Lehigh Leadership session begins in June

John Graham
Leadership Lehigh was the topic of discussion as guest speaker John Graham explained the program to members of the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce at their recent monthly luncheon.
Graham said the course has helped a lot of Lehigh residents learn more about their community and Southwest Florida.
“No matter how long you have lived here, there is so much going on and the experience in our program is a way to learn about the area,” Graham said.
He said sessions begin June 17 and continue every other week with programs including Healthcare Day, Utility and Environment Day, Media Day, Industry Day, Agriculture Day, Public Safety Day, County Government Day, Arts & Non-Profit Day, Education Day, and finally graduation.
“It’s a great opportunity and those in the classes get to know each other as friends and they experience this Leadership Lehigh program. They also get to know each other’s families.
Graham told the group the program begins with a retreat from June 4 to June 6 at South Season Resort, Captive Island. The retreat is mandatory and requires a two-night stay beginning Thursday afternoon and concluding Saturday.
Graham, who is the chairman this year of Leadership Lehigh, passed out fliers to those attending the Chamber luncheon.
He said Leadership Lehigh provides a hands on program where participants view systems up close, work together to achieve a unique knowledge of resources and services available in our area, region and state.
Leadership Lehigh is an organized training ground for our community’s future leaders, he said. During the program, a Power Point presentation was projected to a large screen.
There were photos taken from previous years showing the participants taking part in a series of activities and also showing them having fun at the end of the day.
The size of the class is limited to no more than 30 participants per year. The deadline to get into this year’s session which begins in June is this week. Call the Chamber of Commerce at 369-3322 to sign up. The cost is $995, according to Susan Teston, the Chamber’s executive assistant manager. The amount of $195 listed in the print editions of The Citizen was an error.
“It’s really worth the time and money to attend Leadership Lehigh. Those who have graduated say they learned things they never knew about our area,” Graham said.
“And what a great opportunity for our future leaders to have information they will gain in our several sessions. They will see how things operate in our county up close. They will gain a knowledge that will serve them well in Lehigh,” he said.