As part of the Lions Club’s expansion strategy, a meeting was recently organized to discuss the creation of a new club in Lonato del Garda. The event, organized by Lions Club Colli Morenici and chaired by Massimiliano Bocchio, was attended by Giovanni Pagani, governor of district 108 IB2, Alessandra Brescianini, who provided a historical overview of the organization, and Ivo Benedetti, who focused on the practical and bureaucratic aspects of founding a new club. At the end of the evening, we collected their statements in the following interviews.
We have been following the events and initiatives of Lions Club Colli Morenici with President Massimiliano Bocchio over the past few months. However, tonight, we are not talking about charity, but exploring the possibility of doing more of it. We are here to present the initiative of creating a new Lions Club in Lonato del Garda. We have guests from nearby clubs, including the governor of Lions Club district 108 Ib2. Why did you decide to undertake this initiative?
Massimiliano Bocchio: As Lions International, our goal is to reach one and a half million members worldwide, and we are trying to help territories where Lions Clubs are not yet present to form new ones. So, we, at Lions Club Colli Morenici, have committed to doing this in Lonato del Garda, a beautiful town with many attractions, including the Ugo da Como Foundation and the Rocca, among others. Tonight, there were very important people from Lonato present, so we are optimistic about achieving this in a short time.
Now, let’s turn to Governor Pagani. Creating a new Lions Club is always an important step in a community with such a historic club, which naturally needed to “have a child,” so to speak. Is that so?
Governor Giovanni Pagani: Yes, that’s true. But creating a new club is not just about supporting another club; it’s about helping the entire community. If our mission is to serve, the more of us there are, the more we can serve. The more Lions Clubs there are in an area, the more the community becomes aware of us, and the more good we can do. That’s why it’s necessary to have a new Lions Club in Lonato, not to help other clubs, but to assist the society of Lonato and the surrounding societies.
For those who are not familiar with Lions Clubs, we have Alessandra Brescianini, who tonight told us the history of the organization from its origins to the present day. Could you tell us more?
I like to think that Lions have been driven by the same values from 1917 to the present day, with a great capacity for resilience. This is manifested in the unique ability of Lions members to listen and identify changing needs in communities over the years, always staying in tune with the desire to help others and anticipating changes to immediately meet emerging needs.
During the evening, Ivo Benedetti also delved into more technical aspects. How is a club established, and what are the responsibilities of its members? How does one join?
There are some bureaucratic steps, but they are necessary to establish a well-oiled organization. The goal of reaching one and a half million members aims to serve one billion people by 2027. Last year, we served 536 million people, and we want to grow and further push our activities to achieve this goal. Therefore, it is essential to have a perfect organization at the club, district, multi-district, and international levels with Lions Club International.
Let’s conclude with the governor with one final reflection. It has been emphasized several times that Lions Clubs do not engage in charity but develop projects.
Yes, that’s true. We serve thanks to our ability to develop projects that can assist both our local communities and those around the world. We don’t do charity; we help develop projects. “We serve.”
Italian Version
