Lions Heart is a non-profit organization that has been around for over 11 years helping teens build leadership and volunteer for their community. They build teams of 20 by their grade level, gender and their location.
Under the DIO (Director of Impact), who oversees volunteer projects, encourages participation, tracks hours and prompts leadership, members are put on a path to success.
Members volunteer in their communities to earn community service hours by working with local nonprofits, assisting in food banks, helping at shelters, participating in environmental clean-up and supporting various charitable causes.
Members take on leadership roles, plan volunteer events and work with their peers to organize service projects. They also log their volunteer hours through an online portal which can be used for their schools, awards, scholarships and college applications.
Members who have a significant amount of service hours can qualify for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. The Presidential Award is highly honored with the lowest tier for 16 to 25 year olds needing at least 100 plus service hours for the Bronze and the Gold award starting at over 250 hours.
Lions heart is supported by member dues, grants and business and personal donations. They have a dedicated staff that creates meaningful opportunities in member’s communities.
There are a total of 239 Lions Heart groups located in 30 states with over 190 chapters. With over 6000 volunteer opportunities in total, they have volunteered for over 2,100,000 hours.
In our very own community there is a Lion’s Heart group run by Michelle Widarto, which has 14 members, so far during this season, they have met five times with just one more to go. This last meeting will be on Feb. 23 at La Cienega in Laguna Hills where a Judge will be guest speaking.
In November Mrs. Widarto’s group made gift bags for active duty service members, and in December they stuffed stockings full of holiday treats and specialized cards which went to active and reserve members.
Lion’s Heart is an amazing opportunity for students from all age ranges to get involved in their community and earn service hours alongside gaining leadership skills.
