1958-59 of a day nursery which is now known as Rude Park Child Care Center (pronounced "Rudy"). Today Rude Park tends to the needs of about 70 small children daily while their parents are working or going to school to learn a vocation. It is generally recognized as one of the outstanding child day care centers in the Denver metropolitan area.

The Foundation has distributed funds for many other worthy projects such as, but not limited to, aid for the blind and the deaf and support for the Colorado Lions Camp for the Handicapped in Woodland Park, Colorado.

In the latter part of the 1960's the Denver Den began to participate in a Youth Exchange Program and for several years this activity played an important part in the lives of our members and their families. Under the Youth Exchange Program boys and girls between the ages of 15 and 21, whose parents were members of the Denver Den, lived with families of Lions in foreign countries and visa versa.

Flying High

On September 9, 1961, the Denver Den sponsored the Denver Skyline Lions Club. There are 31 Lions in the Club. The Airport Club was chartered while its members were flying over the City of Denver on a Continental Airlines Viscount. Also, in 1964 the Denver Den and the Aurora Lions Club jointly sponsored the Aurora Eastgate Lions Club.

Clearly the highlight of the 1970's was the acquisition of Savio House by the Denver Den. Since its acquisition by the Denver Den, Savio House and its programs have grown substantially. It has achieved a reputation for excellence in carrying out its mission "of eliminating violence, crime, abuse, neglect and other destructive behaviors in adolescents and families". In 1986 it was recognized as one of the 10 best Lions Club projects in the entire world! Savio House is a non-profit organization operated by the Lions Club of Denver to serve children, adolescents and families who are suffering from the problems of abuse and neglect, abandonment, delinquency, family violence and poverty. Savio serves these people through shelter and residential care, a day service of special education and counseling and a community based service which intervenes in the home to strengthen families in crisis. Today, Savio is a $3.2 million agency with 85 employees.

Eyes on the Prize

The Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank was also started in 1982. The Eye Bank has played an integral part in the constant battle to help the blind in a practical way just as our Club has been involved in the same battle over the past eighty years.

In the 1980-1989 decade the Denver Den sponsored yet another Lions Club, this time the Denver Park Hill Lions Club which was chartered on June 23, 1984. The Honorable Mayor Wellington E. Webb of Denver is a charter member.

The major project of the Denver Den in the 1990's has been the participation of its members in establishing The Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute in cooperation with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the University of Colorado Foundation. The facility will provide critically needed space for advanced eye care, education of medical students and ophthalmologists, as well as training of those individuals interested primarily in basic scientific research. This ambitious project is just another example of the Lions Motto: "We Serve."