I am pleased to announce that with the sponsorship of True Value Company, the Corsicana & Navarro County Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for our 2010-2011 Leadership Corsicana/Navarro County Program’s annual class.

Leadership is an experience designed to promote and enhance community leadership through an introduction to social, economic, business and political issues in the Corsicana and Navarro County area. The program requires total commitment from both the candidate and the organization nominating the candidate.

The program begins in October and runs through June. Class participants meet monthly for briefings, tours and networking opportunities. The participants will be requested to dedicate their time to the program encompassing a total of nine days, once a month, beginning in October 2010 and running through graduation in June 2011. Participants will be expected to be away from their business for the day on which the program is scheduled.

This is a great opportunity for someone on your staff or new to our community. If you are interested in further developing your own skills as a community volunteer, then please be a part of this class. Graduates of Leadership Corsicana/Navarro County have been very positive about the experience and in fact, have been active in recommending the program to colleagues.

Applicants must meet the following criteria: 1 — Be a current resident of Navarro County or be employed full time in Navarro County; 2 —  Be over the age of 21; 3 —  Be willing to make a commitment to the program and attend all scheduled sessions and activities; 4 — Demonstrate high moral character and financial responsibility; and 5 — Obtain approval from Chief/Senior Executive Officer where the applicant works.

To enroll, you can obtain an application by visiting the Chamber website at www.corsicana.org or stop by the Chamber and see Semonna Battenfield. All applications must be received at the Chamber no later than 5 p.m. on Sept. 15.

Graduation requirements are: 1 — Attend all class sessions. Up to eight hours may be missed without penalty or make-up; 2 — Serve as a volunteer for a minimum of two to three hours for the Derrick Days or Navarro County Youth Expo; 3 — Attend a school board meeting in any school district; 4 — Attend one City Council Meeting; 5 — Attend one County Commissioners Court Meeting; and 6 — Encouraged to participate in other Chamber functions or committees.

The registration fee of $600 includes a special Orientation and Ropes Course in October, transportation, attendance at Navarro County Day in Austin on March 10, meals, special gift/recognition for the candidates and graduation dinner and ceremonies including your employer. Each class date will be scheduled on the third Thursday of the month beginning in November through June. The schedule of the dates and events related to the program will be provided with your application.

Participants of these classes graduate better prepared to take on the roles of leadership in their business, as members of boards of directors and in elected positions such as city, county, school boards and a number of other associations across our community. Only qualified candidates will be admitted to this year’s program. I hope that you will identify and sponsor a deserving, interested employee in your organization and enroll them in Leadership Corsicana/Navarro County program today.

Leadership is a process by which one person applies his or her beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills to influence others to accomplish something.

Important to Remember!

Did you know that for every $1 spent in our community that it turns over five times? This means that it will be spent five times locally before being spent on something outside our community. Let’s all help each other first! Please remember to Buy Local because “buying local does matter”!

For more information on what’s coming up, visit the Chamber’s Events Calendar at www.corsicana.org to find out what is happening in and around our communities. If you know of any events going on in our communities, I invite you to add it to the Chamber’s Events Calendar. The Chamber website averages over 40,000 plus visits per month. The Events Calendar is the Number One page viewed every month with approximately 10,000 views. You do not have to be a Chamber member to add an event!

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Paul Hooper is executive director of the Corsicana & Navarro County Chamber of Commerce. He may be reached by e-mail at phooper@corsicana.org. Want to “Soundoff” on this column? E-mail: soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com