This year’s class of Johnson County leaders-in-training have big visions on ways to impact the community around them.
Some hope to encourage healthy living — with fitness events at the weekly Franklin Farmers Market and a community garden at a pair of Franklin elementary schools.
Others want to make it easier to identify the unique attractions throughout the county or to recruit volunteers for the government agency that helps abused, neglected or abandoned children. One group sees tremendous value in recruiting area church members to volunteer at and support local schools.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe Leadership Johnson County program presents a unique opportunity to make lasting change throughout the community. As part of the yearly training course, participants have to come up with a project that will benefit the people around them. The real-world lessons of envisioning and then enacting a project ties skills together, such as organization, delegation and communication, needed to be a good leader.
“No matter what your background is or your profession, everyone needs leadership skills. Everyone is influencing someone, so this has been really wonderful,” said Jennifer Armstrong, a member of this year’s Leadership Johnson County class.
For more than 20 years, Leadership Johnson County has been training new leaders to create meaningful change in the community. The program was founded in 1995 after area residents expressed concern about the direction local agencies, government and business would go in the future.
The class meets once a month, focusing on a different aspect of leadership each time. Participants learn how to lead meetings, to identify the best people to help with a particular job and how to organize a team.
“It’s been a really neat experience overall getting to know different people in the community,” said Katie Stahlhut, a member of this year’s class. “I tend to stay in the same areas and network with the same people, so it’s been nice to get out there and meet people in different areas to help grow you as a person.”
One of the requirements of the program is to break into small groups and pick a service project.
Participants in this year’s Leadership Johnson County class came up with a number of unique ideas to serve the community. The Give Me a Sign group aims to draw attention to local attractions through a wayfinding sign system. To go with existing signage in Franklin and Greenwood, they’ll be helping Bargersville create their own system, team member Amanda Conklin said.
CASA Crusaders aim to help Johnson County Court-Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, the organization that assists abused, neglected or abandoned children. The group will be taking part in the annual Rock the Block 10K and 5K event at Center Grove on April 21, providing information about CASA while recruiting volunteers and donations for it, said group member Adam Norman.
They are also organizing the kids run at the race.
Though the goal was originally to start their own 5K benefit, it made more sense to partner with an existing event, Norman said.
“We thought this would be a great place we could concentrate on and get more eyeballs on CASA,” he said. “It’s very difficult to get a new 5K off the ground. Our goal wasn’t to start a new event, it was to raise awareness for CASA, so it makes sense to be part of an established, successful event.”
When members of the group calling themselves Oh, SNAP! started discussing projects for this year, they started by focusing on causes or aspects of the community that were important to them.
All agreed that wellness and children were the areas they wanted to focus on, Shahlhut said.
Their idea morphed to educating children on ways to stay healthy without spending a lot of money. They have been working with Discover Downtown Franklin, which organizes the Franklin Farmers Market in the summer, to help with the application process to allow market vendors to accept the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Also known as SNAP, the program provides food for low-income individuals and families.
“People who have that can purchase produce and different food at the farmers market. Currently at the market, you can only use cash. The idea is to allow people the opportunity to buy nutritious local food,” Shahlhut said.
The group project also includes recruiting vendors to provide healthy demonstrations at the farmers market, from providing healthy snacks to easy fitness routines you can do at home, Stahlhut said.
The group named WEEDS, which stands for Working, Educating, Empowering, Developing through Service, is also bringing ideas about health to area children.
Their goal is to create a 45-feet-by-90-feet community garden between Needham and Webb elementary schools. Students would help with the planting and care of the garden, which could become not only a source of fresh produce, but teach about nutrition as well.
“It’s a place where the students can have a unique learning experience, to get them out of the classroom,” group member Hannah Abraham said. “The goal is that the produce will be shared in the school system, with extras going to a food pantry.”
One of the more unique ideas comes from a group called The Golden Apple Project. Members came together with the hope to do something involving youth education and faith.
They wanted to tap into the energy of “paying it forward,” and wondered if there was a way that area churches could “adopt” a school, helping to illustrate the Golden Rule: Do onto others as you would have them do to you.
Churches could connect with the school to provide volunteers to tutor, clean up the school grounds or provide manpower for other projects.
“It’s something that helps the community grow, shows love and be self-sustaining,” Armstrong said. “And we wanted to support teachers specifically. Little things can make a big deal, and letting them know that the community really appreciates them.”
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Oh, SNAP!
What is it? A project working with organizers of the Franklin Farmers Market to ensure that people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, can use their benefits to buy fresh, local food at the market. To go along with it, wellness information and demonstrations will be featured at the weekly farmers market.
Group members: Gayle Brooks, Heather Dougherty, Becca Lund, Luke Skobel, Katie Stahlhut, Holly Vaught, Ola Wesstrom, Geoff Zentz
The Golden Apple Project
What is it? A program to connect area churches with schools to provide volunteers to tutor, help clean up school grounds after events or support teachers and staff in varying ways. The project focuses on connecting the resources of churches with the needs at area schools, to help illustrate the Golden Rule.
Group members: Tiffany Ankney, Jennifer Armstrong, Ed Geisler, Molly Laut, Andrew Meier, Rob Richardson, John Veech
CASA Crusaders
What is it? An effort to raise money for and awareness about Johnson County Court-Appointed Special Advocates, which help abused, neglected or abandoned children. In taking part in the annual Rock the Block run in the Center Grove area on April 21, the group will be able to educate about CASA and help recruit needed volunteers for the organization.
Group members: Lisa Kress, Adam Norman, Joanne Sergi, Kevin Service, Nick Stainbrook, Tiffany Wilson, Elizabeth Worley
Give Me A Sign
What is it? A project to explore a wayfinding sign system for the entire county, to help visitors and residents identify unique attractions. To go with existing signage in Greenwood and Franklin, the team will be helping Bargersville come up with their own sign system.
Group members: Leo Brosnan, Amanda Conklin, Amy Locke, Wes Mitchell, Brian Proctor, Pam Spencer, Brian Walker, Ray Yeoman
WEEDS (Working, Educating, Empowering, Developing through Service)
What is it? The creation of a 45-feet-by-90-feet community garden at Needham and Webb elementary schools in Franklin. Group members will involve the school communities, and Franklin residents in general, in the construction, planting and harvesting of the garden. A pavilion is planned where teachers can have classes near the garden.
Group members: Hannah Abraham, David Bedwell, Jason Benson, Natalie Fellure, Ellen Fredbeck-Ramirez, Chris Rynerson, Ryan Waggoner, Rob Young
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Applications for the 2018-19 class of Leadership Johnson County are now available.
What: Leadership Johnson County is a community program composed of one-day forums designed to train and strengthen 21st century leaders. With a focus on experiential learning, participants work together to help address community issues while furthering their personal leadership skills.
Who can sign up: Any resident of Johnson County may apply to participate. Non-residents may also apply, provided they have worked or have been active in the county at least two years immediately before the application time.
Cost: $1,250 for the 10-month program. Applications received by Feb. 28 will receive a $50 discount on tuition. All applications are due electronically by March 7.
How to apply: Visit www.leadershipjohnsoncounty.org or contact Kate Taylor at [email protected] or by calling 317-738-8094.
Information session: A presentation to answer questions will be at 8 a.m. Tuesday in the Henderson Conference Room, on the second floor of the Johnson Center for the Fine Arts at Franklin College. Please RSVP to Taylor.
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