RESILIENCE AND RENEWAL

The History of Lions Facing a Crisis The need for preserving the history of Lions International is obvious. With over one hundred years of organizational history, there are millions of stories of service and lessons learned that could both instruct and inspire future generations of Lions. In this case, the association faced a once-in-a-generation pandemic that abruptly stopped activity and prompted its members to use their creativity and skills to find ways to persist in their mission of service to those in need. The crisis changed the association for the better because it demonstrated the inherent trait of Lions to be able to act and find ways to provide service against all odds. The two questions guiding the writing of this book were: (1) How did Lions demonstrate resilience while managing the organization during the COVID-19 crisis? and (2) What characteristics enabled Lions International to emerge from the crisis in a state of renewal? This book provides the perspectives of key groups of Lions as answers to those questions. From the executive and administrative officers; to the division managers and professional staff; to the elected leaders at the club, district, multiple district levels; and to the international family, at all levels, Lions stepped up and found ways to serve while using new forms of technology to stay connected interpersonally across the globe. Lions Day at the United Nations (LDUN) provides a final, discrete example of resilience and renewal. The last major event Lions International staged in the pre-pandemic period was LDUN on March 7, 2020. Al Brendel, who served as international president 2008-2009, knew that New York was a hotspot for COVID: “We became very aware that this was the beginning of the very seriousness of it.” With reports coming in from around the world that the virus was spreading quickly, he discussed whether to hold the event with Oakbrook staff. They concluded that they would do it. As people were arriving in New York City, they kept their eye on the news, but didn’t really know what they were watching for. The virus was completely unknown to them, so they didn’t take any major precautions, other than to go to a local pharmacy to get hand sanitizers to distribute around the venue. Fewer people attended than previous years, but LDUN took place as scheduled and no one at that LDUN reported they contracted the virus. The usual post-mortem conducted to assess the event was not held due to what was happening with COVID at the time. But a few months later, Al and the headquarters team of Natalie Brain, Kristopher Kempski, and Jennifer Mach met by Zoom to discuss the 2021 event. Al believed that it was necessary to have more than one plan, so they considered three options. Plan A would have the event in person at the United Nations. Plan B would use a hotel as the site for the event. But, due to the persistence of COVID-19, Plan C prevailed and LDUN 2021 was held virtually. The event was pre-recorded and according to Al, had some of the best content of any LDUN: “It was like a TV production.” When everything was put together, they added a live chat room where they took questions and responded in real time with answers during and after each presentation. They did a pre-registration to make sure no one crashed the event and were very satisfied with the turnout because it gave people who had not participated in an LDUN the experience of being there virtually. Lions International survived as a global organization because our leaders were trusted and effective in making decisions and carrying them out, our beliefs were grounded in service to others, our practices reflected the acceptance of change and resilience, and we learned lessons together that enabled us to emerge in a reconceptualized position of renewal. The history of this magnificent effort on the part of Lions must be preserved; and this book exists to serve that purpose.