Tuesday, Apr. 27, 2010

What does leadership mean in Blue Springs?

Lara Vermillion, Guest Columnist

Leadership means something in Blue Springs. The Leadership Blue Springs class of 2009-2010 has taken the word seriously and is putting leadership skills to work.

As a part of their class this year, the group has decided to renovate some patios at St. Mary’s Manor. St. Mary’s Manor is an assisted living facility in Blue Springs. During one of the class sessions on healthcare, group members toured the facility. They were touched by the residents of the facility and wanted to make things a little brighter for them.

The group began forming a plan. Group members met with staff members from St. Mary’s Manor and learned residents enjoy outside planting and gardening but are sometimes unable to plant because they cannot get their wheelchairs close enough to planters. They also learned there are never enough places for residents to sit with family members and enjoy the patio areas.

With those challenge in mind, the leadership class started immediately working in the community to secure donations for the facility. Home Depot offered to help with the project and has been instrumental in selecting and obtaining furniture for the two patios and wood to make the planters. Not only were they willing to help with materials but they wanted to be an active part of the project as well.

“Community service is one of the core values of Home Depot,” said Christel Flores, operations manager at the Blue Springs Home Depot.

“We have Team Depot, which is a group of our employees that are all about giving back. We have not had a lot of opportunity to be involved with a project in Blue Springs. We are excited to be doing this.”

Haldex and other sponsors, including Metcalf Bank, Hy-Vee, Betty’s Restaurant, Costco, Adams Dairy Bank, Sonic, Lamar’s, MAC Corporation and Architectural Ornaments, have donated money or items to help with the project.

Other than the Home Depot team, a group of local Weebelos from Pack 604 took an interest in the project. The scouts are working on their citizenship badge which is a part of the Arrow of Light requirement. They have been learning about how to be a good citizen and must participate in a service project.

“This seemed like a great way to teach scouts how to be involved in their community,” said Chad Vermillion, den leader. “We are hoping that by teaching them now how to be a good community member, it will carry through for the rest of their lives.”

Starting at 8:30 a.m., April 17, the first phase of this project took in two different locations. A group who is building and assembling planters for the residents of St. Mary’s Manor met at Home Depot. Another group met at St. Mary’s Manor to move bricks and dirt from an existing planter and recreate a garden area with the materials.

On April 24, the entire group met at St. Mary’s Manor. On that day, group members power washed all patios, moved in the planters and new furniture and spent some time planting to beautify the area.

The Leadership Blue Springs Class is a program of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce. In 1991, the Blue Springs Chamber established the Leadership Blue Springs program. The idea of the program is to develop a community leadership pool that will develop skills and knowledge of our community through a series of workshops focusing on business, government, quality of life, volunteer service and local history.

Class members are Tim Stephenson, Community America Credit Union; Tom Alderman, Blue Springs High School; Karen Findora, city of Blue Springs; Cheyanne Reed, Adams Dairy Bank; Suzanne Dell-St. Clair, St. Mary’s Medical Center; Charles Weber, Blue Springs School District; Sheryl Morgan, city of Blue Springs; Mark Briscoe, Central Jackson County Fire Protection District; Ralph Habben, community volunteer; Gregg Lehenbauer, Haldex Brake Products; Lori Turner, city of Blue Springs; Dan Hood, city of Blue Springs; Steve Decker, Blue Springs Police Department; Lara Vermillion, Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce; Amanda Meyers, Blue Springs South High School; and Anna Cole, Blue Springs High School. They are scheduled to graduate at the June 17 Chamber luncheon. Call 816-229-8558 for more details about the project or the leadership class.

Lara Vermillion is president of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce. To respond to today’s commentary, call 816-282-7001 or e-mail editor@bluspringsjournal.com.