
Alan Ford Memorial Golf Classic Was a Great Success!
Swinging for a Cause: Austin Founder Lions Club Annual Golf Tournament a Resounding Success! The Austin Founder Lions Club is thrilled to announce that our recent annual charity golf tournament was a tremendous success! It was a beautiful day on the greens, filled with camaraderie, friendly competition, and—most importantly—a shared commitment to serving our community. Check out these photos of the event. Thanks to the incredible generosity of everyone involved, the event raised significant funds that will directly support our club’s vital community initiatives. A major portion of the proceeds will go toward providing essential vision screenings for local school children, ensuring that young students have the clear sight they need to succeed in the classroom. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to our sponsors, whose financial support makes this event possible, and to the players who brought their energy, passion, and skills to the course. We also owe a massive thank you to our dedicated volunteers, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly from registration to the final putt. Because of all of you, we are able to continue our mission: We Serve. Thank you for making this fundraiser so successful, and we look forward to seeing you all back on the course
The Lions Club is an international service organization with 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries. It has no political or religious affiliations. The Austin Founder Lions Club was founded in 1916 and is the oldest continuously operating Lions Club in the world. Membership provides unique opportunities to learn about our city and participate in volunteer activities such as conducting vision screening in Austin ISD elementary schools. Our weekly speakers this year include Mayor Kirk Watson, NPR correspondent John Burnett, Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, Texas Monthly founder Mike Levy, Central Health Director Dr. Patrick Lee, and Travis County Judge Andy Brown. Topics at our weekly meetings cover a wide range including culture, environmentalism, and the activities of several local nonprofit organizations.Visitors are welcome!!! We meet every Thursday from 11:45-1:00 in Building 626 of the Austin State Hospital near E. 41st and Guadalupe. Occasionally we meet at other locations such as our namesake Lions Municipal Golf Course, so please check the calendar. For further information, emailVision ScreeningThe Austin Founder Lion Club screened the vision of 2,635 Pre-K students in 52 Austin elementary schools during the 2025-2026 school year. 621 (23.6%) failed their initial screening and were given vouchers which provide free exams and glasses. The funds for these vouchers were raised by the club. For the 2026-2027 school year we will be vision screening kids at 50+ schools. We will need volunteers to assist. Click Here to Volunteer to Help


Mobile App for Austin Founder Lions Club Members
Austin Founder Lions Club now provides a mobile app to help members more easily stay in touch with club activities and their fellow club members. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. It is provided by Wild Apricot.
Using this app, you can:
- See a list of upcoming events, register and pay for them.
- View the details of events you've signed up for.
- Find other members of the club and contact them.
- Update your personal profile.
Eyeglasses Recycling
Want to help us give sight to the world? Find local eyeglass recycling drop-off locations HERE
According to The World Health Organization, 153 million people have uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism). Most of these vision impairments are quickly diagnosed and easy to treat with corrective lenses.
Still, millions of people in developing nations are pushed deeper into poverty simply because they don't have glasses. They can't learn, because reading is difficult. They can't work to the best of their ability, because they can't see clearly.
It costs Lions less than 8ยข to provide a pair of recycled eyeglasses and change someone's life. For children, clear vision means a better education, healthier development and a better quality of life. For adults, it means greater employment opportunity and economic strength. For seniors it means less dependence on others. Lions clubs collect millions of eyeglasses each year, making eyeglass recycling one of our most popular activities. Will you help us in our mission to give sight to the world? Donate your used glasses today!
A History of Quality and Service
Established in Austin Texas in 1916, our club has been known as the Austin Lions Club, the Lions Club of Austin, and the Downtown Lions Club. In 1976, the name was formally changed to the Founder Lions Club of Austin. We are now known as the Austin Founder Lions Club and the history of the Austin Founder Lions Club is a long one of quality and service.
Past and present members include many of the most prominent names in both Austin and Texas' history - U.S. Congressman J.J. "Jake" Pickle, Austin mayor Gus Garcia, both Willie Kocurek and his son Neal Kocurek, and more - all dedicated to the service of humanity through the spirit of Lionism and its many community outreach programs.
We admit we are a bit proud of our status as the "world's oldest continuously operating Lions Club", but, we like to think that our efforts in community service are typical of Lions Clubs the world over. It's a story of garage sales, golf tournaments, rose sales and other kinds of fund raisers. It's a story of answering the needs of the community and of disadvantaged groups and individuals, through efforts such as our Eyeglasses Recycling program, support of the Texas Lions Camp and the Lone Star Eye Bank, eyeglasses for students and other projects. And it's a story of building and working with other Lions Clubs to promote teamwork in service.
We are perhaps most proud, however, to be a part of Lions Clubs International, which provides the opportunity to support nonpartisan service activities that are worldwide in scope. Through Lions International we can help fight blindness and other social problems around the world while promoting international understanding, and that's what makes our association so special. The club participates in projects with other clubs in surrounding counties known as Lions District 2-S3.

MISSION STATEMENT
TO EMPOWER volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions Clubs.
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Upcoming Speakers & Events
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06/18/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 582, Austin TX 78751
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06/25/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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07/02/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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07/09/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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07/16/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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07/30/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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08/13/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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08/27/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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09/03/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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09/24/2026 11:45 AM
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Austin State Hospital, 4110 Guadalupe, Building 626, Austin TX 78751
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