CHECKING IN WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS Leadership Putnam Class of 2022 Leadership Putnam is a program offered by the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce. The program has been in existence since 1990; however, the Class of 2022 is the first to experience the reinvigorated program. The program consists of a group of students diverse in age, gender, race, and occupation. Each month, a full day is devoted to educating the class on a component of the community: Non-Profit Organizations, Government, Business Development, Education, & Recreation.
As a proud member of the Leadership Putnam Class of 2022, I have had the privilege to meet monthly with my class members to learn about each other, the community, and how we can become better leaders within our community. We began our journey with a day filled with introductions to Non-Profit Organizations within our area followed by a local weekend retreat to gain a better understanding of ourselves and each other. After all, one of the graduation requirements is to complete a class project for the betterment of our community. The retreat developed our class into a team. Designed and organized to take a step back from our day-to-day demands and activities, we were allowed a period of concentrated discussion, focused thinking, and collaboration. From our new-found knowledge of the many Non-Profit Organizations in our area, their purposes, goals, and needs, we selected to fundraise for the Putnam County Veterans Wall of Honor Park as our class project.
by Rachel Harvey - Class Project Chair
Located in downtown Eatonton, the park includes six honor walls bearing brick tiles inscribed with the names, branch of service, and dates of service of those who have served our country. The head wall bears the words: “Putnam County Veterans Wall of Honor Park,” with the crests of the five Armed Forces. Since its inauguration, this tribute has fallen into disrepair. The mission is to restore the important community head wall to its former glory and draw attention to the sacrifices made for our nation by so many local families. We want to honor and remember our local American heroes who have defended our freedom in the past and continue to do so today. In closing, I would be remiss if I did not share the greatest impact Leadership Putnam has had on me personally. Our community requires the attention of its citizens to care for it and each other. There is an abundance of service opportunities. JustServe.org is a website where the volunteer needs of organizations may be posted, and volunteers may search for places to serve in the community, providing opportunities to help those in need and enhance the quality of life in the community. I encourage members of our community to utilize this site so that we may become more connected and unified with each other. Volunteering your time, an irreplaceable commodity, paves the way to increasing mutual understanding, correcting misconceptions, and building new friendships. A little change here and a few hours there will quickly add up to make a real difference. Many hands make light work. SPRING 2022
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