Sheila’s Giving Closet – a faith-based organization that collects and distributes food items in the Winfield area – has completed its participation in the Leadership In Action Initiative. Participants in the program receive a $5,000 grant for program implementation.
The initiative is sponsored by Leadership Cowley County.
After completing three peer-learning sessions, Sheila’s Giving Closet team members have continued meeting with Leadership Cowley County facilitators for personal and team leadership coaching, as well as assistance in project development and implementation. Sheila’s Giving Closet’s LIA team will join with other participating teams from Udall and Burden in early September to share progress and challenges.
The program will culminate with a celebration in December. Grant money will fund the overall mission of Sheila’s Giving Closet and is helping to purchase equipment like shelving, shopping carts and clothing racks. It has also helped to pay for informational and promotional materials, officials said.
“We are excited to offer this transformational grant experience to help area community members continue on their leadership path,” said Leadership Cowley County Chair Cody O’Brien. “Leadership Cowley County is committed to building social capital to address civic challenges by developing leadership skills, enhancing awareness of community needs and assets, building relationships and networks of trust, and providing opportunities for self-reflection and personal transformation. Ours is a community leadership program with the mission to equip and build capacity in people to create change in self, our community and the world.”
“Through our participation in this leadership training program, our Sheila’s Giving Closet team has not only been stirred with new excitement and vision, but we have also gained momentum by networking with and learning from other leaders in our community,” Nichole Anderson, Director of Sheila’s Giving Closet & Pantry, said. “We have learned tools that have better equipped our team to operate within and for our community.”
Message from Leadership Cowley County:
Leadership is a muscle that needs to be exercised.
To grow and change as leaders means continuing to challenge ourselves with new ideas and greater understanding of ourselves and those we encounter. Leadership In Action is our newest experiment. It starts with the idea that leadership is an activity, not a position, and that anyone can lead, anytime, anywhere.
By helping participants to exercise their leadership muscles through peer learning, coaching and a grant-funded project laboratory we combine the desire of individuals to grow as leaders with a passion for creating positive change.
For more information regarding Leadership Cowley County and its programs visit www.leadershipcowleycounty.com or call 620-221-7224 with questions.
