This year motivated Leos and Lions to become more innovative as they adapted to serving safely due to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Through this health crisis, Leos stepped up in their communities and inspired others to do the same. For the 2020 Leo Video Contest, we asked Leos to create a video showing how their Leo clubs had safely served, stayed connected and offered hope to their communities with the theme #HopeConnects.
While COVID prevented us from regularly meeting in person, it did not stifle our passion for helping our fellow community members.
We were moved by the resilience and motivation Leos showed in each video, serving and staying connected to one another. We received 53 video submissions from Leos in 22 countries around the world. When more than 12,000 public votes were cast, we’re delighted to announce the 2020 winning Leo club: Binan Leo Club from the Philippines.
Their project, Sandata Para sa Eskwela (Weapon for School) bought portable WiFi devices for public school children who were doing e-learning because of the pandemic, but whose homes did not have WiFi. They will receive a US$1,000 prize to use for their club’s project. We spoke with club member Joachim Tobias Bautista on the inspiration for their project and what’s next for their club.
What inspired you to submit your video for the 2020 Leo Video Contest?
We understood that our service as Leo club members requires the effort of the whole community. By putting this video together, we hoped to inspire and encourage both Leo members and non-Leos of our community to support our project and other projects to help others. Additionally, we hoped the video could help us receive more donations for our cause of helping more public school students get WiFi access so they are able to access their online education.
How has coronavirus changed the way you serve?
While COVID prevented us from regularly meeting in person, it did not stifle our passion for helping our fellow community members. We adjusted by meeting virtually and remaining devoted by maximizing our leadership and participating in social service activities.
What’s next for the “Sandata Para sa Eskwela” project?
We will use the US$1,000 dollar prize money to continue supporting students in Binan’s access to WiFi for their education. As of now, we have distributed 40 prepaid WiFi devices across different public schools in our city of Binan. We plan to reload these devices monthly, until the end of the school year.
In order to do this, we needed a total of 24,880 pesos more or the equivalent of about US$520. Given the US$1,000 prize, we will be able to achieve our goal of reloading 40 devices monthly for the rest of the school year. Finally, we will use the extra US$480 to purchase more devices and help even more kids continue their online education.
Learn more about their project or donate to it by visiting their Facebook page, Sandata Para sa Eskwela. And check out all the top 10 videos of the contest on the Lions YouTube page.
Lion Melissa Nadeau is the senior youth programs specialist at Lions Clubs International and 2020-2021 vice president of the Chicago Windy City Lions Club.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted communities around the world in different ways. To ensure we’re serving safely wherever we live, Lions should follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization or local health authorities. Visit our Serving Safely page for resources that can help you safely serve your community.
