BC Lions Bring Down the House in BC High Schools

The BC Lions go back to school.

Although the BC Lions have the goal of winning the Grey Cup each season, they have an important goal away from the football field: to give back to their community by working with high-school students throughout BC. A first-class organization, the Lions realize that sometimes kids need an extra push and some guidance to make sure they don’t stray from the right path and live a healthy lifestyle, both physically and emotionally. The team gets this message out through their Lions in the House program, sponsored by ActNow BC.

Since its debut in 2003, Lions in the House has become a tremendous success and has received endless support from the players and ActNow BC. The program consists of a group of BC Lions players spending an hour at various high schools around the Lower Mainland, where they help students in grades 8 to 12 build school spirit, confidence and teamwork skills. Lions in the House features a combination of speeches made by various players and physical activities aimed to engage the students and teachers. Jamie Taras, the Lions’ director of community relations and a former player, describes the hour-long interactive presentation conducted by BC Lions players as a way for teens to “take away positive messages about bullying awareness, the importance of health and nutrition, maintaining a positive attitude and the benefits of continuing their education.” When asked of the inspiration behind the Lions in the House program, Taras says, “We wanted to develop a fun interactive program that impacted high school students in a positive way [and] we wanted our players to identify with youth off the field and inspire young people to pursue their own dreams and goals.” The opportunity for students to meet their favourite Lions players is simply an added bonus.

The Lions in the House team is manned by several players, including Barron Miles, Sherko Haji-Rasouli, Dean Valli, Jason Jimenez, Javier Glatt, Lyle Green and Geroy Simon, who are all incredibly supportive of the program. “Without the players, the Lions in the House program would cease to exist,” Taras emphasizes. Each player is responsible for delivering their own positive message. “They are expected to walk the talk, meaning they don’t ask kids to do things that they aren’t prepared to exemplify in their own lives,” says Taras.

The program runs between February and May. To book a Lions in the House presentation, contact the BC Lions community relations department at 604-930-5473 or at communityrelations@bclions.com.