TEAM CONCEPT: Leadership class learns value of collaboration through community projects

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Emily Wilson, left, and Rebekah Steele look over the drop box their Leadership Hancock County team has set up at the Hancock County Boys & Girls Clubs to collect gently used sporting goods.

Tom Russo | Daily Reporter

HANCOCK COUNTY — Andrea Mallory needed a helping hand creating food lockers for people staying at Hancock Hope House, so she called on members of the latest Leadership Hancock County class to help.

Each year, participants in the leadership academy take on various community projects throughout the county, honing their leadership, communication and collaboration skills.

Mallory, executive director at the Hope House homeless shelter, was among the lucky ones tapped to benefit from their help this year.

The 20 professionals enrolled in this year’s leadership class have been divided into four teams, each assigned to a different project in the county.

This year’s projects include creating food lockers at the Hope House; generating program awareness for the county’s Sexual Assault Response Team; creating a sensory wall; and collecting gently used sports equipment for underprivileged kids.

Each team will share their experiences and outcomes at their graduation dinner in May, at the culmination of the program’s academic year, which began in September.

Kerry Grass said the time spent in the class and working on the team project has been invaluable.

“It is refreshing to work with others that come from different backgrounds and experiences to come together for a common goal,” said Grass, a Greenfield city councilman who serves as a family assistant at Erlewein Mortuary in Greenfield.

His leadership team was charged with creating a collection drive for gently used balls, shoes and sports equipment to be distributed to children in need.

The drive is taking place this week at the Hancock County Boys &Girls Clubs in Greenfield, in addition to all three Hancock Wellness Centers.

The collection targets children in kindergarten through sixth grade, breaking down barriers for those who want to play sports but can’t afford to purchase equipment.

“The project… will enhance the possibilities of youth within the community to be able to experience sports that otherwise they might not be able to experience,” Grass said.

Mallory knows how rewarding it can be to help out the community through a Leadership Hancock County project. She graduated from the program in 2014 and has served on the organization’s board.

The group projects are not only great learning tools for the class members, Mallory said; they’re also tremendous assets to nonprofit leaders like herself who are often struggling to get the work done themselves.

“It helps tremendously, especially from the nonprofit world, by taking a project off our already full plates,” she said.

“Overall, it’s nice to have someone come from the outside looking in with a fresh perspective,” Mallory said. “Plus, it’s good for (the class members), because they get a chance to collaborate with people outside of their profession. As they collaborate they get to discover a little more about what their leadership skills are, and how they benefit from others’ skills.”

Jason Wells, executive director of Leadership Hancock County, said that’s precisely the goal for each year’s class.

The team projects benefit the community in more ways than one, he said: Not only through the projects themselves — like the food lockers at the homeless shelter — but through developing and enhancing leadership skills in people who will likely be serving the community for years to come.

The members of each class are required to attend a board meeting for two nonprofits, civic groups or governmental entities within the eight-month class period. After graduation, they’re encouraged to reach out and get connected to organizations through which they can serve the community.

The class projects are a great way to connect people with others outside of their workplace to teach them the value of teamwork and combining various leadership skills.

“It’s all about people learning to work together and finding the right resources to do the job,” Wells said.

Mallory has been impressed with the work her team has done at the Hope House so far.

“The group has found a contractor willing to do the work for free, and they’ve found the funding to pay for all the materials. They’re doing a fantastic job,” she said.

Class member Beth Marsh, chief executive officer of Bookkeeping Plus Inc., said she’s had a great experience working on the Hope House project.

“The team project allows you to get better acquainted with your team members. Everyone is from a different background and brings a unique set of experiences,” she said.

Working on a meaningful project for a deserving nonprofit has been a great bonus, she added.

“The project has been a great reminder of how many good people there are in this world, and how many people are willing to help others,” said Marsh, referring to the contractor and those who have chipped in for supplies.

“I see Leadership Hancock County as an opportunity to join others who are also looking for a good way to give back to the community, which has given so much to me.”

Fellow class member Shaun Childress, director of strategic partnerships for Amos Exteriors, has also enjoyed working on his team’s sensory wall project.

“If you can get the right people in the room and actively engage in healthy conversation, anything is possible,” he said.

 

Each year, Leadership Hancock County class members break out into teams and work on a variety of projects designed to benefit the county in some way.

Each team presents their work to the rest of the class at a springtime graduation ceremony.

This year’s graduation will take place May 4, when four teams will present their work. Following is a list of projects, team members and their places of employment:

Team 1:

Kerry Grass — Erlewein Mortuary/city councilman

Melissa Ham — Love INC

Whitney Speicher — Hancock Health

Rebekah Steele — Alternatives, Inc.

Emily Wilson — Hancock County Community Foundation

Project: Sports Mentors

Purpose: To collect barely used sports equipment for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, breaking down barriers for those who want to play sports but can’t afford to purchase equipment.

Team 2:

Veronica Birmingham — Hancock County Library

Ashlee Burke — Jane Pauley Community Health Center

Alyssa Fearnow — Greenfield Banking Co.

Aimee Herring — Hancock County prosecutor’s office

Brian Lott — Greenfield Fire Territory

Project: SART Awareness

Purpose: To promote awareness of the local Sexual Assault Response Team, which aids victims of sexual assault.

Team 3:

Brandon Badger — City of Greenfield

Shaun Childress — Amos Exteriors

Brandy Mills — Greenfield Banking Co.

Jannel Wilhelm — Hancock Health

Trey Edwards — Hancock County Sheriff’s Department

Project: Sensory Wall

Purpose: To create a sensory wall on the inclusive playground behind Greenfield-Central Junior High School, to help children explore by their sense of touch.

Team 4:

Monica Jeter — Lauth Communities

Beth Marsh — Bookkeeping Plus

Cindy Miller — Hancock Hope House

Dillon Painter — Hancock Health

Crystal Wiley — Zoey’s Place

Project: Hope House food lockers

Purpose: To create food lockers for those staying at the Hancock County Hope House, to provide a way for OVERSET FOLLOWS:residents to securely store their personal food supply.