Feb, March, April 2024 - Issue 17
Metro Leos Club is open to 9th-12th Grade Students
https://metroleoclub.wixsite.com/metroleosclub
LEO
L - Leadership - develop skills as a project organizer, time manager and team leader
E - Experience - learn how teamwork, cooperation and collaboration can bring exciting change to your community and the world
O - Opportunity - make friends and feel the rewards of community service
Board Members
Dylan T , President
Grace P & Nilu V - Co-Vice Presidents
Audrey H, Secretary
Gabby C, Treasurer
Avery S, Past President
Ella B, Board Member
Molly C, Board Member & Website
Astro C, Board Member & Tail Twister
Logan R, Board Member & Tail Twister
Shaheen V - Board Member
Loria W - Board Member & Instagram
Samantha W, Board Member & Facebook
Advisors: Betsy Landers, Ken Hackman & Dee Collins
Keep the Rez Beautiful Hosting Mississippi Great American Cleanup
Keep the Rez will host the kick off event for Mississippi’s Great American Clean-up on Friday, May 3rd from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm. Volunteers will gather at the Bobby Cleveland Park at Lakeshore for a rally then be dismissed to their individual sites around the reservoir to plant trees, clean up planting beds, plant flowers, pick up limbs or trash. Visit https://www.keeptherezbeautiful.org/events-1 to find out more or you can register to help at this link.
There is currently new playground equipment being installed at the Bobby Cleveland Park at Lakeshore as well - thanks to a grant and volunteers working with this Mississippi Great American Cleanup event!
The Metro Leos will help with KRB’s May Day on the Rez
Due to Keep the Rez Beautiful hosting the Mississippi’s Great American Cleanup event, there were not enough resources or time to host Earth Day on the Rez. Keep the Rez Beautiful decided to host a smaller, similar event on May 11th that is called May Day on the Rez. It will have fun children’s activities such as rock painting, a geology wildlife station, an archaeological dig for kids, a pinecone bird feeder making station and more!
Please sign up to volunteer for the event and also help us get the word out by posting to your social media.
Blessing Bags and Bags to Mats at Madison Library
On Metro Lions Club members provided items and helped package individual items donated to the Madison Library to help the homeless at the Madison Library on February 10th. Donated items included such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, socks, along with ready to eat food items such as tuna fish, jerky, crackers and bars. Each month the Madison Library holds a Bags to Mats program where volunteers can help turn plastic grocery bags into mats for the homeless. The blessing bags were turned into a homeless shelter along with some of the mats made from the Madison Library program.
Valentines Day Cards & Treats given to Retirees at Nichols Center
The Metro Leo Club made Valentines Cards and took some candy and crackers to the Nichols Center to wish the residents a Happy Valentines Day. The residents loved receiving the cards and treats!
Metro Leo Club volunteered at Madison’s Hazardous Waste Day
Metro Leo Club members volunteered at Madison County’s Hazardous Waste Day on March 23rd. They reported that they stayed very busy with long lines of cars there to drop off waste materials at the different sites. Thanks Leos for helping out with this important community service project!
Eyeglass Collections
Metro Leo Club members are helping to recycle eyeglasses. Eyeglasses that are donated in Lions Club boxes are sent to Walmart who processes the glasses. The eyeglasses can then be given to humanitarian effort groups who can distribute the glasses around the world to those in need.
Lions Club Scholarship Awarded
The Lions Club of Madison Scholarship selection committee received many deserving scholarship applications, but could not decide between the top two so they decided to award two scholarships this year. Please congratulate Avery Smith and Loria Williams for their dedication to their communities and academic achievement. Avery Smith served as Vice-President during 2021-22 school year and President during 2022-23 school year of the Metro Leo Club. When Avery began attending the Mississippi School of the Arts she took her love for Leos and started a Leo Club in Brookhaven. She still made time to serve at Metro Leo events such as the Merry Market event when she returned home. Avery will attend the University of Southern Mississippi and major in vocal performance and music education. Loria Williams is a Metro Leo Board member and Instagram manager. She has served her community through organizations such as the Crown Club, Beta Club, National Honor Society in addition to the Metro Leo Club. Loria is also active with her school’s debate team, government club and her church. Loria plans to major in International Studies at the University of Mississippi. Congratulations to both of these outstanding young women! We can’t wait to see what your future holds.
You can view Betsy Landers presenting the scholarship to Avery Smith at the MS School of the Arts Awards Day Ceremony on youtube. It is around the 36 minute mark. Madison Lion member and Metro Leo Advisor Ken Hackman is working on making arrangements to present Loria with a certificate at Madison Central Awards Day ceremony in May.
Lions Club Golf Tournament Fundraiser
Please share the Golf Tournament Golfer Sign up or Sponsor Form with anyone you think will be interested in attending or sponsoring the Lions Club of Madison Golf Fundraiser. The fundraiser helps the club provide funds to support the many community service projects of the club. Some of the service projects include providing free vision screenings to daycares and schools in our area, sponsoring students to attend the Boys and Girls Leadership Camps, providing funds to the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, funds for the Leader Dog Training Program, support for the Sea and Sun Camp, Mississippi Eye Bank, Childhood Cancer, MS Lions All State Band, local high school scholarships and so much more!
Download the Golfer Sign up form or the Sponsor Form and share on your social media sites. Metro Leo members who sign up sponsors or golfers can earn community service hours. Thank you to the current sponsors of the 2024 Tournament.
Join Social Media
If you haven’t already, please join the social media accounts for the Metro Leo Club. While we mostly communicate through GroupMe, we are working to increase our social media presence on Facebook and Instagram. You can also keep up with activities the club has participated in by viewing the club’s website or find old issues of the newsletters on the Metro Leo website.
Boys and Girls Leadership Conference
We had 4 girls from the Metro Leo Club attend the Girls Leadership Conference this year. The Lions Club of Madison also sponsored 1 boy to attend the Boys Leadership Conference. These young women enjoyed their time listening to different speakers, such as Miss Mississippi, who gave the attendees valuable and interesting information on an array of different topics. The women attending also had the opportunity to make life long connections and friendships with one another by working together in multiple fun and engaging activities.
The photo on the left shows Dylan, Logan, Ella and Nilu.
Sea and Sun Camp
The Lions of Mississippi is a sponsor for the Sea and Sun Camp held at Camp Wilkes on Biloxi Bay in Mississippi. This year’s camp will be held May 17-19 and the Metro Leo Club has been invited to provide some volunteers for the event. If you are interested in volunteering you can download a 2024 Volunteer Form. To find out more about the program you can download this brochure. This year the camp is being held during senior graduation for MCHS so I will be unable to provide transportation. If you know of a parent or Lion member who would be willing to provide transportation to and from Biloxi, please email.
The Metro Leos who went last year had a great time. It is a worthy camp to support so please consider helping out.
If you are interested in attending this camp as a volunteer, please email your form to metroleosofms@gmail.com.
Metro Leo Club Meetings
Following are some photos from the March and April Metro Leo Club Meetings.
Upcoming events
May 3 - Keep the Rez Beautiful’s Mississippi kickoff of the Great American Cleanup
May 8 - Madison Lions Club Golf Tournament Fundraiser
May 11 - May Day on the Rez Free Children’s Events
May 17-19 - Sea and Sun Camp for Visually Impaired in Biloxi
Metro Leo Remind Signup: text to 81010 with the message @9b23f4 Remind Instructions.pdf
Join the Metro Leo GroupMe
Contact metroloesofms@gmail.com if you need to be removed from the mailing list - please email remove me.