Story of the Week: Leo Leader Discusses the Rewards of Leo Clubs
Many of our Lions clubs sponsor Leo clubs, a youth organization that encourages leadership and volunteering. Lions work together with Leos and provide young people with the tools that will help them become successful citizens and future Lions leaders.
Joy Nisnisan, a 17-year-old from Texas, is one of the 150,000 Leos worldwide who is making a difference. A Leo for three years and now a member of the Leo club advisory panel, she is helping to shape her community and the Leo program. In this short video, Joy answers some frequently asked questions about Leo clubs and volunteering.
Many of our Lions clubs make providing reliable access to clean water a priority. In Maryland, the signature service project of the Bowie Lions Club also conserves water with rain barrels.
By collecting rain water in the recycled barrels the club sells at farmer’s markets, residents prevent the runoff water containing pesticides and pollutants from entering the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, the residents use the water to maintain gardens, which accounts for about 40 percent of water use during the summer.
Through this innovative project, Lions in Maryland are doing their part to address the global water crisis. According to Lion Carl Vettel, “Rain barrels are very easy to construct and very easy to sell because of the benefit to the environment.”
Photo of the Week: Pennsylvania Lions Combat Hunger for the Holidays
One of the causes our Lions and Leo clubs champion is fighting global hunger. Charity begins at home, so many of our clubs organize food drives and coordinate food banks in their communities throughout the year. Other clubs provide holiday meals and baskets during our Relieving the Hunger Global Service Action Campaign, which continues through the end of January. We found this week’s photo at The Times Leader.
The Larksville Lions Club came together to assemble and deliver 38 baskets to house-bound local residents for the holidays.
New Lions members bring enthusiasm, excitement, new ideas and another set of hands to help shape our communities. When we traveled to Texas and visited the Houston Royal Oaks Lions Club, a vibrant group that hosts free health fairs for the community, we wanted to know their secret to club growth.
The answer is that the Royal Oaks Lions Club makes recruiting part of every one of their events. At the health fair they had a membership booth where they answered questions, provided information and encouraged potential members to fill out a membership application. Here are a few ideas for recruiting new members at your next event:
- Set up a table or station in a central location for recruiting.
- Put information and photos from recent projects on a poster board. Show a Lions Club International video such as one of the new PSAs or segments from LQ – Lions Quarterly.
- Distribute pamphlets or business cards with your meeting time and location, contact information and Web site address.
- Supply membership pamphlets, membership applications and pens. Help people fill out the information and collect the application, then follow up with a phone call to invite them to your next meeting.
- Even if interested event goers don’t fill out an application, invite them to a meeting. Ask them to come meet your fellow Lions.
- Have fun! When people see how rewarding it is to be a Lion, they’ll want to participate, too.
President’s Service Blog: Visiting a Lions Quest School, India
As Lions, we work to build better tomorrows for our communities, including the visually impaired and people affected by disasters. We also work to improve the lives of our future leaders through Leo clubs and Lions Quest.
When I was in Mumbai, India, I had the opportunity to visit Anjuman-I-Islam, a school that uses our Lions Quest program. These students are among the 12 million kids around the globe who take part in the program, which emphasizes positive youth development and essential life skills. It’s clear that Lions are helping these young people develop into productive, thoughtful citizens.
