Winter 2026Past Issues Your Place to Shine Dear Lion, We each bring something unique to our service. And when our skills, passions and experiences come together, something extraordinary happens. Our clubs don’t just give us opportunities to serve — they help bring out the very best in us. They’re places where we can grow, connect and truly make a difference. In this issue, you’ll see that spirit come to life in the stories we share. Being a Lion is about belonging.…more...The Science of ServiceYou know the feeling. You pull on your Lions gear, maybe still yawning from the night before or shaking off a long day at the office. But the moment you arrive at a service project, roll up your sleeves and start connecting with others, something shifts. The tiredness fades, your mood lifts and a surge of energy takes over. That’s the “helper’s high” at work. So what’s physically happening in your body when you help…more...Born to Be KindI didn’t step into service one day — I was born into it. Some of my earliest memories are of standing beside my parents outside supermarkets, collecting food for families in need. My small hands held donation cans while their big hearts showed me what kindness looked like in action. I learned early that service isn’t a hobby or an obligation — it’s a way of life. My parents, Rafael Torres Cabrera and Lydia Juárez…more...The Flyin’ LionMost people fear falling. Lori Bennett paid for the privilege. Sitting in a small propeller plane at 14,000 feet, she watched — with the last sliver of her vision — as her friend vanished out the door. “Scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said. But there was no time for fear. Moments later, with her tandem instructor clipped in behind her, she shuffled to the edge. One leap, one scream, one minute of freefall at…more...Driven to Serve“I was a broken man,” said Lion Bill Todd of Morro Bay, California. His wife of 33 years, Jami, was in the final months of a relentless fight with cancer. Grief and caregiving consumed every ounce of him. At his breaking point, Bill told his son and fellow Lion, Mike Todd, that he could no longer run Todd’s Garage — the business he had built from the ground up — or sustain the Car Giveaway…more...Harvesting HopeAccording to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, one in three households in the state experience food insecurity. Low-income families with children and people of color are at highest risk. As food insecurity levels rise higher than those seen during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the need for consistent access to nutritious food has never been more urgent. The Hope’s Harvest Program at Farm Fresh Rhode Island works to bridge that gap, mobilizing volunteers…more...The Heart of Service Beats OnArishya Aggarwal was concluding her talk at the 2023 Lions District 5M13 convention when a voice called from the back of the room: “Why aren’t you already a Lion?”. The young community leader laughed along with everyone else, but inside something shifted. “I stood there, holding the microphone and felt something click into place,” she said. That one moment sparked what would become a movement to revive the Portage la Prairie Lions Club in Manitoba,…more...United for LifeFor several years, the Lions Club La Ciotat Lumières has been committed to a major humanitarian project: the construction of a maternity ward in the heart of rural Benin in West Africa. This project holds profound meaning after the tragic loss of five Lions who were en route to inaugurate the clinic in October 2025. A dream shaped by friendship and boundless solidarity is now marked by deep emotion, and their memory will live on…more...