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Community Oct 08, 2018
Thirteen graduates were recognized at the University Club. - Courtesy photo / Linda Baca
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Thirteen graduates were recognized at the University Club. – Courtesy photo / Linda Baca
Leadership Pasadena graduated its first Community Leadership Course for Veterans cohort at the University Club of Pasadena with a dinner and exciting entertainment for 110 guests. Comedian Fritz Coleman and magician Naathan Phan delivered a private show for the attendees. The room was transformed by the donated lighting services of Lionmark Entertainment.
Thirteen military service veterans from diverse branches of service living in the San Gabriel Valley participated in this six-month pilot program to re-mission veterans through community service leadership. “The idea is pretty simple and logical,” according to LP Veterans Service Chair and U.S. Army veteran Kim Miller Anderson of MSK Consulting Services, “San Gabriel Valley’s many charities and civic organizations need on-going, effective leaders. Military veterans have been trained to lead in the most difficult of circumstances, be cool in the midst of chaos and are willing to give their life in service to others. Who better to lead in our community’s non-profit, civic and government organizations? And what better way to integrate our veterans into their new civilian community than let them lead and serve with purpose and dedication again?”
Graduates completed 85 hours of civilian community and business culture education, discussing topics such as history of the area; government structure and leadership; the culture of American civilian corporations as well as of public, law enforcement and health care sector; multigenerational leadership; building strategic networks; powerful and effective communications with civilians; non-profit board training and non-profit volunteer placement. Over 50 speakers, almost all veterans, who have succeeded in their careers after military service shared their military to civilian transitions successes and failures with the class. Sessions were held in relevant locations from APU in Azusa, St. Baldricks and Foothill Unity Center in Monrovia to Pasadena City Hall and Caltech in Pasadena to show the class the many assets of the area. In addition, the cohort experienced a two-day offsite leadership retreat focused on civilian leadership assessment tools plus a financial literacy workshop and an on-camera speaking workshop.
According to Lisa Raggio, program facilitator, “One-hundred percent of the class members have pledged to volunteer for a local charity and we have already matched some up to Habitat for Humanity San Gabriel and we will place the rest in the near future. This is a true gift to our community.”
The American Legion Post 283, located in Pacific Palisades, reached across the city to sponsor Leadership Pasadena’s Community Leadership Course Graduation at the University Club on Sept. 30.
“This is an extremely active and engaged post helping the entire Los Angeles community and veterans in so many ways,” according to Leadership Pasadena Board Chair Josh Driskell of Primuth, Driskell & Terzian, LLP. “We also want to thank our other sponsors DBS Law Group, KShift, MSK Consulting, Wellness Works and Stephen Bettini and Cindy Bengtson for their financial support and Young’s Market for providing wine for the evening.”
