It doesn’t take a particular type of person to be a Leo, just someone who wants to be involved in the community.
That’s why the Golden Lions Club is launching a Leo club at Golden High School for youths between the ages of 12 and 18.
“The idea is to do stuff in the community that helps people,” Golden Lion Ed Dorsey said.
Leo stands for Leadership, Experience and Opportunity and members can be involved in a variety of different projects, Golden Lion John Spice said. Some projects will be sponsored jointly with the Golden Lions, such as the postal service’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and the annual Golden Candlelight Walk. But Leos can also develop their own community-based projects.
Leos will probably be involved with five or six projects a year, he said. “That way, every month they’ll be working toward something —they can do things that they have time for.”
The Lions are still in the recruitment process, Dorsey said. “We’re just waiting for about 10 students to get it off the ground.”
The club will be completely student-run, Dorsey said, but one local Lion adviser will attend each meeting.
Advisers for the club include Dorsey, Spice, Jon Berquist and Sondra Welsh. The school faculty adviser will be Sarah Julius.
Leo clubs are sponsored by local Lions clubs through Lions Club International. Two Leo programs are offered: Alpha for 12- to 18-year-olds and Omega for 18- to 30-year-olds.
Youth will learn skills such as teamwork and communication, Dorsey said. And being a club member not only looks good on college applications, he added, it fulfills high school community service requirements.
Anybody interested in becoming a Leo can contact Golden Lion Ed Dorsey at 303-829-5195 or dorsey38@comcast.net.
High school students may also contact Golden High School faculty advisor Sarah Julius in the school’s counseling offices for more information.
Dorsey has been thinking about forming the Golden Leo club for a couple of years.
“Now is a good time,” he said, “because there are other Lions willing to be involved.”
