Lions Clubs International will mobilize its global network of volunteers to combat diabetes as part of a new health initiative announced Monday.
“So many people in the world have diabetes but have not been diagnosed. They’re not getting treatment,” Lions Clubs International President Bob Corlewv said. “We want to provide information to people about the symptoms.”
The organization was started in 1917 by Chicago business leader Melvin Jones and has since grown to include more than 47,000 clubs worldwide, with about 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries.
Nearly 30,000 members gathered at McCormick Place during the Fourth of July weekend to celebrate the club’s 100-year anniversary.
Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonv delivered the convention’s keynote address Monday. He urged Lions Club members to “lead by example” in their efforts to protect human rights and to be conscious of climate change.
More Top Picks Coleman Snap N Go Review
Ban, a South Korean diplomat, dedicated part of his speech to criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, calling him “misguided.”
“Climate change is happening because of our human behavior. We have the power and the means and the technology to stop it,” he said. “(Trump) is on the wrong side of history.”