Teens form Leo Club at North Boone High School

By Bob Balgemann

Reporter

POPLAR GROVE – Students at North Boone High School are known for their service to the community.

Seventeen of them have come together, along with sponsoring Lions clubs in Capron and Poplar Grove, to form a Leo Club at the school.

An organizational ceremony and dinner was held Thursday night in the school’s cafeteria. Among those attending were District Gov. Jim Kloepping; Vice District Gov. Pam Graney; Zone Chair/Trustee Steve Boettger; NBHS Principal Jake Hubert; and Assistant Principal Heather Walsh.

Former District Gov. Roger Day of Poplar Grove was in the audience.

Sponsors of the new club were Barb Sager, a member of Capron Lions Club; Jodie Embry, representing the high school; and Bob Kemp and Bob Alderman, members of the Poplar Grove Lions Club.

“Bob Kemp was relentless in not letting this go,” Graney said. “He wanted a Leo Club here.”

A Leo Club, she explained, is a leadership, service organization that’s sponsored by a Lions Club. It is open to boys and girls 12-18 years of age so, one day, there also may be a club at the middle school.

“This is a great opportunity,” Hubert said. “We have great expectations from this group.”

It is the first student club at the school that is affiliated with a fraternal organization.

Graney installed the first set of officers while informing them of their responsibilities. They are: Mariela Perdomo, president; Skyler Yunk, vice president; Jacob Blouin, secretary; and Bryan Guzman, treasurer.

She then installed the rest of the members, telling them what a privilege it was to be a member of a Leo Club.

Those included Lindsay Anderegg, Pattsy Alvarez, Jade Campos, Sarah Carlson, William Cunzeman, Kyle Hoffmann, Nicholas Krawczyk, Thomas Lee, Griffin Schuster, Johnathan Salman, Kristine Tukesbrey, Mason Yunk and Nancy Zuniga.

The signing of the charter followed.

“Together, we will work to make a successful beginning,” Perdomo said.

District Gov. Kloepping first joined a Lions Club in 1986. “Why not earlier?” he asked, then answering his own question, “Because no one asked me.”

“This is the price you pay for the space you occupy,” he said, offering his definition of service. “I believe these new Leos will be doing that.”

For Zone Chair/Trustee Boettger has been secretary of the nearby Kirkland Lions Club for 21 years. For him, the best thing about service is “seeing the faces of the people we serve.”

Poplar Grove Lions Club President Owen Costanza said club member Ron Quimby, who was unable to attend the dinner, started the new Leo Club off with a $50 pledge.

The new Leo Club will kick off its existence by assisting the Boone County Soil & Water Foundation with its annual tree sale. Pickup will be April 24-26 at 18528 Poplar Grove Road.

For details call Bob at (815) 765-3266 or Jim at (815) 544-2677.