By Michael V. Hannigan/HCN
Wednesday night, I began a year-long journey with 19 other men and women.
We were introduced to each other and the folks we’d be working with in a beautiful outdoor setting just north of Athens. There were laughs, hamburgers, drinks, cake and even Blue Bell ice cream.
It was a lot of fun.
But through the jokes and photos, one sentence kept floating through my mind.
“The Athens Leadership Institute (ALI) is a program of the Athens Chamber of Commerce that endeavors to train both existing and emerging leaders in the knowledge and skills they will need to make a real difference in the community in which they live.”
I found that description in the ALI binder we were all given outlining the 10 scheduled classes (which includes a day-long retreat and a two-day trip to the capital), the homework and the contract we signed promising to commit to the program.
Over the next year, we’ll meet the key people in government, business and education. We will tour the local legal system and visit our legislators in Austin. We will find out what the local health care scene is like and find out what brings people to Athens and why they relocate here.
Plus, we will undertake a class project.
Despite the party atmosphere Wednesday, this isn’t going to be a cakewalk. There’s a lot of work in front of us because there is actually something important at stake.
Leadership in our community.
I know it isn’t popular to be serious and everybody would be much more comfortable if I just posted another funny meme, but the goal is listed there in the sentence from above: “… to make a real difference in the community ….”
That’s a serious objective and one worthy of working toward.
Look, I’m not sure how many people ever make a real difference in Athens, but I know by next year 20 of us will never be able to say we didn’t get a chance.
#NoPressure
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Michael Hannigan from the Weinstein Team will be writing about his experience in the Athens Leadership Institute throughout the year.
For more information about ALI, please contact Athens Chamber of Commerce President Marisa Gunstanson at 903-675-5181