Leadership San Benito County, an organization designed to foster
community relations, will be sending out applications next week in
hopes of training a new class of leaders in 2007.
Hollister – Leadership San Benito County, an organization designed to foster community relations, will be sending out applications next week in hopes of training a new class of leaders in 2007.
Leadership San Benito is a countywide leadership development program that trains about 35 people each year during an 11-month course of study. Participants learn about nearly every aspect of the county, including education, public safety, government and agriculture, through lectures, discussion and hands-on field work. It began in 2003 as a side project of the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce, but grew into its own nonprofit organization. Since then one class has graduated from the course and a second will do so in July.
Prospective leaders can apply through the organization itself or through the Chamber of Commerce and applications will be available next month, said Mary Damm, a member of the group’s recruitment committee. The program is open to everyone, but by application only. Applicants are called for interviews, then selected to obtain a diverse balance for the group, Damm said.
“We try to get a good cross section of the community,” Damm said Friday. “The contacts that you make are a very important part of the class.”
The goal, Damm said, is to get community leaders working together.
“We want people who are making decisions in the community to think about how their decisions will affect others,” she said. “The goal is to have more informed citizens that know how to be leaders and inspire others to be good leaders.”
Jackie Muñoz, a member of Leadership’s board of directors and superintendent of the Aromas-San Juan School District, said the experience gained from the course is invaluable.
“People are learning not only about leadership, but also about their community,” she said. “Is it worth it? Absolutely.”
Although most of the program’s alumni are over the age of 30, Leadership’s President Will Sutton is hoping to expand the class in future years to include younger generations.
“After we get a crop of alumni and the program is well-established, I would like to start seeing some young adults get in there,” Sutton said. “Right now we’re looking for people that can bring a lot of experience.”
With the program’s current class nearing graduation, Leadership officials are predicting great things from the class of 2007, Sutton said. The impact of the program on the community is already being noticed in many circles, such as the Chamberlain Children’s Center, he said. Leadership has raised thousands of dollars to build a new fence, playground, softball diamond, volleyball court and half-size basketball court for the center. And more projects are in the works.
“That was something that the community needed, but not many people knew much about,” he said. “And the class raised tons of money for that.”
Although the program is already making a difference, Leadership officials have even more in mind.
“Our ultimate goal is to grow more community leaders,” Muñoz said. “And make this a better place to live.”
The class of 2007 will likely meet for the first time next September.
