The Zionsville Alpha Leo Club has been awarded the Leo Club Excellence Award for their work in 2012-13. Joining the ranks of Leo clubs in places like Brazil, Argentina, Denmark, Italy, Nepal, Australia and 17 other clubs here in the U.S., the local Leos won the award in their first year as chartered members. This is a highly selective award with only 49 granted worldwide from the over 5,700 clubs in 139 countries.
“It has been truly exciting for me to see the growth of this group which was only formed last September,” former Lions Club District Governor Pat Short said. “They all have their hearts in the right place and fully live up to one of my favorite quotes: ‘Remember that service to others is the price we pay for living on this earth.’”
The Leo Club Excellence Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the areas of humanitarian service, fundraising, leadership, public relations and club administration. As a club, they participated in eleven different service projects during the past year including Street Dance, Brick Street Market, Fall Festival, ZFD pancake breakfast, Pumpkins & Hayrides, St.Vincent Hospital salt bagging project, Sandy Hook Elementary popcorn fundraiser and others.
Leos range from 12 to 18 years old, are enthusiastic and many share that they get more out of the experience than expected.
“I joined Alpha Leo club to become more involved in Zionsville service projects, and it’s been fun meeting other students and working with adults who are great mentors for staying involved in their community,” Alpha Leo Secretary Rachael Stone said.
Connecting with the Zionsville community is a theme often heard from the Leos.
“The Leo club has provided me with an opportunity to serve my community in a way that is different from other service clubs. The Leo club gives you a large variety of active, ongoing projects that work for every person,” Leo board member Alex van de Sandt said. “It has also given me a new level of responsibility in helping the community of Zionsville.”
Where do the Leos go from here? Leo President Drew Hobick, has a vision.
“This award is a huge honor to me, but it also acts as a stepping stone. This should drive our club to reach higher and achieve greater feats from here,” Hobick said. “I could not be more excited for what lies ahead for this club.”
Stay tuned. These Lions Club Alpha Leos are sure to continue to roar. For more information or to join the Leos, visit www.zalc.org.
