Leadership Bedford Fosters Networking, Involvement
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Since 1994, Leadership Bedford has been enhancing its community in big and small ways– from building a meditation garden for a women’s home to delivering Easter baskets for needy families.
Other projects have included building a Habitat for Humanity House, launching a youth leadership program and building the Celebration Station playground.
Designed to build adult leadership in Bedford County, the Shelbyville Bedford County Chamber of Commerce-supported program has attracted top members of the business, civic and public-service fields.
Each class comes together monthly to learn about the community, meet leaders in a wide array of fields, network and complete a project that benefits the community.
“This year we have students from the business community, including a retired Army general,” says Roger Hawks, Leadership Bedford board president. “We have members from the banking community, from the technology center, a chamber employee. It varies widely from year to year.”
In 2009, eight adults went through the adult leadership program, and 14 high schoolers signed up for the youth program, which often meets in conjunction with the adult program.
Class members launch the year in September with a retreat – including team building and get-to-know-you activities – that runs from Friday night through Saturday.
They meet again each month through May for one-day training sessions that focus on a different aspect of the community, such as education, social services, government, medicine and agriculture. Classes are held on site, depending on the area of interest.
During the course of the year, class members learn about delegating, problem-solving, decision-making, identifying and analyzing issues, and communication.
“I was able to see things an outsider might not ever see about the community and services and government,” says Hawks, a graduate of the program. “It helped introduce me to the community, and it gave me the opportunity to find out where I could fit best in terms of volunteering and giving back to the community.”
The projects each class chooses may come from members, or they could be submitted by the community and recommended by Leadership Bedford.
In 2008-2009, members chose to complete several small projects. They planted trees at Wartrace Community Park, painted at local parks, worked with Habitat for Humanity and built a meditation garden for previously incarcerated women at First Step Home.
Story by Laura Hill
