The 17 charter members of Alpha Leo Club back in 1983 with their proud founder Lion PDG Wally Havertong, the Alpha Leo Club’s first Leo Club Advisor.
The members were Lydia Arnell, Cheryl Arnell, Junior Arnell, Lisandra Havertong, Ivan Havertong, Claudio Buncamper, Carl Buncamper, Michael van Grieken, Ronald van Grieken, Farine Larmonie, Christ’l Larmonie, Mark Vlaun, Jeanette Joseph, Farida Tjon, Gretche Voges, Ariadne Wassenaar and John Walraven. This photo appeared in The Daily Herald in 1983.
PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Alpha Leo Club will be celebrating its 35th anniversary.
A youth arm of the St. Maarten Lions Club which caters to youngsters ages 11-18 years, the club was certified by Lions Clubs International on April 16, 1983.
It all started when Past District Governor Lion Wally Havertong, the Leo Club’s founder, gathered all the children of then Lions Club members who were within that age range and started with a simple activity whereby they would climb the different hills of St. Maarten.
After studying the International Leo Programme, Lion Wally approached his Lions Club, the St. Maarten Lions Club, with the request to form an “Alpha Leo Club” with all the children of the Lions Club members who were then 11-16 years of age.
After receiving the green light from his Lions Club and the consent of all the parents of the children, Lion Wally started discussing the Leo Club Programme with the 16 children he had gathered and preparing them to become Leos – in particular the Leo Club motto “Leadership, Experience, Opportunity” – teaching them that through the Leo Club programme they could develop and practice leadership, with the organisation teaching them social skills through participation in Leo Club activities and service projects, while enhancing the community.
All 17 youngsters embraced the idea and after a period of preparation and studying all literature they were ready to serve. At the beginning of April 1983 the St. Maarten Lions Club received the official Certification documents from Lions Clubs International and on April 16, 1983, the 17 charter members of St. Maarten Alpha Leo Club were officially installed by then-District Governor Filimon Durant of Sub District 60B with Lion Wally Havertong as their first Leo Club Advisor.
The charter members were Lydia Arnell, Cheryl Arnell, Junior Arnell, Lisandra Havertong, Ivan Havertong, Claudio Buncamper, Carl Buncamper, Michael van Grieken, Ronald van Grieken, Farine Larmonie, Christ’l Larmonie, Mark Vlaun, Jeanette Joseph, Farida Tjon, Gretche Voges, Ariadne Wassenaar and John Walraven.
Leo Carl Buncamper was the club’s first President with Cheryl Arnell as Secretary and Junior Arnell Treasurer. Leo President Carl Buncamper had to leave the island in August 1983 for further studies abroad and Leo Lydia Arnell took over the presidency of the club. Club meetings were held on the first and third Saturday of every month in one of the Sundial School classrooms.
The Leos chose as their slogan for service “Where there is a need, we do the deed”
and their first fundraising event was a carwash and bake sale under the tree at the then-Food Center Supermarket on Bush Road where they raised NAf. 1,300 and with part of the proceeds purchased and donated a wheelchair to a physically-challenged child.
Soon after Lion Wally was joined by Lion Desta Nisbeth and both Leo Club Advisors taught the youths leadership skills, how to organise projects, work as a team and independently, and to become motivators of their peers and help them to develop their commitment to helping and enhancing the community.
In keeping with the initiative that brought about the Leo Club’s establishment, the members organised several hikes for children of the elementary schools on Saturday mornings, taking them through the various areas and hills especially where there were historical sites teaching them the history of St. Maarten.
When drug use became evident on the island, Leo Club co-Advisor Lion Desta with his experience in the field together with the Leo Club organised sessions in collaboration with the police for the general public, especially parents of youths and the youths themselves, on the dangers of drug use.
The Leo Club was also the first to organise a massive Drug Awareness March through the streets of Philipsburg on a Saturday afternoon with several other youth organisations joining in, carrying anti-drug-use signs. At the end of the march both the then Lt. Governor of Sint Maarten and the Mayor of Saint-Martin addressed the crowd on the dangers of drug abuse.
This initiative of the Leos brought about a stimulant for Turning Point and people became aware of the fact that the establishment Turning Point was very necessary.
The clients of Sister Basilia Centre from the beginning had a special place in the Leos’ hearts and they came up with the idea to do something very special for these clients. Together with the late Rene Florijn the Leo Club organised St. Maarten’s very first Street Fair. With the necessary permit, in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and all merchants on Front Street, the entire Front Street was closed off and people could rent a spot from the Leos to sell food, all sorts of merchandise, etc.
It turned out to be a great success. With funds raised from the Street Fair and a successful Radio-/TV-thon, and assistance from their Lions Club, the Leos were able to take 10 Sister Basilia Centre clients to Disney World for an entire week of fun. This was the most daring project undertaken by the Leos at that time and was considered a most appreciated undertaking by the entire community.
With the Disney World project having been such a success the Leos took on another daring project. Again through another street fair, Radio-/TV-thon the Leo Club was able to raise the necessary funds to send a young boy with hearing problems who needed an ear implant to the USA to have the implant done, enabling him to hear much better.
With several charter members leaving the island for further studies abroad the Club organised a very successful recruitment campaign and several youngsters joined the Leo Club. The Club went through several changes. Many young people who were members of the Leo Club and did not go abroad for studies but remained on the island and were above the age of 18 wanted to remain members of the Club.
At that time the Leo Club, remaining an Alpha Leo Club, catered mainly to young professionals. Also former Leos who had returned to the island from their studies abroad again joined the Leo Club. However, this did not last too long because they were at an age to become Lions, so several former Leos became Lions and brought new energy to the St. Maarten Lions Club and increased Lions visibility with these young professionals. . Former Alpha Leo Club members who are presently Lions Club members are Claudius Buncamper, Claudio Buncamper, present Lions Club President Alison Busby, Nathalie Busby, Nina Diaz, Lisandra Havertong, Sunil Khatnani, Carmen Lake-Reyes, Christ’l Larmonie, Giovanni Sprott and Michael van Grieken. These Lions today continue to make a positive contribution to the development of St. Maarten through the leadership skills provided them by the Alpha Leo Club.
Several of these former Leos, such as Lion Ivan Havertong, Lion Claudius Buncamper and Lion Lisandra Havertong took over from Lions Wally and Desta and became Leo Advisors of the Alpha Leo Club. For the past 18 years, since the year 2000, Lion Lisandra Havertong has been the Leo Advisor of the Alpha Leo Club and continues to teach leadership skills, giving club members experience and opportunity to serve their community.
Throughout the past 35 years in St. Maarten the Leo Club Programme has produced many well-rounded young professionals, who as Lions have held and continue to hold key positions not only on Club but also on Lions District level. Since the certification of St. Maarten Omega Leo Club (19-31 years) some three years ago several former Alpha Leo Club members continue today to serve as Omega Leos.
Many former Alpha Leo Club members who are either studying or living abroad have either joined Leo Clubs wherever they live or study where they continue to either serve in Leo Clubs there or continue to implement there the leadership skills they have learned as Alpha Leos here in St. Maarten.
Just recently Lion Lisandra received a video from a former St. Maarten Alpha Leo Club member who is presently studying in the Netherlands where she joined the Leo Club of Rotterdam where she continued to serve the less fortunate children, etc., and thanked Lion Lisandra and the St. Maarten Alpha Leo Club for shaping her and making her the person she is today.
At present, the Alpha Leo Club is known for its various community projects such as:
“’Tis the Season” project during the Christmas season when they collect food items from the community at the various supermarkets annually and distribute close to 100 food baskets to less-fortunate families, the annual Scholastic Basketball tournament for various schools on the island, the annual Talent Show for the clients of Sister Basilia Centre, and so on.
Their ongoing drug-awareness programme which now carries the slogan “A Healthy Body is a Drug-free Body” continues to bring awareness to the community in their fight against drug abuse.
This coming Saturday, April 14, the Lions Club will host the 35th Alpha Leo Club Anniversary Gala Dinner with Leos, Lions and their families, and special invited guests.
