Leadership Whitley County participants gain awareness of local non-profits during recent session
(Photos by Kelley Sheiss) Above, Jeff Wike of The Center, standing at center, presents information to the LWC Class as part of their awareness session. Wike was one of five non-profit representatives present to share interesting facts regarding the role of their organization in the community. Below, Leadership Whitley County class members, from left, Christina Oilar, Carrie Ebersole and Holly Fry evaluate each other's public speaking skills at the December session of LWC.
By Kelley Sheiss
The December session of Leadership Whitley County convened at the Brownstone Café in South Whitley with AgPlus and LWC Alumni serving as this month’s sponsor. The morning kicked off with an informative awareness session featuring a panel of local non-profit organizations Panel members included: Aja Michael and Mary Jo Raffety of the YWCA, Jeff Wike of the The Center, Pat Mossburg of the Salvation Army, Tracy Peterson of the Literacy Council and David Addison of the Purdue Extension Office. Each panel member had the opportunity to provide an overview of their organization, detail its benefits to the community, and highlight areas for possible volunteer involvement. Several panelists also provided thought-provoking statistics related to our community and its citizens. LWC class members then had the opportunity to ask questions of the panel members.The main topic for the day was “Public Speaking,” Class members participated in an enlightening activity identifying their “animal personality.” The session included overcoming fears of public speaking, knowing your audience, providing constructive feedback, and a challenging exercise on building self-confidence. The class met in small groups and presented short speeches to one another. Group members provided a critique of each presentation. The session concluded with class participants presenting impromptu speeches on topics provided by the session facilitator. It proved to be an enjoyable and impressive conclusion to the day, as class members practiced what they had learned.
As the LWC program heads into the new year, class members will experience programs focusing on teamwork, conflict management and personal mission. For more information on participating in Leadership Whitley County in 2008/09, supporting the program, or having an informational presentation made to your business or organization, contact Kelley Sheiss at 799-4045 or 3dsheiss@whitleynet.org