If you made it to the annual Lion’s Club Carnival at Firemen’s Field earlier this year, it would have been hard to miss a costumed big cat making the rounds.
“Tyler (Fazio) walks around and takes pictures with the kids. He’s so committed to the club,” said Paige Cronin, the president of the Somers High School LEOs Club. And the jovial lion is far from the only one.
With 120 members, the mission is pretty simple.
“We assist the Lion’s Club and help out to improve the town of Somers,” said Cronin.
The latest initiative has Maria Fareri Children's Hospital on the agenda. “We’ve heard so many stories of how they are so great with children with cancer patients,” said Cronin.
The main fundraising vehicle lets Somers play the lottery. “We’ve found that raffle tickets have been helping a lot,” said Cronin.
The face painting at the carnival probably didn’t disappoint either and neither do the efforts with the Polar Bear Club. “We raise about $20,000 each year for the Special Olympics New York,” she revealed.
The top fundraising school this year, the plunge is an area where the club actually sees an impact. “Last year, they told us the LEOs were able to sponsor 50 athletes,” said Cronin.
Not the only ones standing pat, Cronin ran for president because she wanted a more active role, and in accordance, the LEOs have become more visible. “We used to wait two weeks before actual events to fundraise,” she said.
Now, the LEOs’ presence is more consistent. “Sitting outside Bobo’s or DeCicco’s," said Cronin, “we can spread awareness for the cause as well as have people buy tickets”
Even so, she admits that it’s hard to top Tyler. At every event and usually the whole time, Cronin said, “there’s not enough good words I can say about him.”
And there’s no overlooking how hot it gets in the Lion suit on a 70 degree day. The Somers senior is also hard to turn down - even when people leave their cash at home. “We have Venmo and Zelle,” she conveys his go to line.
Of course, she has her own. “You can help out in your community and also have a social life and do everything you want to do,” Cronin asserted.
Along those lines, the exiting president considers her impact over the last four years and not just with the LEOS. Track and various student and athletic councils, she concluded, “I hope I left behind an example that says you can be involved in many things in Somers.”
See the LEOS on Instagram: @somershighleos
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