Leadership Central Penn Heads to a Special Place to Learn About Special Services and Leadership Development

Members of the LCP class listen to a presentation during October’s class meeting.

In Millville in northern Columbia County, you’ll find Camp Victory where the signs read a “A Special Place for Special Kids.” Tucked away in the countryside outside of Bloomsburg, among the trees clinging to summer green, refusing to give way to fall colors, is a truly amazing venue for learning about organizations trying to make a positive impact on those in need. Not only is Camp Victory one of those organizations, but, as a part of the 2017-18 Leadership Central Penn class’ monthly meeting two weeks ago on Oct. 19, it also hosted 10 others that are making Columbia and Montour counties a better place for everyone. Leadership Central Penn is sponsored by Bloomsburg University, Kawneer, SEKISUI SPI and USG. 

This year’s LCP Human Services day included presenters from The Columbia County Coalition for Human Services, The Women’s Center, AGAPE, Caring Communities, Columbia Child Development Program – Head Start, Community Strategies Group (formerly Columbia County Housing & Development Authority), Family Center, United Way of Columbia and Montour County, Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital and Danville Child Development Center’s Early Intervention Services. 

The morning presenters faced a monumental task of sharing all the good work their organizations do in 15 minutes presentations. After 10 presentations and two breaks, 21 professionals in the LCP program were emotionally and mentally drained. They learned about all the life changing work happening, in many cases unseen, with few resources and even fewer dollars, throughout the area to support people that need a helping hand.

To find out more about these organizations and how you can help please contact the Columbia County Human Services Coalition, the Montour County Human Services Coalition or the United Way of Columbia and Montour County.

Tina Welch from Welch Performance Consulting gives a presentation during the afternoon session.

The group then worked during the afternoon with Tina Welch, founder of Welch Performance Consulting (WPC), to focus on leadership development. The group discussed different philosophies on leadership and how to shape their own leadership skills and philosophy. It also used a personality assessment instrument to understand key aspects of communication, a critical leadership competency, by first understanding their own communication tendencies, how to identify the personality styles of others they work with and lead, and then how to modify their communication to meet the needs of others. The class was separated into their project teams where they were able to discuss the personality makeup of the team. They identified strengths and gaps in the team and will now go into their community service projects with a team strategy that will help accelerate their success.