By By Chandler Myers
Leadership is an important factor in communities today. It helps gets things done and also aids people in learning how to cooperate and get along with each other.
The problem is that there are not many people that will step up and take charge of leadership roles.
When this happens, the community loses its identity and becomes a place people do not want to visit or move to.
In the last 14-15 years, the City of Atmore has taken steps to help the community by creating Leadership Atmore.
Upon first hearing about the program, it sounded like a good idea, but the question of whether it really works sticks out.
Does it help you focus more on the needs of the city? Will the ideas created bring something more to Atmore? Are bonds and friendships really created through this experience?
The answer to all of these questions is yes. Yes, focusing on the city becomes a part of the Leadership Atmore participants. Yes, ideas are filtered through the city and bring something extra to Atmore. For example, the Class of 2004 puts on Taste of the South yearly, which adds to the culture of this great place. And yes, friendships are formed through this experience starting at Camp Beckwith for the overnight retreat in Fairhope.
The trip to Camp Beckwith is fun and exciting and is a great opportunity to meet and learn about fellow citizens of Atmore.
During the trip, the Leadership Atmore class was put through several obstacles in the form of team-building exercises.
These exercises helped everyone build a mutual respect and trust for one another because that was the key to succeeding in the challenges we faced.
It helped everyone realize that we all have differences and will not always agree, but by listening to each person’s idea or opinion, we may find that a piece of the puzzle is missing.
Learning to cooperate like this with other people makes it a lot easier to understand how we all are different and why we think certain ways.
All in all it is a great experience to be a part of and suggested to anyone in Atmore who wants to make a difference while making friends.
Making a friend is always great, but when you make 17 in one trip that is awesome.
The Leadership Atmore Class of 2009 has nothing but great people in it, and they all come from different businesses and backgrounds such as banks, car dealerships, the Economy Shop, Coley Heating and Air, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Alto Products and Masland.
It even consists of a city-councilman-elect and a former mayoral candidate, which will bring something extra to the table. These two men have great visions for Atmore, and when our project is decided on, I am sure they will be sure to work hard for it to succeed.
The next nine months will be enjoyable and should be fun for all of us when we get together for meetings or outside of Leadership Atmore.
Here’s to making a difference.
Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123.