Leadership Whitley County class learns about local non-profits, gain personal awareness

LWC alum and Executive Director of BABE details the important programs the organization offers Whitley County's youngest residents.

The December session of Leadership Whitley County convened at the media center of Whitko High School in South Whitley.  The morning kicked off with an informative awareness session featuring a panel of local non-profit organizations.  Panel members included:  Shawn Ellis of Beds and Britches, Etc., Gene Donaghy, board member for Junior Achievement of Whitley County, Lindsay Best of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Cara Greulich of Whitley County YMCA and Katherine MacAulay of the Red Cross of Northeast Indiana.  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.   LWC class members then had the opportunity to ask questions of the panel members.

The main topic for the day was “Teamwork and Servant Leadership,” facilitated by trainers from the uLEAD program in North Webster.  Lively activities were incorporated throughout the session, many of which focused on communication as a critical tool of teamwork.   In addition, the Proxemics Relational Space Theory was presented along with defining servant leadership versus self-serving leadership.    Class members worked on growing trust and opening the lines of communication in order to enhance teamwork in their personal, professional and community activities.

Carrie Meyer (left) of Taylor University and Kristi Maloney (right) of The Oaks prepare for a sword finger duel as part of a teamwork exercise that kept class members moving!

Class members participated in an exercise that required no verbal communication, testing their patience but also enhancing their understanding of working together for a common goal.