Be A Lion

Lions meet the needs of local communities and the world. The 1.4 million members of our volunteer organizations in 206 countries and geographic areas are different in many ways, but share a core belief - community is what we make it.

Though Lions are well known for successful initiatives in vision health, Lions service is as diverse as our members. Lion volunteer for many different kinds of projects-caring for the environment, feeding the hungry, and aiding seniors and the disabled.

Whenever a Lions club gets together, problems get smaller. And communities get better. That's because we help where help is needed - in our own communities and around the world - with unmatched integrity and energy. Click here to learn more.

SEK Wands for Wildlife – Generation Z Volunteering

Four members of the Frontenac High School freshman class have spearheaded a community service project to benefit Wands for Wildlife. With the Pittsburg Lions Club as a sponsor, these students have created SEK Wands for Wildlife.  

Engaging in community service provides students with the opportunity to become active members of their community and has a lasting, positive impact on society at large. Community service or volunteerism enables students to acquire life skills and knowledge as well as provide a service to those who need it most. Participating in community service not only makes a difference to the organization and people being served, but also makes a difference to every student's career prospects. 

Each student is playing to his/her strengths within the roles they have taken on. Hannah Lee is the Organization Chair. Coy Medlin is the Volunteer Manager; Camden McDonald is the Social Media/Marketing Chair; Abe Fredrick is the Communications Chair.  By playing important roles in the project, the students want to enhance their resumes by obtaining work-related skills prior to graduation, build good references for employers in regard to community involvement and provide a forum to network with future potential employers.

The students selected area businesses spread throughout the community to contact about becoming a drop-off location for mascara tubes. This project had the students contact the businesses. By having the students initiate the communication, the hope was to enhance their personal knowledge, grow from new experiences, and develop better interpersonal communication skills. Seven (7) area businesses have offered to become designated sites. Frontenac High School, Raider Express, Labette Bank-Frontenac, Lindburg Pharmacy North, Celebrations by Lori, Attractions Salon, and Ascension Via Christi Hospital.  

All the businesses received a collection box decorated by Hannah and delivered Camden. Weekly pick-up of the wands will be conducted by a Lions Club member. Once there is a substantial amount of wands, the students will schedule a date and coordinate with other students wanting volunteer hours to clean and package the wands to be mailed to the Wands for Wildlife Foundation.

Wands for Wildlife benefits a wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit in Western North Carolina, that recycles old mascara wands to help remove fly eggs and larva from the fur of animals. The wands work great because the bristles are so close together and gentle to use on the injured and orphaned wild animals receiving care. 

Convoy of Hope - F.E.A.S.T.

Convoy of Hope in Springfield, Missouri, has a mission statement of definition, "we are a faith-based, nonprofit organization with a passion to feed the world through children's feeding initiatives, community events, and disaster response."

AS the need for food in Haiti continues to grow in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, Convoy of Hope has been working to ship 11.8 million meals and other relief supplies to Haiti. The meals are designed to provide calorie-dense nutrition as each rich and soy meal also includes vitamins, minerals, and dried vegetables.

The Frontenac United Methodist Church (FUMC), under the leadership of Pastor Annie Ricker, has partnered with Convoy of Hope to create a food packing community involvement event - F.E.A.S.T. On Saturday, March 23rd, teams of volunteers from various church groups, families and organizations throughout Southeast Kansas worked together for 1.5 hours to package 10,000 individual meals to be delivered to the children of Haiti.

One of these groups of volunteers consists of members of the Phi Tau Omega Philanthropic Sorority (PTO). PTO's national platform for 2018-19 is "Feed the Hungry". So this opportunity was an obvious fit.

FUMC Pastor Annie Ricker is a member of the Theta Epsilon Chapter of PTO and was instrumental in connecting the sorority with the event. Members from the Theta Epsilon Chapter (Girard, KS), Alpha Kappa Chapter (Arma, KS), and Phi Kappa Chapter (Pittsburg, KS) all took part in this worthy endeavor.

Formed in 1925 by eight women, Phi Tau Omega became a national social and philanthropic sorority. With chapters in five different states, Phi Tau Omega's generosity reaches numerous communities.

National philanthropies include Box Tops for Education, Ronald McDonald House, and Coupons for Troops. Each chapter selects local philanthropic endeavors to benefit by volunteer hours as well as monetary donations.

With an active membership of over 240 women, Phi Tau Omega is always looking for women who share our passion for friendship and philanthropy. For more information about our sorority, please visit our web site at www.phitauomega.org or contact ptosorority@gmail.com.