International Lions Convention in Melbourne, by Lion Ben Haack
As a Global Athlete leader and former member of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics International, it means a great deal to me to be able to join Lions Clubs International, the largest, most active and most inclusive service club organization in the world. I am a proud member of a local Lions club in my area- Lions Tallebudgera Club- and I have also started a Branch club that is focused on the local Special Olympics program that is on the Gold Coast of Australia. It is with pride that I share that I had the honor of speaking at the 2013 Lions Clubs International Convention in Hamburg, Germany, together with Lion Dr. Timothy Shriver and NBA Great Yao Ming!
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the 2023 Lions Clubs International Convention in Melbourne, Australia, a true honor for me being both a Special Olympics Australia athlete and a member of the Lions Clubs of Australia. We at Special Olympics remain so grateful to Lions Clubs International Foundation, and the countless Lions and Leo volunteers that help us bring our mission to life around the world. Under our partnership banner Mission: Inclusion, Lions Clubs International and Special Olympics work together to empower individuals with intellectual disabilities to achieve their best, both on and off the field.
The reason I was in Melbourne as to support the ongoing global work of Mission: Inclusion and to explore ways to strengthen the collaboration between Special Olympics Australia and the Lions Clubs across the country. I had the pleasure of attending alongside my national CEO Pierre Comis and fellow Lion Tony Moore who has successfully been running a Lions SO branch club and is a champion of service and inclusion.
We had a fantastic experience- the entire Special Olympics delegation! From the people, to the city, to the weather, to the culture, to the warmest of receptions that we received from Lions Clubs leaders and members from all over the world- it was so memorable and such a great experience! For the first time, Special Olympics issued the Mission: Inclusion Awards, providing a distinction to those Lions who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to empower those most on the margins. It was an honor for me to lead this ceremony and offer remarks on how grateful I am as an athlete of Special Olympics, and how grateful we are as a movement. We also had the chance to participate in a Unified Zumba session, together with the Chairperson of the Lions Clubs International Foundation and Immediate Past International President, Dr. Patti Hill! It was such an honor to participate alongside Dr. Patti Hill – and we had so much fun!
We also had the chance to engage the Leos of Australia and the athletes of Special Olympics in Unified Table Tennis- and while we may have won some and lost some, we all came out stronger, having played together Unified.
My role was to engage with Lions members and also I presented a speech at the end of Mission Inclusion awards ceremony where I reminded everyone that whilst the work we have done together in helping people with IDD have access to health screenings, inclusive education, fantastic youth engagement and Unified sport, that this population in every country around the world, including Australia (Royal Commission on disability) that this population still has so many major challenges and is still in need of a lot of advocacy and attention.
The team ended the time in Melbourne by mapping out next steps in engaging more Leos, more Lions and more Special Olympics athletes around the world in service. It is through service to one another that we gain the most, and learn the most, too. We are committed to building a lasting legacy from Melbourne, including a formidable national partnership between Special Olympics Australia and the Lions Clubs of Australia- and we have already gotten started! For me that Lions motto that ‘Where there is a need, there is a Lion’ so matches the ethos of Special Olympics and we will continue to work together to meet that need.
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