Lion's Heart Youth Group Makes Greeting Cards For Special Olympics.

Teenagers from Lion’s Heart have chosen to welcome Special Olympic Athletes from Spain and Indonesia by making greeting cards. These handmade cards will be distributed in gift bags to the athletes when they arrive in Mission Viejo on July 21.

Before the games begin in Los Angeles, the City of Mission Viejo as part of the Host Town Program will host 170 athletes and coaches from Spain and Indonesia. Various community groups, businesses, organizations, sponsors and volunteers will welcome the Special Olympians.

A sample of greetings on the cards in Spanish and Indonesian are: “Welcome to Mission Viejo, CA. Enjoy the games and have fun. You are a champion. It’s your day, your week. Make it a great adventure. You brighten the day with your enthusiasm and spirit. Have a wonderful trip and enjoy the games.

Mika Astono from the 2017 Boys Red Group said, “We really liked making cards for the athletes. It would have been a challenge writing the cards in Indonesian, but since my sister, Keila and I were born in Indonesia, we know the language and it was easier.”

Twins, Stone and Skylar Smith said, “It is a great project and a fun way to greet the athletes to our community.” Along with Alexandria Nguyen, they lead their groups and made more than 100 Spanish cards.

Lion’s Heart is the symbol of a strong heart for giving in Orange County and nationally. Lion’s Heart is a community service organization for boys and girls in grades 6-12. They are dedicated to serving the community in meaningful and fun ways. Each group elects their own officers that lead meetings and decide how to serve the community. They are required to complete at least 30 hours of community service each year.

The volunteer group was launched in 2004 by Terry Corwin and her son Spencer Corwin.. Spencer and his mother launched the group because there were no groups for mothers and sons. What started as a small group of 20 boys now includes more than 400 teenage boys and girls.

Members of Lions Heart in Mission Viejo and the surrounding area have eagerly volunteered more than 350,000 hours. Some of the projects the group has been involved with include blood drives, food drives, book collections, beach cleanups, helping with education projects including tutoring students for free and assisting teachers in classrooms.

There are many videos on YouTube- Lions Heart/A National and Orange County Group; www.youtube.com/user/lionsheartservice. For more information about Lion’s Heart please go to www.lionsheartservice.org.

To learn more about how you can get involved with the Mission Viejo Host Town program, visit http://www.la2015.org/host-town/mission-viejo and on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HTMissionViejo. To volunteer, please contact recreation@cityofmissionviejo.org

_ZR