Diamond Bar Breakfast Lions Club

2022 Outstanding Volunteer Honoree - Community Organization Division

The Diamond Bar Breakfast Lions Club is a non-profit organization whose members come from all walks of life, from business owners, teachers, government workers and more. The organization, which meets three times a month, comes together to work on their various projects which are geared toward bettering to the community.

Lions Club International was founded in 1917 by Melvin Jones and other business leaders in Chicago. Jones’ motto, "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else," is exemplified by the Diamond Bar Breakfast Lions Club. It has a long history of collaborating with, and supporting, an extensive list of organizations that include Inland Valley Hope Partners, Walnut Senior Living, the Los Angeles County Fair, Special Olympics, City of Hope.

The Breakfast Lions Club also does work to support one of the primary causes of the Lions Club International – addressing vision and hearing issues, which was sparked by Helen Keller’s call to action to the club during a 1925 speech. “Will you not constitute yourselves Knights of the Blind in this crusade against darkness?” she asked. 

To answer this call, the Breakfast Lions Club collects and recycles glasses and hearing aids from throughout the city and participates in sight and hearing screenings in the area.

“Mainly, our duties are to help others in the community,” said Brian Quan, President of the Lions Club and member for over 35 years. “We’ve been blessed with having the abilities to be citizens of the United States and were given opportunities to lift ourselves up. We just want to be able to do that for others that are less fortunate.”

To expand and strengthen its efforts, the Breakfast Lions Club sponsor a few student charters – Diamond Bar High School Leo Club, Leo's Club at Chaparral Middle School, and Diamond Bar Community Leos.

“When we get together, we just have this bonding that we all have one thought in mind, which is to serve our community,” Brian said. He mentioned the camaraderie between the members as something memorable about being part of the organization. “This is a way to give back, to help your fellow brothers and sisters, your community, and give them a sense of well-being,” he added.