Sorting through books for hours on end at the Redondo Beach Public Library, sophomore Grace Walker accumulated over 80 service hours. This initial volunteer opportunity fostered her love for serving the community and led her to create the Redondo Beach Lion’s Heart Chapter, a branch of the nationally recognized service club.
In the chapter, students create portfolios to track service hours and perform a variety of volunteer tasks and projects that contribute to their area.
“The main [purpose] of Lion’s Heart is to spread service to others. It is a place to emphasize how your [service] and what you do for others can make an impact in your community, whether it is big or small,” Walker said.
One project that the chapter plans to take on is a bake sale to aid communities impacted by the California wildfires. The proceeds will go to LA Strong, an organization that assists victims of the fire.
“If I had been placed in their shoes, I would be going through so much pain. They’ve shared their experience with the team and it helps me understand that I’m helping them and those around them, even if it’s just by giving them extra food or clothes,” Walker said.
Walker and other club members assemble goodie bags. Photo courtesy of Grace Walker.Organizing service projects for everything from shelter animals to environmental restoration, the chapter aims to serve various community needs and focuses on making its members more well-rounded in their volunteer service.
“[Volunteering] has made me more empathetic. Many people are not as privileged as myself and I am very grateful [for my privileges]. Ever since starting the club, I have started to appreciate what I have more than ever before,” Walker said.
While many other student-led community service clubs in Redondo Beach meet as school clubs, the Redondo Beach Lion’s Heart Chapter is an independent, off-campus club that meets about once a month, whether it is at a coffee shop or in a member’s garage.
“There are a lot of clubs [at RUHS] that have been around for years, and it’s powerful to start and become the core root of something new that people can find interest in,” Walker said.
Because she is in the founding group for the Lion’s Heart chapter, Walker has the responsibility of building club membership from the ground up.
“Currently we only have six members, but we hope to get many more. My community in school has changed because I have reached out to more people and stepped outside of my comfort zone, talking to new people about the club, trying to get more people involved,” Walker said.
Sophomore Alessa Guzman, a member of the club shares the club’s desire and motivation to add more members.
“Adding more members will help us reach more opportunities. I also think that it would help us include more types of people. Currently, we only have sophomore girls, so we would be interested in expanding to a more diverse group,” Guzman said.
As president of the club and a player on the varsity girls lacrosse team, Walker must manage her time accordingly to account for schedule conflicts.
“I’m a big planner. I like to write things on my calendar and my school agenda. Laying out my days and weeks has helped me keep [extracurriculars and academics] separate,” Walker said.
Given her natural gift for organization, other club members appreciate that Walker allows the club to function efficiently during meetings. Guzman has witnessed the transformation of the club from its beginning.
“Grace provides structure. She prepares us an agenda, which has the topics that we are going to touch on for that meeting. They are normally an hour, and she has always been well-prepared,” Guzman said.
Walker now hopes to achieve the bronze division of the Congressional Award. She presented to her club strategies to achieve the award, which aligns with her methodical approach to her club president title and her academic career as a whole.
With the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. to receive the award, Walker and her club must accomplish a service hour requirement along with physical fitness, exploration and personal development assessments.
“[The award] is made to highlight well-rounded individuals,” Walker said. “If we ended up receiving that certificate, it would truly commemorate our hard work, and signal our success as a club.”
The award is individual, but the club can contribute to each of their individual service hours, which increases their chances of getting the award. Sophomore Claire Visosky, a club member, emphasizes the individual aspect of the award.
“[The award] is cool because you can do it together while also doing your own separate thing. I also think it’s cool how it can’t be involved in school. You really, truly have to make time for it, without getting school credit for it,” Visosky said.
