Lions will be roaring into town

Clarification: In an article in last week's City Weekly about Massachusetts Lions Clubs bringing their international convention to Boston this summer, the nature of their fund-raising was unclear. Lions do not use money raised from bake sales and other charity events to fund their private efforts, such as the convention. Instead, such efforts are financed by fund-raisers specifically designated for that purpose.

They range from small-business owners to Mayor Thomas M. Menino. And it's taking all of them to pull this one off.

After Hurricane Katrina washed away almost five years of preparation for the international convention of Lions Club members scheduled for New Orleans this summer, Boston's Lions piped up.

''I told the folks from our administration, 'Do whatever you can to bring the Lions to Boston,' " said Menino, a member of his Hyde Park neighborhood's chapter for 37 years.

It worked. Although the host club needed to raise about $100,000 and had only nine months to piece together a convention that normally takes about six years to plan, the statewide committee put in a bid and beat out Houston, St. Louis, and Toronto for the right to hold the 89th Lions Clubs International Convention. And last month, the host club landed a sizable anonymous donation that put it in prime shape for the event's June 30 kickoff at the Boston Convention Center. The club members are raising the rest of the money in traditional Lions fashion -- with old-fashioned elbow grease and community fund-raising efforts such as bake sales.

''We've done nothing short of a miracle," said Charles Menard Sr., the convention's city and state liaison and another Hyde Park member. He said the club has raised close to $90,000.

But don't think the rushed effort means the local Lions have low expectations for the five-day gathering.

''I think we're going to have the greatest convention ever," said Chuck Kostro, past international director of Lions Clubs International and a member of the Acton area club. He said he expects between 17,000 and 20,000 Lions from 193 countries.

The group says it is the world's largest volunteer service organization and takes pride in its commitment to helping the blind and visually impaired, often holding drives for eyeglasses or conducting glaucoma exams. Massachusetts Lions have maintained a 50-year partnership with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, raising more than $4 million for the hospital's eye research projects, according to Dr. Joan W. Miller, its chief of ophthalmology and chairwoman of Harvard Medical School's ophthalmology department. When the Lions needed to raise convention funds, a regular hospital donor chose to repay the group's numerous favors under one condition: The Harvard Medical teaching hospital gets credit as the official convention sponsor.

''The infirmary wants to be as helpful as we can," Miller said, ''because the Lions are just a tremendous group." She said she did not know the amount of the donation; Kostro said only that it was ''in the tens of thousands."

Miller has witnessed the partnership ever since she was a medical student at Mass. Eye and Ear in the late 1980s and a group of Lions roared in to discuss research and take a tour of the lab. She found herself impressed by the club's adherence to its mission.

''They really are regular folks who raise this money with hard work and dedication," Miller said. ''I found the group that visited very engaging and easy to talk to. They were interested in our programs and what we could do to help patients. I still find them that way."

The Massachusetts Lions had been planning a bid to host the next available convention, in 2011, Kostro said. But when Katrina hit New Orleans and the Lions saw a chance to pitch in, they knew Boston was an optimal alternative.

''We've been through a number of conventions in the past couple years, so we have the gear," Menino said. ''Because of our experience with special events, we have a well-defined team that knows how to put this together."

The convention will have traces of recent citywide events. Plans for the convention include a parade along Boylston Street on July 1, and, as is quickly becoming a Boston tradition, Duck Tour boats will carry the Lions' international directors and international past presidents.

''If the Red Sox and the Patriots can use the duck boats, the Lions can use the duck boats," Kostro said, noting that those visiting from afar probably expect the same treatment they have seen given to athletes. ''You see that on TV and so do people all over the country and all over the world."

The organization's Massachusetts District, or MD33, has 8,396 members spread across five sections, with their IDs spelling out YANKS: Y (covering Western Massachusetts), A (Worcester and Central Mass.), N (North Shore), K (Greater Boston), and S (Southeastern Mass. and Cape Cod). Until 1985, women were not allowed in the club. Now, Doreen Martel serves as the district governor of 33K, which includes Boston, and has been a member of the Franklin Lions since 1997. She oversees 1,945 Lions in her district, and she has been regularly visiting other clubs throughout the state to rally support and find volunteers for the convention.

This is the first time Boston will host the group's international convention, and Kostro predicts it will take 600 to 800 volunteers to pull it off.

But he is not concerned about anyone lagging when it comes to stepping up.

''There's nothing like a challenge to get people excited," he said. ''Plus, when somebody tells you you can't do something, it's kind of like, 'Oh, yeah? Let us show you.' "

Glenn Yoder can be reached at gyoder@globe.com