Watching the Dreamliner

What a treat! At the end of our Business and Economic Development Education Day, I was cleaning up our cups , and packing up to go home. Barry Smith, from the Future of Flight came into the room and said, "Do you want to see something cool?" He brought me and Marc Gerogadis, and Bill DeSelms (Two LSC alumni) onto the flight deck of the Future of Flight building. We had a private showing of the 787 Dreamliner landing. Here's our baby!! A perfect end, to a perfect education day.

Law and Justice Education Day

Our Leadership class had our Law and Justice Day. We heard froma variety of speakers working in the field of Law and Justice. Class member Tina Stryker blew us away with her acting skills during the mock trial.

Some quotes from the class about Law and Justice Day- " I work with many of these agencies and never knew they did so much or fully understood their roles in our community."

"I had no idea what Denny was all about and I am so impressed. I believe all kids that are middle school age should tour this facility."

"Drug Court was very interesting. Great to hear from former addict and see the success this program is having."

26 members of the Leadership Class attend the Retreat

The Leadership Class of 2010 spent two days getting to know each other and learning more about their own leadership styles. The Leadership Board of Directors, Alumni, and Sponsors welcomed the class at a beautiful dinner at Charles on the Cove in Mukilteo.

New Leadership Class Begins September 2009

Margot Helphand, Sarri Gilman, and Carl Zapora welcomed the new leadership class at a 2-day leadership retreat at the Hampton Inn in Lynnwood. Margot led the class through 2-day of exercises focused on learning more about individual leadership styles. Problem solving, communication, and relationship building were taken to a new level as we watched the class breathe life and meaning into the work we call "leadership".

Welcome to our Young Leadership Program

August 2009, Leadership Snohomish County kicked off a brand new program for young leaders to recognize their talent and skills and identify meaningful ways they can contribute to our community. This new program is piloting with 5 exceptional young leaders from The Boeing Company, REACH program. The five people in this pilot class year are; Neel Sheth, Christiana Chen, Quy Le, Zeina Salah, and Mandy Roach. The Leading Change participants meet once each month- August through December to discuss their community projects and focus on a specific aspect of leadership development. They are engaged in doing IT and Business projects for the following organizations; Little Red Schoolhouse, Open Door Theater, NAACP of Snohomish County, the Red Cross, and Senior Services of Snohomish County. They will be contributing 80 volunteer hours to each project.

Building Beds & Leaders

Through all of the paint, sweat and tears, it's so hard to believe that the 2008-2009 Leadership Snohomish County experience has come to an end. What a rewarding time it's been, meeting such exceptional people and learning about extraordinarily powerful topics. Not to mention the opportunities to participate in meaningful impact projects such as renovating rooms at Everett's Interfaith Family Shelter (photo above).

I leave this program wiser, more capable and with a wealth of new knowledge, new friends and new respect for all members of our community. Thank you to Sarri and thank you to Leadership Snohomish County.

Time of Reflection...

Wow, it is hard to believe that my class has already graduated! This has been a whirlwind year (well, rather 8 months!). I have really enjoyed my LSC experience. I had the opportunity to meet and learn from fabulous people. This year has been full of challenges for everyone across the country with the economy, companies laying off employees in record numbers and foreclosure rates at all time highs. Even with all the negative forces around us, our Leadership Education days stayed upbeat and positive. They were the bright part of my month because I knew that I would see some familiar people who would help me find the good points to focus on.
The people who plan the education days put their heart and soul into them and it shows. They are fabulous. Each day seemed to be better than the previous one. The speakers were very engaging and kept out interest.

So what have I learned from this year? A LOT! When I began the program last September, I was fairly new to the area so really had no idea what to expect or even what types of services were available in this area. Participating in LSC has given me an awareness that would have taken me years to get on my own. I now feel like I am part of this great community and am anxious to get and stay involved. The needs are great and abundant so there is plenty of opportunity to get involved.

I know every class feels like they are the BEST class ever and ours was no different! I truly believe I was in the best class for me. The people I met will forever be in my heart because of the great way they made me feel each and every month. It was amazing to see a group of strangers become so close in such a short amount of time. We may all come from different backgrounds, different lifestyles, different careers, yet we all got along and had fun in this common arena.

In closing, I have to say a little about Sarri. She was awesome. She saw something in me that prompted her to choose me from a stack of applicants and for that I am eternally grateful. This has been a wonderful experience for me. Sarri has inspired me to be a better me ALWAYS. She may have a small voice but that is only because her heart is so big it takes up all the room. Thank you Leadership Snohomish County for making me a better me. I am off to make the changes I have always wanted to see in the world and the credit will go to you for believing in me when I did not always believe in myself.