Upland Group Girls Blue 2022 Members
(Left to Right) Chloe Nafarrate, Allyssa Miao, Vanessa Wong, Karis Yoon
Upland, CA – The Upland City Council will be recognizing three hard-working members of Lion’s Heart on Monday June 25 for earning the Presidential Volunteer Service Award signed by the President of the United States.
The awards are based on the number of volunteer hours served. Vanessa Wong is receiving a gold award for contributing 100 hours to the community while Allyssa Miao and Karis Yoon each earned silver awards for spending 75 hours to help those in need.
Upland Chapter Class Coordinator Sylvia Tam says her then 12 year old daughter Vanessa Wong founded Lion’s Heart because she wanted to do more for her community with her friends as it was hard to find volunteer opportunities for kids.
Lion’s Heart is a national nonprofit that connects 5th-12th grade students with local service opportunities to help them build a strong community service portfolio. They proudly celebrated one million hours earlier in the year. Upland CA 2022 Girls Blue Group recently completed its first year and together logged 291 hours of community service, Tam said.
Some of their service projects included collaborations with Children’s Foundation of America, Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Ontario Animal Rescue, Sustainable Claremont, Pedal Pushers for the Rose Bowl and the Christian Development Center for food distribution. They also made cookies for nurses in senior homes during Thanksgiving, Father’s Day cards for seniors, led meetings for younger Girl Scouts troops, helped at local school events, sewed toys for animals in shelters, and made cards of encouragement for children in the hospital.
“What I like most about Lion’s Heart is that we each can choose our own projects as well as with the whole group. It’s also very rewarding to hold formal meetings and to see all my time tracked online in one place,” Wong said.
That’s what Lion’s Heart is all about, Tam said. “It’s important for kids to give back early in life and learn the value so they continue the giving spirit and make time to care for their community.”
Support teens in action by forming a Lion’s Heart chapter in your neighborhood, becoming a Member, or requesting Lion’s Heart teen volunteers to support your cause. For more information, visit www.lionsheartservice.org today!
About Lion’s Heart
We are Lion’s Heart: teens dedicated to positive social impact. We are a national 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides 5th-12th grade students with local service opportunities that help them build a strong community service portfolio. Teens can track hours, earn leadership awards, and export their service portfolio to use on scholarship, college, and career applications. We are over 10,000 Members strong with new chapters forming every day across the United States! To form a chapter in your neighborhood, become a Member, request volunteers for your cause, or become a corporate partner, visit www.lionsheartservice.org.
