PDG Lion Leon Hove and PDG Lyn Porterfield
This year, Saving Sight is proud to recognize Lion Leon Hove as the 2025 Lions Ambassador of the Year, a title that reflects not only his decades of service but also his enduring passion for helping others see more clearly.
Leon first became involved with the Lions in the mid-1970s through the Joliet Noon Lions Club in Illinois. What began as a suggestion from his boss, a past president of the club, quickly turned into a lifelong commitment. But it wasn’t until Leon screened a child for amblyopia using the old Polaroid method, and saw her again months later, proudly wearing glasses and able to see better, that he truly “became a Lion.”
That moment sparked a passion for vision that has guided his service for nearly 50 years.
“I don’t do the things I do for recognition or awards,” Leon says. “It’s enough for me to see the smiles and joy of those we serve. I receive more pleasure from that than they do.”
Leon has dedicated countless hours to vision programs, including KidSight screenings and international eye missions in Mexico and Panama. In 2018, he helped found the Missouri Lions Eye Mission Foundation, creating a 501(c)(3) organization to expand access to vision care. While COVID-19 initially paused those efforts, the foundation pivoted, and in 2024 alone, the Missouri Lions hosted 37 missions serving more than 2,500 people. The momentum continues to grow, with Lions in neighboring states now seeking to bring similar missions to their communities.
A particularly meaningful milestone came in November 2024, when Leon helped lead a clinic at St. Peter and Paul Church in St. Louis, providing recycled eyeglasses to 33 unhoused individuals.
“That was the start of something beyond my wildest dreams,” he says.
Leon’s commitment to vision is also personal. He saw firsthand the challenges his late wife faced due to corneal disease, and he reflects often on what it would mean to lose the ability to see the people and world around him. Now, at nearly 84 years old, he’s still advocating, volunteering and working toward change — even as he prepares to relocate to Arizona to be closer to his daughter.
“I’ve learned Arizona has laws that prohibit the distribution of recycled eyeglasses,” he says. “That’s my new goal — to help change that. There is such a huge need.”
As part of his ambassador recognition, a $1,000 donation was made to the Missouri Lions Eye Mission Foundation, a gesture Leon says is the most meaningful part of the award.
“The fact that it will help buy equipment and supplies to continue our work means everything to me,” he says. “If being named Ambassador of the Year inspires even one person to serve, that would be the greatest accomplishment of all.”