Lakeland Business Guide 2019 Chamber Guide_2019 | Page 68
“We have something
special, and I
believe that our city
is rapidly growing
and improving due
to unified leaders
that come through
this program.”
LEON BAT TLE
member of Leadership Lakeland
Class XXXVI
– LEON BAT TLE
working as director of IT and operations
at The Ledger. “So I thought [Leadership
Lakeland] would be good development
for me but that I wouldn’t really learn
anything. I was delighted to be 100
percent wrong about that,” says McDanal.
By intentionally creating both a class
and curriculum that represents a cross-
section of our city, Leadership Lakeland
has been able to give participants a
broader perspective and understanding of
what Lakeland has to offer. “It bridges the
gap between various organizations within
the education, health, arts and recreation,
and service fields,” says Thomas.
“Leadership Lakeland has helped
me better understand the needs of our
city and how our class could make a
difference,” adds Battle.
Similar leadership programs around
the country often require those who
participate to design their own service
project. “However, we do not require
Leadership Lakeland participants to
do this, because it naturally happens
on its own year after year,” says Breed.
Participants are not only exposed to
the wonderful elements that make up
Lakeland, but also the issues that still
face our community. “Every year, class
members rise to the occasion and find
an opportunity to give back. It is a
beautiful process to watch a class, without
prompting, decide together to raise money
for a nonprofit or adopt an individual or
family to support,” says Breed.
Along with learning about different
components of our community,
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