PHOENIXVILLE COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION

GRADUATION SET FOR PHOENIXVILLE COMMUNITY HEALTH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY GRADS

The Phoenixville Community Health Leadership Academy is sponsored by the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation and the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations. The mission of the Academy is to provide a vehicle to identify, train and empower greater Phoenixville area citizens for leadership roles that promote our community’s health and advance its quality of life.

The ten-week Academy will culminate with a graduation luncheon, held November 30th at the Columbia Bar & Grille in Phoenixville. The fifth annual Academy enrolled six students. Since September 11th these committed community volunteers have been meeting one evening a week for two hours. As part of the curriculum each student needed to develop a community project to practice the leadership principles taught during the Academy.

The students and their projects are: Wendy Kelly is developing a special event called “Education Sunday” to recognize teachers and students; Tammy Klotzbach’s project is associated with Soroptimist International of Phoenixville to create an awareness of the mission and service activities of the club; Meghan McGuire is developing an alcohol awareness education campaign within Phoenixville’s commercial district; Tom Ramsey is working with Phantom TV and area police departments to implement a security surveillance video program; Chris Wittrock is partnering with Holy Family School to implement a Lenten Project in collaboration with Aids for Friends called Community Meal-a-Thon; and, Sandy Zimmermann is working with the Children’s Learning Center on a Books for our Children project.

“The Academy is designed for adults who want to become more involved in their community or neighborhood”, states Lynn Pike Hartman, Foundation Senior Program Officer and Academy Facilitator. “This class has exemplified the mission of the Leadership Academy. The weekly presenters have just been excellent and the class has been drinking it all in. We are looking for great things from each and every one!”

Dr. Louis Beccaria, President & CEO of the Foundation stated, “This Community Health Leadership Academy has exceeded all expectations. Its impact on our greater Phoenixville community will only continue to grow.” Joe Geiger, Executive Director of PANO added, “Over the last three years more than twenty-five projects have been completed, many of them on-going efforts, that have enriched this community. This class will add their own mark in very distinct ways.”