by Marilee Seef

When Laura Huang first heard about the prospect of a new Leo club being formed at her high school, the Templeton Secondary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, she was not familiar with the Lions services in her area. But after hearing a visiting Lion speak about the Leo Club program, she was very interested and soon teamed with eight other students to help form the Templeton Leo Club.

She spearheaded a membership drive to gain more Leo members through announcements, posters and “word of mouth.” As a result, over 100 students from her school joined the Templeton Leo Club, and Laura was elected its first president. A year later, Laura received the distinguished “Leo of the Year” award at the 2003 Lions Clubs International Academy Awards for her exemplary service to the Templeton Leo Club and for her dedication and commitment to promoting the Leo Club program in her area. The Templeton Leo Club continues its success with over 165 Leo members.

Laura’s love for Leos and Lions continued after her graduation from secondary school. Together with her fellow Leos, she formed the Vancouver Templeton New Century Lions Club as a “bridge between Leos and Lions” in May 2003. Laura was elected the charter president and now serves as the club’s secretary. The Vancouver Chinatown Lions Club is the sponsoring club.

The Vancouver Templeton New Century Lions Club is currently enjoying its third year of service, fun and fellowship. “We have established ourselves as an energetic and spirited group of young people always ready to lend a helping hand,” says Huang.

The members frequently volunteer for other Lions projects in the district. “We want to show our support, and this gives us the opportunity to see what other Lions are doing. We gain more experience and learn from the ‘older’ Lions,” says Huang. The club has helped with the annual Canadian Cancer Society Telethon and Chinese New Year Charity Toy Sale, as well as the Vancouver Chinatown Lions Club Charity Golf Tournament, various Chinese festivals and new club installations.

The New Century Lions make sure they have plenty of fun while serving their community. “In addition to serving our community, we also foster a sense of fun and friendship within the club through our monthly meetings, social gatherings, potlucks and events like an afternoon of bowling,” says Huang. “We are active within the Lions community, attending various functions organized by other clubs, participating in Karaoke contests and curling events, all the while having an absolute blast!” continued Huang.

Today, the club is focused on supporting two local organizations: the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre and the Sunnyhill Children’s Health Centre. On Halloween, the members donned costumes and went “trick-or- treating” to collect over 300 canned foods and non-perishable food items to donate to the women’s centre.

The club is also anxious to establish its’ own signature fundraiser. “For the first time this year, our club will be organizing the Lions Journey for Sight Walkathon to fundraise for three major programs set up by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind,” said Huang. The members are involved in all aspects of managing the walkathon project and are actively promoting it throughout the area.

Not only do the Vancouver Templeton New Century Lions feel a genuine sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, but they have received other benefits as well. They have sharpened their leadership and communication skills through development and management of their own projects and through participation in other district activities. The members also enjoy their roles as mentors, guiding the local Leos and teaming up with them to share their love of service and to provide assistance with projects. It’s important to them to encourage the Leos to continue their passion to serve by joining a New Century Lions club.

Most importantly, club members have cultivated new friendships through the personal and professional networking opportunities available to them as New Century Lions. They feel that the networking aspect of membership in a Lions club has proved to be a very important benefit. Stephanie Cho, a former Leo and charter member of the Vancouver Templeton New Century Lions Club, has helped inspire other new Leo clubs to form in the district.

Lion Paul Wong, past president of the Chinatown Lions Club, also helped organize the club. “I am so proud of this club. All the members are university students, and it is amazing how they are able to find time to raise funds to help those who are less fortunate,” he said. “If you give the young people an opportunity to perform, it is amazing what they can achieve. When they graduate from the university, they will be the future leaders of Lions Clubs International.”

Passionate about encouraging young people to become involved with Lions, he adds, “I want to help them to have a bright future. They have so much energy and talent, there is no limit as to what young people can accomplish. I want to help them be more successful.”

In recognition of his accomplishments and community service, Wong has been honored with The Order of Canada, a prestigious award bestowed upon Canadians who exemplify the highest qualities of citizenship and whose contributions have enriched the lives of their contemporaries.

The Lions of District 19-A continue to lend their full support to the Leos and young adult Lions. Currently, there are 10 Leo clubs in the district with over 500 members. A second New Century club, the Vancouver Cathay New Century Lions Club, was chartered in February 2005.

For more information about chartering a New Century Lions Club or to order a New Century Lions Club kit, contact the New Clubs and Marketing Department at 630-571-5466, ext. 522, or by e-mail. Click here to learn more about this flexible club format for young adult members.