RYE HIGH SCHOOL
-
RHS Leo’s Club and leaders at the Spanish Peaks Veterans Community Living Center. Courtesy Photo
Each year the Rye High School Leo’s Club plans a trip around Valentine’s Day to visit the veterans at the Spanish Peaks Veterans Community Living Center in Walsenburg.
Leo’s Club leader Paula Maroney reports, “ This is one of their favorite activities. The Leo members put together little bags of candies and write out Valentines to take to the Veterans.
Around Valentine's Day we go hand them out at the Veterans Center and the kids visit with the people. They really seem to enjoy it.”
This year, the Leo’s put together 100 Valentine’s Day gift bags, including some with sugar-free candy for diabetic patients.
Ten Leo members plus Leo Leaders and Lions Paula Maroney, Fran Holliday, Dennis Maroney, and Petra Garcia traveled to Walsenburg on a cold, snowy, Friday morning with icy roads to visit the veterans and deliver the treats.
The Leo’s also make and distribute Valentine’s treat bags for the staff at the Veteran’s Center.
The Rye/Colorado City Leos were greeted by Shawna Cook who is the activities director at the veteran’s center. Cook has hosted the Leos for several years and is familiar with their wonderful project of distributing Valentine's gift bags.
The Leos visited and distributed treats for about two hours. Maroney shared, “I love to watch how the members interact with each other and the patients. I am so impressed with the kids; they just jump in and get things done.”
The group stopped off at the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Walsenburg for lunch before returning home.
While they are making Valentine’s Day bags, the Leo members also make bags for the staff of Rye High School to show their appreciation for all the help and support that they give the Leo’s Club throughout the year.
These bags are divided up and delivered by hand to the teachers and staff by the Leo members.
