Another International and long-standing organization with a large , local presence is the Lions Club . The Lions Club was founded in 1917 in Chicago by Mr . Melvin Jones . Lions International is “ Serving a world in need , one act of kindness at a time ”. With over
a million members and a club in almost every country , Lions International is without a doubt making a global impact . The impact of our local
Lions Club is just as inspiring , chartered in 1923 and sponsoring a sister club in Elkhart , the Palestine Lions Club is heavily involved with many events in Palestine including the local festivals , Paint Palestine Pink and many others . Our local Lions work with Anderson County schools ’ nurses and counselors to help fund exams and eyeglasses for those students in need . Their annual golf tournament and quarterly fish fry ’ s help to fund other programs including Leader Dogs for the Blind , Lions Lone Star Eye Bank and Lions Effort Against Drugs . The club ’ s fund raising efforts also provide park benches around Palestine and , of course , Leo the Lion ( water fountain ), in Reagan Park . Other charities
and services encouraged by the local club are hearing and speech conservation , diabetes awareness , youth outreach , international relations , local service projects and youth development . Our Local Lions are impacting the way our citizens live . On a local level retired pastor Lynn Willhite founded the organization WE CARE , Palestine in early 2017 . Mirroring an organization , Community Renewal International out of Shreveport , Louisiana , WE CARE , Palestine hopes to “ renew our city one neighbor at a time ” using three major initiatives : the Renewal Team , the Block Leader Initiative , and the Friendship House Initiative . The WE CARE group seeks to radically change the future of our community by getting every citizen involved , by connecting neighbors through friendship . Each year WE CARE hosts a “ Love your Neighbor ” banquet awarding “ Good Neighbors ”. Nominated by their neighbors , the award winners are people who are making a difference in our community through acts of kindness . The annual WE CARE Block Party has also been successful in helping 7 different neighborhoods in Palestine become caring communities . This is care on a personal level and a terrific way to foster community involvement and pride .