04/13/2026
From all of us at the Lions Sight Foundation of Clark County, we are continually inspired by the power of what we can accomplish together.
Across Clark County, Lions clubs come together with a shared purpose—to serve, to support, and to ensure that no one in our community goes without the vision and hearing care they need. While each club brings its own unique strengths, it’s our collective effort that creates lasting impact. Together, we are able to reach more individuals, provide critical resources like eyeglasses and hearing assistance, and truly change lives.
This work is a beautiful reminder that service is stronger when it’s shared. When we unite across clubs, communities, and causes, we become something greater than the sum of our parts.
Thank you to every Lion who contributes time, heart, and dedication to this mission. Together, we are making a difference—one life, one family, and one community at a time.
in Clark County History: April 13, 1922 — Every long-running service club has to start somewhere. For Vancouver Lions, one early chapter began at the YWCA.
The Columbian reported on April 14th that a Lions club was being organized in Vancouver, with Roy C. Sugg (1883-1957) serving as the temporary chairman. At the time, it may have seemed like just another new service club taking shape in Southwest Washington. But the larger Lions movement was still finding its mission, too.
On June 30, 1925, Helen Keller (1880-1968) addressed the Lions Clubs International convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, and challenged its members to become “Knights of the Blind,” helping shape the organization’s long connection to sight conservation and service to blind communities.
Here in Vancouver, that mission would take a very real local shape. The Vancouver Lions Club has long supported the Washington State School for the Blind, the Pacific Foundation for Blind Children, and the Washington School for the Deaf. They also supported the School of Piano Technology for the Blind, prior to their closure in 2017. The club also says it helped create the Lions Sight Foundation of Clark County and the Lions Hearing and Speech Conservation Committee of Clark County, which provide eyeglasses, hearing aids, and medical assistance to people in Clark County with sight or hearing disabilities.
The club officially joined the International Association of Lions Clubs on September 12, 1928. What may have felt like an ordinary meeting in 1922 became part of a much larger story of service.
We also want to acknowledge the many other Lions clubs serving communities across Clark County, including Ridgefield, Battle Ground, Camas, Hazel Dell, La Center, North Clark, Salmon Creek, Vancouver Dawn, Fort Vancouver, and Washougal.
Photo Description: From the archives at The Columbian, this headline from the front page on April 14, 1922, reads: "LIONS CLUB IS BEING FORMED IN VANCOUVER | ORGANIZATION WILL BE EFFECTED ALONG SAME LINES AS ROTARY AND KIWANIS CLUBS."
We'd like to thank The Columbian for this clipping of community history from its collection.
