Lions and Leo Club Win Kindness Matters Service Awards
The Leo Club of King Island (Tasmania) and Lions Club of Melton (Victoria) have taken out this year’s national Kindness Matters Service Awards.
The prestigious award recognises outstanding Clubs who develop creative and impactful service projects relating to one of Lions Clubs International’s (LCI) global causes; diabetes, childhood cancer, environment, hunger, vision, youth, humanitarian and disaster relief.
The Leo Club of King Island – Freedom to Feel Fantastic
The King Island Leos’ entry, ‘Freedom to Feel Fantastic‘, is a body image and self-esteem campaign by the Australian Lions Wellbeing Foundation (ALWF) designed to help young people feel good about the skin they’re in.
The Leos ran activities at their local District High School and were allowed to wear free dress, with any gold coin donations forwarded on to the ALWF.
The message of being kind to yourself was played out with students aiming water balloons at a splat wall, which was decorated with negative body image messages.
Younger students made photo frames designed with positive messages to “reframe their thinking”.
This is the second year Leos have run this activity, receiving great kudos from both their peers and teachers about the activities and messages represented.
Congratulations to the King Island Leos!
The Lions Club of Melton – Supporting Children Displaced by Crime
The Lions Club of Melton‘s entry, ‘Supporting Children Displaced by Crime’, involves donating emergency packs for children aged from newborn up to 14 years who have been taken into emergency care at the police station as a result of crime or safety concerns.
The project began after a chance catch-up with the Local Police Community Liaison Officer and a member of the Melton Lions Club.
A conversation ensued around local policing challenges and the Lions Club looking at building on their key focus this year around supporting children and young people.
It was during this conversation that they spoke of the challenges that police face on occasions where young people have been victims of or witnessed traumatic/emergency incidents and come into police care. In these scenarios the police need to provide dry, clean and warm clothes.
This scenario was immediately raised with the Lions Club Committee who quickly came together and purchased clothes, shoes, nappies and toiletries and made up “Emergency Packs”.
The clothing packs and trauma toys provided by the Melton Lions Club shows their care for their local community and supports vulnerable young people.
Both entries have now been sent to Lions Clubs International to be considered alongside the entries of other Multiple District winners for the international component of the program.
Global winners of the Kindness Matters Service Awards will be announced in February next year.
