Leadership Saratoga’s class of 2011 donated more than 550 volunteer hours to local organizations and celebrated that accomplishment during a graduation ceremony on Thursday, April 7.
The Leadership Saratoga class that [graduated] Thursday night had three community projects. Eight people worked on each project, said Linda Toohey, vice president of Leadership Saratoga.
The program, sponsored by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, is a seven month program to develop a group of local leaders, who upon completion of the program, will be able to assume leadership positions within Saratoga County. During the program, 24 leaders-to-be, who must submit an application and be chosen to participate, receive training in various leadership skills like effective governance, ethical decision making, fundraising and working with media, and an in-depth orientation to countywide issues like education, economic development and human services.
`We work hard to make sure that the curriculum is current and relevant to the needs of the County, and gives participants opportunities to interact with leaders and newsmakers from the area,` said Toohey. `Just as important is the opportunity the Chamber provides to annually assemble a class of amazingly talented and diverse people who will support each other and work together for the good of our community for the rest of their lives.`
Carole Schiraldi is a branch manager at Saratoga National Bank who, in an effort to get to know her community a bit better, decided to give the program a try.
`I don’t come from this area so I don’t know anything about any of the organizations around here. The company I work for likes people to get involved,` said Schiraldi. `I had to apply for this program and go through this interview process and during that time I decided to learn more about the community and the not-for-profit organizations.`
While Leadership Saratoga has participants of all ages, Schiraldi said she was toward the older end of the spectrum, with many of the young leaders in their 20s or 30s. While that initially worried her a little, Schiraldi said the program ended up working out just fine.
`I wasn’t quite sure if I’d be the right person to do leadership but I turns out I probably am and will have more time on my hands when I retire, so my introduction to leadership will probably get me more involved in the community than if I hadn’t know what was out there,` said Schiraldi.
Leadership Saratoga participants broke into smaller teams to complete a project that benefits community organizations. Schiraldi was chosen to work with Saratoga PLAN to design and build a trail in the Town of Northumberland.
`A few of the projects had a lot to do with computers and outreach and Saratoga PLAN had an outdoor project and I’d rather be outdoors so I was hoping I’d get chosen,` said Schiraldi.
Schiraldi’s team was to take a parcel of land given to Saratoga PLAN by a local resident and construct a trail.
`They wanted to have trails built and some of the land is adjacent to other natural trails so we were hoping to get a group of people out to get lay of the land and design a trail and hopefully start more trails that would connect to other parcelts of land,` said Schiraldi.
Her team had to get a permit for a bridge and hold a community outreach meeting for neighbors to tell them what was in the works. The trail isn’t yet complete because of this winter’s heavy snowfall and conditions that weren’t conducive to trailblazing.
`We went out quite a few time but nature was not our friend because of the snow, so we ran into a lot of difficulties with that. We went snow shoeing and cross country skiing,` said Schiraldi. `We haven’t quite finished the project yet but my team is dedicated to getting this trail done, even if we have to go into June.`
Schiraldi said her team is planning to have a community work weekend where residents can volunteer to help out.
`We have the trail and bridge designed so we have to wait for Mother Nature,` said Schiraldi.
Other teams assisted the Salvation Army by developing a feasibility analysis for a mobile outreach van and program and re-designing the food pantry for the Franklin Community Center.
Besides giving back to the community, Schiraldi said meeting different types of people and working toward a goal was beneficial.
`Meeting all the people from different walks of life, a lot of young people and it goes right on up; turns out no matter what the age, all the participants had the same basic feeling to give back to the community,` said Schiraldi. `It was a lot of time commitment but was so rewarding because you learn so much whether it be politics, school board, town board, not-for-profits, outreach programs, there’s something there for everybody.`
Leadership Saratoga also celebrated its 25th anniversary. Since its inception in 1985, 600 men and women have graduated from the program and more than 135 local organizations and institutions have received volunteer service from the program.
Applications for the next Leadership class are now being accepted. Applications and required interviews will be completed no later than June 7.
For more information visit www.leadershipsaaratoga.org or contact Toohey at 584-3255 ext. 205 or [email protected].
“