Knox Lions honor LaVan

From staff reports

Knox Lions Club February Student of the Month is Kaylee LaVan a student at Keystone High School and the Clarion County Career Center who was presented with her certificate of achievement and monetary gift by Lion Bill Black.

LaVan was selected by her school for her activities and accomplishments both in and outside the classroom and in the community.

Among her many school activities, she was a member of the basketball team during her eighth-grade year and she enrolled in horse riding lessons for four years.

LaVan’s after-school activities include working at Montana’s Country Caf in Marble as a dishwasher. During her junior and senior years, she started working at Sharp Shopper and Burger King. Due to her work ethic, she is able to pay for her phone, car, car insurance, gas, and car accessories.

Her community activities include volunteering at a couple of area churches by helping set up for a yard sale, helped to arrange clothing at the foster closet, and helped in children’s church one Sunday a month.

Additionally, she helped at Heavenly Gaits in Knox by assisting the children during their weekly lessons and kid’s camp. She also helped train a horse so that others could ride it.

During LaVan’s spare time, she likes to ride horses, take care of her dog, Trudy, play games, ride four-wheelers, draw, watch movies and hang out with family and friends.

She has attended the Allied Health program at the Clarion County Vo-tech for the past three years. Her academic achievements include being listed on the honor roll each quarter at both, Keystone High School and the Career Center as well as being inducted into the National Honor Society at the high school and the National Technical Honor Society at the Vo-tech.

At the end of March, LaVan will be going on a trip to King of Prussia for a HOSA competition through the Allied Health Services program. While at the competition, she will be performing skills such as hand washing, bed making, gowning up, admitting a patient, etc. This opportunity could lead to a trip to the state competition in Nashville, Tenn.

After graduation, she plans to attend Clarion University to obtain an associate’s degree in nursing. She has already been accepted to the college and has earned a scholarship in the amount of $3,000 per year for up to four years of college.

Chartered by the Lion’s International in 1953 with 15 members, the Knox organization’s purpose is community service. The club sponsors Youth Soccer, the baseball association, Shippenville and Knox fire and ambulance companies, Youth Field Days, road cleanup, and the Salvation Army.

The club conducts an annual sight drive and helps to provide eyeglasses and hearing aids to those who cannot afford them.

The club conducts sight examinations at Keystone and Allegheny-Clarion Valley Schools each year for incoming kindergarten students. The club accepts used eyeglasses and hearing aids for redistribution to those in need.