Leadership Lebanon Valley has been around in the Lebanon community since 1988, mostly visible to the public through its fundraisers like the upcoming NYC bus trip or past events like the Dog Day 5k.
We caught up with Jessica Stankovich, vice president at the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce (which runs the program) and learned more about its goals.
Leadership Lebanon Valley (LLV) is an 11-month program that meets as a group monthly starting in January and going until November. Each class meeting is themed around a specific issue, like Justice, Education, Health & Human Services, Agriculture, Business, and Military Appreciation. Local business men and women in the class have a chance to connect with community leaders as well as touring different sites.
The mission of LLV is to educate and develop a diverse group of leaders devoted to improving the Lebanon community.
The program concludes with a commencement luncheon in November followed by a lifelong participation as alumni. In fact, all of the class meetings are planned by the LLV alums who serve as the board of directors, including current board chair Kelly Smith of WellSpan Good Samaritan and vice-chair Bob Wentling from the Lebanon VA Medical Center.
In addition to the monthly meetings, class members have two requirements to complete the program. The first is a non-profit internship or other kind of service/board internship.
The other requirement is raising funds for LLV scholarships, as the program typically costs $1,400. Past fundraisers organized by LLV classes include the 5K Range Run, 5K City Run, Dog Day 5K, Restaurant Week, Designer Bag Bing, and the Black Cat Ball.
The class of 2019 has planned its first fundraiser, the above mentioned bus trip to NYC scheduled for April 13, with another to follow around August-September.
The chamber expects to post a new online application coming later this month for those interested in being part of the class of 2020.