A New Path to Leadership Opens for West Hawaii Teens
Lions Club of Kona launches a community-based Leo Club for ages 13 to 18, opening the door to students from any school, including those learning at home
The Lions Club of Kona has announced the formation of the West Hawaii Leo Club, a new community-based service and leadership club for teens ages 13 to 18 living anywhere in West Hawaii.
The launch marks an expansion of the club's long-running work with young people. For years, the Lions Club of Kona has sponsored the Konawaena High School Leo Club, where students take on local service projects under the guidance of adult mentors. The new West Hawaii Leo Club broadens that reach beyond a single campus. Teens from any school in the region are welcome to join, and homeschooled students will have a place at the table for the first time.
Leo Club members will work alongside Lions Club members on community service projects across West Hawaii. They will also have the chance to collaborate with alumni of the Konawaena High Leo Club, many of whom recently formed the Kona Healthy Leo Lions Club. That continuity matters to organizers, who see the new club as part of a longer arc that carries young volunteers from their teenage years into adult service. Members will also be invited to attend a statewide Leo Club convention, where they can meet peers from clubs across Hawaii and share what they are working on at home.
Organizers point to a practical benefit as well. College admissions officers begin evaluating students as early as freshman year, and a sustained record of community involvement carries real weight in applications. Joining at 13, representatives of the Lions Club of Kona noted, gives a teen four or five years to build that record while developing the kind of well-rounded experience colleges look for.
The Lions Club of Kona brings deep local roots to the effort. Chartered on June 19, 1934, it is the third oldest Lions Club in the state of Hawaii and one of the largest in the islands. Its members have spent more than nine decades on projects that touch nearly every corner of the community, from hearing and vision screenings at elementary schools to health fairs, food drives, and environmental work. The club's community foundation also stewards Harold Higashihara Park in Honalo through Friends of Higashihara Park, a partnership with Hawaii County Parks and Recreation that has kept the park and Kamakana Playground in good shape for families across the region.
Teens interested in learning more are invited to attend an informational Zoom meeting. Inquiries can be sent by email to westhawaiileoclub@gmail.com.
For additional information, contact PDG Lion Mitch Tam at 808-756-3838 or westhawaiileoclub@gmail.com.
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