Sharbot Lake and District Lions' recruitment night

Jeff Green | Jun 01, 2016

On Tuesday, May 31 the Sharbot Lake and District Lions held an information night at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake. Long-time members of the club, including President Bill Zwier, and former presidents Bill Pyle, Linda Zwier, and Dave and Dawn Hansen, all outlined some of the projects that the local Lions have been involved with over the years for an appreciative crowd of observers and potential new Lions.

They talked about the support the Lions give to causes as varied as recent donations to the Fort McMurray relief fund and the trip by students at St. James Catholic School to Knoxville, Tennessee for the Destination Imagination finals. They also talked about Vision Screening that the Lions have done for years in local schools, roadside cleanup, Canada Day, the food bank, and more.

The evening ended up taking a youthful turn with talk about a brand-new initiative for the local club, the establishment of a LEO club. LEO, which stands for Leadership, Experience, Opportunity, is a youth club for children ages 12 to 16 to organise events, socialize together and learn the spirit of service that is encompassed in the Lions' motto, We Serve.

Lion Lesley Merrigan is spearheading the establishment of a LEO club in Central Frontenac, and she was joined by Vic Smith, who is the co-ordinator for the 24 LEO clubs in Eastern and Central Ontario.

“LEO clubs tend to work best, and last the longest, in small towns,” said Smith, “and with no other youth clubs on the go in this area I think it is an ideal fit.”

Merrigan said that since she has children who are 9 and 11 she has a personal reason for starting up a LEO club.

There were a number of teenagers and pre-teens interested in joining the new club in the audience. The organising and membership work will be done this summer with a view towards starting the club in September.

Anyone interested in joining or learning about LEO is invited to email Lesleysmith181@hotmail or call 613-279-3144 and ask for Lesley.

As President Bill Zwier said, the average age of Lions club members is well into the 50s and 60s, and an infusion of youth “would be very welcome indeed”.