International President Fabricio Oliveira's Theme

Make Your Mark

Everywhere we serve, every time we give, we bring kindness and compassion, change and hope.  And we Make our Mark on the lives we touch, the communities we serve and the world we share.

Lions lead by example. We always have and always will.

There's a leader inside every Lion.

And leaders know that, through collective action and individual commitment, we can inspire and empower whole communities. Making them healthier and stronger than ever before. And making our mark in the process. Fabricio Oliveira stated,

“I really understood just how powerful service could be, and just how important we are as Lions!”

Breathing Life into Service

Ask Fabricio Oliveira about his native Brazil, and he'll tell you it's the lungs of the world.  An evergreen canopy rimmed in turquoise shoreline. He's from a small municipalilty there, the son of fabric merchants with entrepreneurial vigor in their blood.

At just 22 syears old, the spirited entrepreneur became a happily married man.  He and his wife, Amariles, had both grown up in the village of Catole de Rocha, where, despite the regiion's tropical climate, Fabricio Oliveira was proving to be a man for all seasons.

In 1985, Fabricio and Amariles were part of a group of friends who would gather on weekends for different social events.  Some of these friends were already Lions members and before long, they asked the Oliveiras to join their local club.

"We couldn't say no," he admits.  "These were our close friends.  And I saw something special in Lions, and an opportunity to give back to the community that had been so good to me." 

"So I became a Lion.  And that's how everything started," Fabricio recollects. The call had been answered. A commitment to service set in motion.