Starting a new service club in Palos Heights was a “leap of faith” for Mia Narciso, a junior at Marist High School in Chicago. But several months into the effort, the Palos Leo Club is proving just as beneficial to club members as it is for people in the community.
One of those benefits is proving false the “bad rap” that young people are only interested in being online.
“I know that’s not true because of what I’m seeing. People have all these ideas for helping. They are choosing to show up and show out and give their best,” she said. “The feeling I get when I see that has to be my favorite part.”
The club, which welcomes members 12 to 18 years old, held its induction ceremony last August and now has more than 30 members from six schools. “We have a lot of kids in Palos, but we’re Palos Heights, Palos Park and some kids who are a little outside there. We’re working on volunteering in the Palos area, but they don’t have to be from there,” Narciso said.
“What’s so great is we’re such a fantastic reflection of our community. We have people from different areas and different ages and are seeing different problems,” she said. “If you saw our meetings, you’d see we just have idea after idea. … It’s been a refreshing perspective.”
The club meets monthly but also conducts three to five service or volunteer projects each month. “I attend every event, so I see (members) five times a month,” she said.
“I was originally a little worried it would be leaning toward high school kids … but what’s so inspiring is there has been such a variety of ages who have joined the Leos,” Narciso said. “My sister is a freshman in college. We have all years of high school. We have all years of middle school and have some fifth graders in there. It’s super exciting to know we have a really diverse age group.
“I really see the future of where this is going to go, and I know that’s so exciting for me. I have so much hope with our younger members and how involved they are,” she added. “Their commitment to the Leos is really inspiring.”
She described the club’s mission as “very community-driven. I think at the end, it’s giving back to the community but having fun doing it.”
And that enjoyment is a big component. “Something about interacting with the youth is we get to have so much fun. We are volunteering, picking up the trash along the road (on Rid Litter Day), and we made it a competition,” she said. “I’m inspired by the people and the incredible things we’re doing. It’s been a blast, and we’re just getting started.”
Thus far, recruiting club members has been done via word of mouth and social media through new member chair, Aaron Aldrich. Mia Narciso’s mother, Gina Narciso, is the club’s coordinator and helps connect club members and their parents via email. For information about joining, email her at postgina@hotmail.com.
“Because we interact with the community, we have a lot of opportunities to engage,” Mia Narciso said. “Me and my mom have gotten emails from people whose kids want to be involved. It’s very fulfilling to us that people are starting to see and respond to our message from the community.”
Word of mouth is how club treasurer Ethan Halikias heard about the Leos.
“I feel like Leo Club is a great way to work on our local problems, because if we help someone locally, we can do so much in our communities,” he said. “I think our mission is to make an impact one small step at a time to end up bettering our community and building a strong community of younger individuals.”
Halikias, a junior at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, said he enjoys getting into the community and helping others, “making a direct impact.”
He especially enjoyed a senior technology night the club hosted in December. “I think our first time doing something like that, it went pretty well. … I helped an older gentleman with playing music on his phone. I helped another older gentleman editing pictures.”
Halikias already has ideas for another service project involving sports equipment, “because sports are such a big part of our community.”
“It would be cool if we could collect equipment that people don’t use and give it to people who need them,” he said.
Club secretary Malaina Lisiecki, a senior at Marist, enjoys the neighborhood service projects. “My favorite one was the Santa’s workshop, when we helped the kids pick presents for their families,” she said.
She also enjoyed helping tutor seniors in technology and would like to see the club “volunteer at soup kitchens, donation drives – anything to help,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed working with the younger volunteers in the Leo Club as well.”
Vice president Patrick Ready, a junior at Marist, also enjoyed working with older community members, but also wants “to keep the community great and growing for the next generation,” he said.
“I’d love to see us host a math tutoring event for kids in middle school,” he said. “I think kids get scared by math, and I think we could all help them with different tips and strategies.”
All of those activities help Mia Narciso continue the legacy of service inspired by her grandfather, Tom Post, who faithfully served the Palos Lions Club for years before his death in 2023.
“My entire life I was familiar with my grandfather and his commitment to the Palos Lions,” she said. “Me and my siblings, but especially me, thought, we have to give back in some way. There has to be something we do that involves Lions. You can’t be a Lion until you’re older, and I was really raised by the idea that we should give back to our community.”
When they learned about the Leo Lions Club, an international organization related to Lions International, they were all in. “My mom and I were like ‘Oh yes.’” and they began working to establish the Palos Leo Club.
In the months since, Gina Narciso has been heartened by the response to the club.
“The best part of all of this is that it seems to really strike a chord with these teenagers as we are continually adding new members and finding kids who want to give back to their community,” she shared.
Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
