Triumphant Roar | Edition 3 Volume 1

MESSAGE FROM
MULTIPLE DISTRICT

PRESIDENT

It gives me a great pleasure to write this message
for the official newsletter of Leo Club of Athugalpu-
ra. Athugalpura Leos have proved their outstanding
and unique writing skills by bringing an interesting
content to the Leos of Sri Lanka through the official
newsletter.

A newsletter is an opportunity to every Leo to
showcase their talents and a platform to express
their ideas out of Leoism. I have seen many inno-
vative initiatives which were introduced by Leos of
Athugalpura and I hope that you all will continue it
with the future leaders.

I believe that this newsletter be a success and I
request the editorial team to add exciting and cre-
ative contents to the newsletter in the coming fu-
ture. Also, I hope that this newsletter will be anoth-
er platform to all the Leo readers to get updated on
what Leos of Athugalpura does to the society.

I would like to convey my sincere wishes to the
President, and the members of the Leo Club of
Athugalpura and also the editorial team all the suc-
cess in everything.

I take this opportunity to wish Athugalpura Leos all
the best.

Leo Lion Dilshan Peiris
Multiple District President
Leo Multiple District 306, Sri Lanka

MESSAGE FROM
CLUB PRESIDENT

Leo Club of Athugalpura has marked their presence
in the Leo movement since the beginning. It is with
great pleasure and responsibility I assume the du-
ties as the new Club President of this remarkable
club. Under the past leadership of Leo Supasan
Deemantha , the club reached the pinnacle of suc-
cess. We were able to be the best new Leo Club
of 306C1 and second runners of in MD306 after
2 months of installation. With innovativeness and
creativity Athugalpura Leos have branded them-
selves.

I am privileged to guide these amazing souls to
another successful year. With the challenges and
barriers, we will be polished sharp to be the new
leaders we are meant to be. Leo club of Athugalpu-
ra homes to some of the amazing souls who will
take any responsibility to their shoulders. With the
great team I have we plan to thrive in the year
2021/2022 as well. We will be climbing another
step in the ladder of success.

The Newsletter of Athugalpura highlights some of
the key projects we carried out during the past
couple of months. I must thank Leo Gihan and the
team for the amazing newsletter for the 1st quar-
ter of the new year.
Cheers

Leo Kalindu Kumarasinghe
Club President
Leo Club of Athugalpura

PAGE | 03

PRANAJEEWA

Another humanitarian project executed by us, the sequel to our first phase of Pranajeeva which
had been another shining milestone in our project diary. The program was carried out during
the period of the pandemic when there was a little of a relief over the restrictions and it made a
good time for the club members to gather after a long term of dissociation. Blood never leaves
a surplus and it was observed that the Blood Bank of Kurunegala is running short of donations,
hence it was decided call up for a donation campaign there with immediate effect. The flyers
were circulated days’ prior the event and the function was aired live successively bringing in a
humane and a compassionate crowd to make the donations.

A majority of the club members involved in the donation with a keen interest and the program
was properly managed and organized over the guidance of Leo Uvindu Kumarasinghe on the
chair, Leo Kavindya Subhasinghe on the Secretariat and with Leo Kalindu Kumarasinghe man-
aging the finances. The program is supposed to be performed annually ascribable to its suc-
cessiveness and the charitable upbringing brought about on the community. The program was
carried throughout the day and the program was ultimately a wrap raising another flag of Leo
exuberance.

PARAMITHA PAGE | 04

SERVING TOGETHER WITH LIONS CLUB OF KIRIBATHKUMBURA

Paramitha has been a combination of five dif- Out of everything the medical camp had been
ferent programs which were intended to cover a really needful circumstance as the locals who
five different areas. This was more of a pro- were present were most senior citizens and the
ject marathon held within the day. The project checkup had been a valuable favor for them. All
was carried out on a Poya day at the Padeni- the programs were carried out successfully as
ya Rajamaha Viharaya as the targeted crowd the work was decentralized and each of Leos did
had been swarming to the premises on the due their job to the finest of order. During a term
date. Hence making our project be more ben- which everything going on virtually was a norm
efiting and fruitful. The event was conducted this project was an efficient opportunity for all
with Rev. Katumuluwe Sumarathana Thero as the club members to reunite and work with the
the chief guest and in corporation with the Li- same synergy as they used to be. The project
ons Club of Kiribathkubura represented by Lion was chaired by Leo Kavindya Subasinghe with
Dileepa Thennakoon, former president 20/21. Leo Supasan Deemantha as the Secretary and
There had been five goals, Leo Dhananjaya Bandara on the treasury. The
project had been a huge success & the merri-
• An eye donation campaign ment had been priceless as the number of bene-
• Distribution of reading glasses ficiaries who were served was stupendous.
• Plant distribution
• Free medical clinic
• Diabetes and cancer awareness program

“
An investment in
knowledge pays
the best interest ”

PERAMAGA PAGE | 06

Peramaga has been a trailblazer project launched
by the Leo Club of Athugalpura under the guidance
of Leo Tharushi Karunathne and the project had
been a huge success which drew a smile on each
of the faces who initiated the program and those
who took part in the seminars. The seminars were
initially planned to be conducted on the mathemat-
ics subject in order to have the mathematical skills
of the students be improved as mathematics is the
crucial factor that determines the academic pro-
gress as well as the career pathway in the life of an
individual. Not every endeavor strives a long run
unless the proper guidance and the leadership is
administered on it, proving the fact the organizing
committee led by Leo Tharushi Karunarathne with
Leo Shanuka Embuldeniya on the Secretary chair
and Leo Nadun Jayamanne doing his best on the
bills and the treasury was able to blow the trum-
pets of victory sprouting their effort into a series
of events carried out even more subjects such as
Science, English & Tamil.

Even under the restricted conditions and limited
facilities the Peramaga sessions are still being con-
ducted for the sake of sparkling up the future of
the young saplings who are to take over the future
of our nation. It’s a must to mention the corpora-
tive effort and the enthusiastic involvement of all of
the club members together as one in this venture
bearing witness to the fact that the Athugalpura
Leos is tightly knit family who stands for each oth-
er and comprises of a bunch of altruistic & pretty
beings who seeks out the goodness of humanity.

The second phase of Peramaga program is be-
ing carried out under the guidance of Supun
Wikramasinghe with Leo Ishini rupasinghe on the
Secretariat and with Navik Samaradiwakara man-
aging the finances. It’s quite proud to see our Leos
keep nurturing the good work at a constant phase
even under challenging circumstances. It’s a must
to mention that the true words of loyalty and felic-
ity emanated from the bottom the heart of those
students which wrote down on paper vouch more
than anything else for the success of the project.

PAGE | 07 ALOHA Later on with the delivery of President’s
speech by Leo Supasan Deemantha, our dis-
Marking the splendorous year we’ve come tinguished Special Guest Lions Club President
through while raising the Athugalpura Leos to Lion Dileepa Thennakoon, Guest of Honour
what we have become, a brilliant horde bearing Leo Tharindu Jayasinghe , Chief Guest Leo
a knack for challenges & selfless devotion to- Samitha Perera addressed the gathering,
wards the betterment of the community as well with our distinguished Club Advisor Lion Mr
as their own character development, Aloha had Lal Pussedeniya making the closure remarks
been a monumental celebration of the 1st Anni- for the day, all being worthwhile speeches.
versary of our Leo journey since the inception.
The evening at the Green Serenity Resort had
The countdown elapsed with the slowest hours been egrossed with the celebration of the An-
ever to exist, the day was awakened with the niversary with a fascinating Calypso band pro-
gleeful hearts throbbing uneasy of the seconds viding entertainment for the Leos. Upon cut-
passed till it was he time for the knees up. It ting the Anniversary cake, everybody enjoyed
was finally the 3rd of April, counting fingers till the refreshments & the beverages served and
the eve could’ve prolly been the hardest part of eventually stepping towards the fun & froliking
the day. With the participation of almost all the phase of the day. The day was planned by Leo
Leos the event was commenced ceremonially Chamodi Dhanasekara along with Leo Tharushi
with thr arrival of the guests followed by the Karunarathne & Leo Keshani Kodduruarachchi.
lighting of the oil lamps.
Being showered with felicitations & appre-
ciations for the incredible achievements &
the colors shown, everybody was elated &
made the evening a truly awesome knees up.

PAGE | 08

PAGE | 09

WINTER RELIEF

The project ‘Winter Relief ‘, chaired by Leo Harshani De
Zoysa was launched as a combined effort joining 24 Leo
clubs covering the multiple district of Sri Lanka in collab-
oration with Leo clubs from India, Pakistan, Nepal and
Bangladesh serving number of beneficiaries throughout
the world.

This International campaign was carried out under the
primary concern of addressing the issues caused as a re-
sult of the exposure to extremely cold temperatures. As
cold climate doesn’t create much impact on our country,
the project plan was executed with the aim of aiding the
ones who are unable to meet their basic needs during the
current epidemic which has received considerable critical
attention presently.

As per the request received from Mawathagama hospital
a fundamental community need was addressed through
this project with the objective of setting an example by
lending a helping hand to the underprivileged individuals
and families by offering them clothes, books and sports
equipment. The necessary stock of usable garments and
materials were collected through advertising the project
on social media platforms and the packaging was done
appropriately to facilitate the distribution. A ceremony
was organized on 2nd of January 2021 at the rehabilita-
tion center of Mawathagama hospital with the purpose of
handing over the items to the poor and destitute who had
no means to provide for themselves. This was held with
Dr.A.N.G.D.Hemanthi as the chief guest and Dr.A.S.C.Sil-
va, Mrs. M.R.P.Manike and Mr. G.R.S.Anuruddika as guests
of honor.

CHAMPIONS PAGE | 10

Engagements with schools across the country have
shown that youth in high deprivation areas are more
likely to be excluded from sports due to the costs as-
sociated. While some may have numerous options to
engage in sports, many young talents have been opt-
ed out from the opportunity to benefit from the men-
tal and physical aspects of youth sports participation
due to the sole reason, Unaffordability of equipment
where Covid has widened this spread at present.

The project “Champions” chaired by Leo Supasan Dee-
mantha was launched in two phases. Firstly on the
18th of January, donating equipments for Volleyball to
the Boyagane Maha Vidyalaya while imparting them
with the required knowledge & practice. Then secondly
on the 21st of February 2021 donating sports equip-
ment to the Ku/Kirindawa Maha Vidyalaya as a part of
fulfilling this broader need which was concluded with a
well contested lively match awarding medals and cer-
tificates for the achievers.

“
Only those who dare
to fail greatly can
ever achieve greatly ”

PAGE | 12

PAGE | 13

THALEO

“TO LITTLE HANDS, DEVOID ANY HURT OF THORN TIPS ”

Thalassemia being the most common genetic disease in Sri Lanka, it is identified that Sri lanka
falls under the countries with an intermediate prevalence of Thalassemia. Among majority of
the cases reported in Sri Lanka, Kurunegala bears the topmost of the districts with reported
cases. Thalassemia is an inherited, autosomal-recessive blood disorder and the victims need to
have blood transfusion throughout their lives while going through other medications and it takes
2-4 lakhs a year to treat a thalassemia patient.

It was observed that the National Thalassemia Centre which is in Kurunegala, is running short
on the cannulas. So we decided to raise funds club wise and through circulating the news via
social media which had a positive impact and had us flowing with funds from generous out-
siders. We were able to donate 500 cannulas to the Thalassemia unit with all the donations
reached us. Furthermore, we had planned to provide the schooling children with their needful
stationary and equipment and also we were able to provide the patients with a snack upon the
closure of the program. Fullest support from the staff of the thalassemia center was rendered
and this had been really a monumental project we were able to carry out in our project diary.
Although we had planned to make it a program with fun and frolic entertainment sessions, it
had to be cancelled abiding to the safety measures due to the prevalence of the pandemic. The
project was a chaired by Leo Keshani Kodduruarachchi while having Leo Dilini Withanage on the
secretariat and Leo Vihanga Abykoon on the treasury. This project marked a golden lining on
the project diary of Leo Club of Athuglpura.

PAGE | 14

Hunger Free

Hunger Free is a series of programs which was carried out under three phases which involved
different approaches towards the satisfaction of hunger. No matter how much we are born fortu-
nate, hunger is a sin we all have been casted upon and even though we are capable of fueling up
ourselves each and every day, there is a crowd always who are mostly unseen and unheard just
because of their underprivileged living conditions and their hardships which are burdensome with
their poor living conditions and due to being battered with the adversity of the prevailing pan-
demic crisis. Yet hunger being common for each and every one of us this series of events were
brought to life through a concept of leo Gangamini Chandrasiri along with Leo Dilini Withanage
and Leo Sachithra Opitapathirana.
The project involved provision of food supplements to the those who are needful at the moment,
on the first phase a meal was offered to those who are helpless at the streets, then rations and
provisions were donated to families with a low income within the Galgamuwa area. The second
phase involved provision of food to the street animals which had been really a heart melting
scene yet filled with happiness of helping the voiceless poor lives. The third phase involved in the
provision of 50 jackfruit plants to the locals in the Maspotha area with the intention of them being
a help in the future in fulfilling the sustenance at least to a certain extent. The active involvement
of the club members had been a really pleasing sight to see strengthening up the bonds as a one
family of Leos.

PAGE | 13

Have you heard the word ‘Diabetics’, what is Diabetese,
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high.
Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hor-
mone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy.
Health is the wealth, so Leos decided to discuss and aware about one of the major diseases ;di-
abetes under the aim of preventing and informing about diabetics through a project called “San
diabetics” .The project sans diabetes chaired by Leo Kavindya Subasinghe and played the role
of secretary by Leo Buddhima De silva which was held on 29th of April 2021 via zoom under the
category of project for diabetes was a great moment to younger generation in Sri Lanka to gain
an idea about what is diabetes, what are the symptoms and especially how they can prevent
from this disease. The chief guest of the event was Leo Samitha Perera (District President) while
Leo Tharindu Jayasinghe (District President) was the guest of Honor.

As this was an open forum, this event was not only for younger generation but also for all the
community who was required to aware about diabetes. Any how we could make 150 participants
as beneficiaries including Leos of Athugalpura and other Leos from several clubs and community
who are interested with this topic.

We as Leos always concern the betterment of the people in society. Now a days’ diabetes is a
common disease and one that people know about but perhaps not everybody knows how diffi-
cult it to be manage. Back then we have discussed to do this physically somewhere but because
of the 3rd wave of Corona pandemic we decided to do this valuable project online, using the
zoom platform. We have done the project successfully with around 65 participants via zoom and
number of participants via Facebook live session. Session done by Mrs. Kalpna Subasinghe (UG
faculty of Allied Health Sciences University of Peradeniya and a former research student of health
sciences, President, District Vice President and the Regional Director). Finally, San diabetes, Di-
abetes Prevention program came to an end

PAGE | 16

ARUNODHE

wrefKdafoaThe project ‘Arunode’ chaired by Leo Kalindu Kumarasinghe was launched on the motive of

quality education and literacy for the students in rural areas.

Project carried exclusively for the O/L students of financially unhealthy families who lack school
education and unable to participate tuitions. Project plan was to conduct seminars to be a help
to those students.

Students of Trincomalee Sinhala School were selected under this project. After a discussion
with teachers and students, a series of seminars has started for Mathematics.Project carried
under 3 phases. First two phases in August and September of 2020 carried physically within
the school and 3rd phase conducted virtually in April of 2021 via e-learning platforms.

With the numerous support from Leo club family by conducting seminars and monitoring the
project, students provided a huge favorable response which resulted a successful completion
of the project helping the students to achieve a higher success rate.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Community is kind of a salad, as delicious as a chop suey. It turns out a delicacy for the ones
who tries & tastes it. It’s the humans spanning out to a plethora of differing thoughts & dispo-
sition blend up the true essence of their own flamboyance. The youth empower movements
in other words, are silverware freely laid on for grabs to have a mouthful of this delicacy be
tasted. When the nutritive elements comprise of Leadership, Experience & Opportunity it’s the
wholesome LEO’ness you are being served at the table.
Getting a bit onto my perspective, mutual interaction is something on the dire straits on the
present day, yet justifiable with the rat race we subconsciously are a part of. At the end of the
day we are nothing but a bog man curled up of the stress we have been through, character
development, empathy, cordiality & thoughtfulness have become mere words which are bur-
densome even for the thought. Eventually leading oneself to the point of embracing an unreal
version of themselves, introvertedness & reservedness could be exemplary of this ultimately
giving rise to a toxic crowd with no values intact.
LEOhood, hands down could be referred to a force which gentrifies such a personality with its
beautiful people propelled with altruism & optimism enlightening the worlds of earthly beings.
Hence humbly bringing you the maiden newsletter for the leoistic year 21/22 constituent of
our work which goes under the spotlight. Striving for a better & brighter day as always, we are
Leos’ of Athugalpura! embrace the true essence of Leoism.
Leo Gihan Senanayake
Editor in Chief