Lori Nocito, executive director at what is now more accurately named Leadership Northeast, said it best on Friday night.
“We empower leaders, we strengthen our community and we drive change,” Nocito said.
And that is the truth.
I am an example of that change. In 1987, I was told I was going to be in the Leadership Class of 1987-88 — which, by the way, was the best class ever — and I laughed. I scoffed at the mere insinuation that I might be interested, let alone qualified, to be in a leadership program. I was 37 years old at the time, in the middle of a divorce and all I ever had done up until that point was coach baseball and I was president of Teeners’ League Baseball for 15 years.
Boing! Wait a minute, maybe I have established some leadership qualities.
So somewhat reluctantly, I entered the program and I can tell you that from my first encounter with the program, I was hooked. I immediately saw the good this organization was doing. I also immediately realized how wrong I was about my perception of Leadership.
When it came to me to suggest a project, I offered my thoughts about providing a similar program for high school kids. That became Junior Leadership and, some 33 years later, it it still around. Our project group did a heckuva job that first year, and Leadership saw the good and adopted the program into the Leadership umbrella.
An auspicious start, for sure, but I stuck around and helped where I could to promote the Leadership programs. In 1995, I was somehow chosen to be in the first Leadership USA class — 35 of us and I was the least significant by far among CEOs, physicians, lawyers and college presidents. Yet, I was asked to chair our graduation committee.
Crazy, right?
Even more crazy came this June when Leadership chose me as its “Distinguished Alum of the Year.” I was humbled and honored and I found comfort in knowing that my parents were up there looking down and smiling at their kid.
But if a kid from Plymouth could volunteer time with Teeners’ League Baseball, American Legion Baseball, Junior Leadership, Challenger Little League, Victory Sports for adults with mental and/or physical challenges, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, United Way, the Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Book Kids Program at Wyoming Valley West School District, Make-A-Wish of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Allied Services Riverside Rumble wheelchair-only race, the Wyoming Valley West Community Advisory Group and much more, then we all can make a positive difference.
It’s all about giving back, as Nocito said Friday night. Our community relies on the efforts of people who are willing to give of their time to help others. Leadership folks call these people “servant leaders.” The real essence of being a community leader is serving others — especially those in need.
Leadership Northeast and its various programs prepare participants to assume their servant leadership roles. Leadership Northeast shows them all the reasons their servant leadership is not just needed, it is critical.
We all want to live in a better community.
Nocito said collectively, Leadership Northeast programs have produced an alumni base of more than 4,700 graduates who have contributed more than 300 community projects, 100 school impact projects, and countless volunteer efforts culminating in “an infinite ripple effect of positive impact on our participants, on the community and throughout the world.”
“An infinite ripple.”
Yeah, that says it so well.
Leadership Northeast teaches us how we each can contribute in our individual way — to see that “infinite ripple” keeps rolling along.
Cheers to Leadership Northeast. May you continue to do your good work.