For many Leos around the world, joining a Leo club is finding a community of people to connect with through service, creating lasting friendships with and gaining valuable leadership skills. For Leo Kai Spence from the Central Queensland Leo Club in Australia, being a Leo not only gave him a group to serve with, but a family. It was at the club where he met his wife, Ruth, and later welcomed their new baby.
I love being a Leo because while the work we do makes our community and our world a better place, I get to have the time of my life doing it.
But having a baby didn’t slow them down at all. He and his wife just finished helping host the Queensland State Leo Conference. Discover how Leo Kai balances family, life and service, proving that being a Leo leader and a dad is possible.
1. How do you incorporate service into your everyday life?
Since our daughter, Claire, was born, my life has changed in more ways than I could ever have imagined, including the ways in which I am able to integrate service into my everyday life. Six months ago, I could finish a full days’ work, contribute to my home life and still have time left in the day.
Today, more of my time is spent helping around the house or caring for Claire so I don’t have much time left in the day to focus on Lions service. But the great thing about serving others is that there are opportunities to help in more ways than one. I look for opportunities to serve my community in smaller more regular ways, such as monitoring social media, supporting members in our Leo club more and integrating family time with community events.
Ruth, who’s a Leo-Lion, and I have found that although we may not be as able to assist in activities or meetings the way we previously could, just being present and participating in any capacity is more inspirational than we could have imagined. Ruth attends three community events with Claire each week and, as a family, we try to participate in two events each month on top of our standard Leos and Lions meetings. I strongly believe that service is a part of who we are as Leos, and no matter how small our contributions may be, we are always making a difference and inspiring our community.
2. Are there any unique challenges you face both as a Leo and a dad?
I have learned that the challenges I thought I would face are not always the most difficult. I thought that my main challenges would be finding time, having people judge me for bringing a baby to events and how my infant daughter would behave during the events.
However, after more than seven months, the two main challenges I have faced are traveling with Claire at nights and accepting my limitations. Traveling at night is difficult with Claire because she doesn’t enjoy being in a car at night. This means that we are not able to attend events in the evening if they are far from home. We are fortunate that our club was happy to move our meetings to Sunday afternoons as this has mostly resolved the issue. The challenge I am still working on is being able to accept that I am unable to participate in all the events I used to as I now have to consider my family’s wellbeing.
Before agreeing to volunteer at an event or participating in something, I have to consider if I will be able to complete the task with Claire, and, although the baby carrier makes many things possible, I am not able to participate in activities that involve significant physical exercise. But I can still be helpful pouring water, serving food, managing registrations or other similar tasks.
3. What are some of your favorite Leo projects or events?
As a Leo, the main event that I always look forward to each year is the Queensland State Leo Conference. Recently, this event was hosted by my district, and Leos from all over Queensland enjoyed a weekend of fun and learning. This is always a great event that motivates me to remain a Leo, and allows me to meet like-minded people and make lifelong friends. Claire accompanied me throughout the entire event.
I am also passionate about my Clubs Alive project, which endeavors to spread awareness of the seven warning signs of suicide. Over the past few years, Central Queensland Leos have distributed our warning cards around Australia with the support of many clubs and are always eager to find more ways to increase awareness.
4. Why do you love being a Leo?
For me, being a Leo is so much more than the joy of helping my community. It’s the opportunity to spend time with friends and meet new ones. I have been a Leo since my club was chartered seven years ago, and in that time, I was able to help my sister overcome losing her best friend to suicide through our Clubs Alive project.
My wife and I have met other Leos who have become amazing friends, many of whom travelled six to ten hours to attend my wedding. It’s a small commitment and a small sacrifice to make when I consider all the things that being a Leo has given me. I love being a Leo because while the work we do makes our community and our world a better place, I get to have the time of my life doing it.
Stay up to date on Leo initiatives, and hear more inspiring stories about young leaders on the Leo Club Program Facebook page!
Melissa Nadeau is the Alpha Leo and youth specialist at Lions Clubs International.
