I am delighted to be here this evening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Dublin Lions Club.
In fact, tonight, we are here for a dual celebration – the marking of 50 years of the Dublin Lions Club and also the celebration of 50 years of Lionism in Ireland. In my work over the years, I have had the pleasure of meeting with the Lions Club – both at local and national level – on many occasions. I have long held the association in high esteem and I am delighted to be here with you on this important celebratory occasion.
Only last month, I was asked by your District Governor, John Mooney, to launch the Lions Feather Project in Government Buildings. I was delighted to be associated with this project. Given the high rates of suicide we have witnessed in our society in recent years, its goal - seeking to assist the prevention of suicide - is critical.
It is most encouraging to see a voluntary organisation taking on a project of this scale and I commend you on your courage in this regard.
Given my interaction with the Lions Club at both local and national level, I am delighted tonight to have the chance to meet your immediate past International President, Clem Kusiak. Clem’s attendance here gives me an opportunity to fully appreciate the international scope of the Lions. Rooted in the dream of one man Chicago businessman, Melvin Jones, the Lions club has grown today to include some 1.4 million men and women associated with over 44,000 clubs worldwide. I thought that politicians lead busy lives but, given those numbers, the schedule of an International Lions President must be particularly daunting!
Reflecting on that international role for a moment, many people worldwide are familiar with the Lions Clubs’ invaluable work in relation to sight. This, of course, stems from Helen Keller’s challenge to the association in 1925, to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness”. Your continued work in this area, both in Ireland and abroad, has meant that you have given relief to so many suffering from sight problems.
I also wish to take this opportunity to commend the Lions Clubs International on its role with the United Nations. Having helped form the Non-Governmental Organisations sections in 1945, you continue today to hold consultative status with the UN.
As a politician, I very much applaud and actively encourage the full involvement of organisations such as yours in public life. Worldwide, we are very much the richer because of that involvement.
Turning closer to home, over the past 50 years, Lions Clubs throughout Ireland have been to the fore in delivering a range of services to people the length and breadth of the country. As the first club to be established in Ireland, the Dublin Lions Club has led by example. With quiet, yet persistent determination, you have demonstrated how much can be achieved when a group of proactive and committed volunteers come together to support others. This can be seen in your range of projects catering for the most vulnerable in our society – the Lions Villa hostel, the holidays for the elderly, your annual dinner for the homeless and your food appeals, to name but a few.
To my mind however, it is your foresight and your willingness to rise to new challenges that has kept you at the heart of the voluntary community over the past five decades. As we are all aware, Ireland has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. From what was once a small underdeveloped island off the west coast of Europe, we have become a confident, forward-looking nation today. Success does not eliminate the need for community however. It does not negate people’s desire for the hand of friendship to be extended to them. In fact, success can and does bring its own range of new problems.
And these problems, if not tackled by people working together at every level, be it in Government, business or the wider community, could ultimately negate our success and undermine all that is at the heart of a healthy, vibrant and compassionate society.
But the work of voluntary associations such as yours is helping to ensure that the dynamic community spirit, that has long been a key feature of Irish society, continues to prosper. In fact, a high level of civic engagement and participation significantly contributes to individual, community and societal well-being. Recognising the importance of these issues, I announced my intention earlier this year to establish a Task Force on Active Citizenship. I expect to be in a position to announce the membership of this group shortly.
The terms of reference of the Task Force will be to review the evidence regarding trends in citizen participation across the main areas of civic, community, cultural, occupational and recreational life. Amongst other things, it will examine those trends in the context of international experience. It will recommend measures, which could be taken as part of public policy to facilitate and encourage a greater degree of engagement by citizens in all aspects of life. An important part of its work will be to provide an opportunity for individuals and organisations to contribute their experiences and suggestions. I would encourage you to participate in this process in whatever way you can.
I mentioned earlier how pleased I was to launch your Lions Feather Project last month. That particular project addresses a pressing need in modern Ireland.
Another major issue facing us today is that of alcohol misuse, particularly amongst our young people. It is an issue that is of concern to us all. It is with real enthusiasm therefore, that I welcome the Dublin Lions Clubs’ Alcohol Awareness Project. Not only does this project seek to put the spotlight on alcohol. It also involves a peer education approach working in secondary schools throughout the city. It will build leadership amongst our young people and it will hopefully foster a spirit of voluntary service going forward. I am delighted that six secondary schools in the city have been become involved in the pilot stage and I look forward to reading the project report once completed.
There is little doubt but that Irish society would be far less well off were it not for the selfless commitment of voluntary associations such as the Lions Club. At the core of your association is the desire to give something back to the community. And it is clear from the time and energy that you devote to so many different projects that you are more than fulfilling that aspiration. Not only that, but you are also an inspiration to others to follow in your footsteps.
I congratulate the Dublin Lions Club once again on reaching this half-century milestone and I look forward look forward to the continued development of your clubs throughout the country.
Thank you.
ENDS