Changing face of Lions: pitching leadership and health for women
The Lions club was on site at the Women’s Lifestyle Expo at Claudelands Events Centre in August, aiming to recruit more women and younger volunteers. They also used the event to highlight skin cancer screening and breast cancer awareness.
Lions is keen to change its image as an organisation of ‘old men’ so while members promoted their community work and promoted their free skin-cancer screening service, they also encouraged women to consider volunteering with Lions.
“Most people when they think about Lions, think about old men, grey-haired men doing sausage sizzles, but we are so much more than that,” said Lou Fielder, President of the Te Kuiti club.
She said the expo gave the club the opportunity to reach people who might not otherwise have considered or even known about it.
The organisation was promoting its free skin cancer screening service where medical professionals check people’s skin for any potential concerns. This takes about 20 minutes with people being referred on if necessary.
Lou Fielder said that 27% of people who were screened in March 2025 were referred for further medical assessment.
She said Lions is expecting to have its own screening vehicle for the North Island from October. This will be stationed in Hamilton, allowing the service to travel around the Waikato.
The Lions representatives said many of the people she had spoken to at the expo had personal or family experiences with breast or skin cancer.
For one visitor, the encounter also provided an introduction to an organisation she knew little about.
One Hamilton attendee said she had not known much about Lions before visiting its stand but left with a better understanding of what the organisation did.
The Lions representative said she hoped people would take away the importance of being proactive about their health, as well as considering how they could contribute to their community.
“We want more women to come on board to Lions. We want to develop them as leaders. We want them to have the chance to volunteer for something that they’re passionate about.” she said.
