Leadership Whitley County accepting applications for upcoming class year
(Talk of the Town photo by Kelley Sheiss) Three recent graduates of Leadership Whitley County work together on a project during one of their class sessions last year. Below, from left, is Christina Rice, April Gerard and Amy Shaw.
By Kelley Sheiss
The opportunity to participate in the next class of Leadership Whitley County is now! As the seventh year of the successful program came to a close recently, recruitment is in full swing for the next group of servant leaders. 
Leadership Whitley County is a unique, eight-month, highly informational program designed to increase community awareness, establish effective networking pools among participants, and enhance leadership skills, both personally and professionally. The program begins with an evening orientation and one and one-half day retreat in September. Monthly half-day sessions are scheduled through March, and the program concludes with a celebration event in April.
Timely and valuable areas of study include: county awareness, collaboration, diversity, trust, compassion, public speaking, working with others, and personal mission. Trainers, both locally and from around the state, facilitate monthly sessions at various locations within Whitley County. In addition to increasing citizen participation for the good of their community, participants also garner tools and information that prove valuable in the home, church and workplace.
“LWC has been a fabulous experience for me,” offered Holly Fry of Northeastern REMC, a graduate of the most recent class. “I got to meet and relate to people that I never would have gotten the opportunity to interact with before joining LWC. And I’m much better and brighter for the experience! I think it’s also helped to boost my confidence in my own abilities on and off the job. All in all, LWC has been a very positive experience for me, and has the added bonus of making new friends and acquaintances!” Fellow class member Amy Shaw of the Whitley County YMCA added, “I learned many things about the community, my leadership style, ways to handle conflict and much more. The highlight for me was the session where we listened to David Neidert talk about our “Mapquest” for Life. This was very moving for me and really made me think about a lot of things in my own life.”
Employers who are seeking leadership or management training for their employees should take advantage of this quality program and consider supporting targeted individuals for participation. Participants will miss one half plus one full day of work for the September retreat, with remaining sessions occurring on the third Thursday of each month and concluding at 1:30 p.m. These monthly half-day sessions allow for employees to plan accordingly and return to work in the afternoon.
Tuition to the program is $600, which includes all meals and materials. There is no travel or lodging expenses. Interested in learning more about Leadership Whitley County or desire to participate? Check out LWC’s website at www.leadershipwc.org or contact Kelley Sheiss at 799-4045 or via e-mail at 3dsheiss@whitleynet.org. All applicants must be submitted by the end of June and tuition is due in full by September 1. A limited number of participants will be accepted, so plan to apply early.