Leo - Leadership, Experience, Opportunity - stands for service. Leo means doing the right thing all the time.

Leo is a lion.

"It's important to be a part of your community and give back to create change in your community," said Jarrett Falduts, who's a Bareville, Leola, Leacock Lion and the adviser for the recently formed Conestoga Valley Leo Club. "Just being a person who gives. It's really just God's work. You have to reach down and help people out. The impact it creates for yourself and others is unlike anything else."

It's been a few months since Falduts; his son, Geno, a sophomore at Conestoga Valley (CV) High School; and his daughter, Sydney, a seventh-grader at CV's Gerald G. Huesken Middle School, pooled their talents to form the Conestoga Valley Leo Club. The club is sponsored and supported by the Bareville, Leola, Leacock Lions Club, but it is not officially affiliated with the Conestoga Valley School District.

The Conestoga Valley Leo Club conducts meetings online at 6 p.m. on the second Sunday of every month and engages in community-building altruistic activities, not unlike its parent organization. Included in the monthly meetings are guest speakers, leadership-building exercises and the development and planning of upcoming events.

"For me, as the adviser, I'm giving kids an opportunity to see things they may never have seen before in their lives," said Jarrett. "It's a leadership development group for giving back to the community. I want to show kids how to work with the community. We want to motivate people to be philanthropists. This club is about giving back and getting things moving."

The Conestoga Valley Leo Club is currently made up of 18 students ages 13 to 16 who attend school in the Conestoga Valley, Warwick and Lampeter-Strasburg districts. Many of them are friends of Geno and Sydney or close relatives.

"They're like the top kids in their grades," said Jarrett. "They're athletes. They're very involved. A lot have part-time jobs. They're already very busy. But to take something else on means they want to be better people. They're super kids who will probably go to college and end up making a difference in the world."

"Being part of the Leo Club reminds me of how lucky I am," said Jackson Poole, a sophomore at Lampeter-Strasburg High School. "I appreciate what I have, and it makes me want to help others."

Among the events that the Conestoga Valley Leo Club has been involved with since its founding are a banquet celebrating Lions and Leo Club presidents at Yoder's in New Holland; an Easter egg hunt for Arc of Lancaster clients at Leola Community Park; and a regular Bareville, Leola, Leacock Lions Club induction ceremony.

In addition to helping to build job resumes and providing valuable experience, volunteering can serve as a way for getting kids outside and off screens.

"It's really up to the kids what they want to do," said Jarrett. "We want to help out with Lions Club events. There are a lot of kids who don't know what Lions Club is about. We just want them to get their hands dirty. We want them to see what Lions do. We want them to learn about things that are already in place in the community."

"They're learning how to be leaders in their community," added Jarrett. "They're creating a better world for themselves and others."

There are about six Leo Clubs currently operating throughout Lancaster County, many of which are affiliated with school districts.

"I've been a Lion for about 14 years now," said Jarrett. "Just being part of the camaraderie associated with the Lions Club is awesome. I think helping out in the community is something everybody should be a part of. It's good for you and other people."

The Bareville, Leola, Leacock Lions Club meets at 6:15 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at the War Memorial Building, 54 W. Main St., Leola.

For additional information, go to https://e-clubhouse.org/sites/bareville_leola_leacock.