Speaker Doubleheader: Peter M. Phillips, Challenged Sailors San Diego & Michael Brandenburg, Lions Leo-Omega Clubs

LEO Omega – Gateway for Future Generations of Lions

While the topic is LEO Omega – Requirements & Aspirations, it is important to place the topic in a larger context of being one of the solutions to the aging demographic of our Lions and declining Lions membership. While we need to reimagine ourselves at all levels of the Lions organization to be relevant in the 21^st century and attract new generations to undertake community service, today we will explore how establishing a community based LEO Omega Club, sponsored by a Lions Club, can enable us aging Lions to achieve so much more. For those already familiar with the better known LEO Alpha program for ages 12-18, the LEO Omega program can be an effective bridge for aging out LEO Alphas continuing to serve their communities while in college and in their 20’s. Also, once we achieve and broadcast the successes of LEO Omega, we can easily recruit beyond campuses to have a broader community participation in community service for the 18- 30 age demographic. With this backdrop, we will dive into the LEO Omega – Requirements & Aspirations

Challenged Sailors San Diego

San Diego County has a population of approximately 3.3 million people. According to San Diego’s demographics Countywide, approximately 10 percent of people have disabilities. Of those disabilities, 35 percent, or approximately 116,000 people have physical problems. As one of our past beneficiaries, many of you are familiar with Challenged Sailors San Diego. Their mission is to provide therapeutic and recreational adaptive sailing opportunities for people with disabilities to enhance their dignity, well being, and independence. Put more simply, their mission is, through sailing, to change lives! Peter Phillips, their President, will be updating us on their most recent activities.