Each
year the class is divided into three Project Committees. The entire
class votes on a list of possible topics and narrows it down to
three projects. Class members then choose which of the three committees
they would like to work on. Each committee has nine months to
develop their project thesis and focus.
This
phase of the Vision Leadership program has grown over the years
providing valuable information and resources to the St. Charles
community. Prior class’s projects have been discussed on
local radio stations, published in local newspapers and magazines,
and presented to local governments.
Class
of 2011 Projects
Project
1 - Coming of Age®
This group began with the subject “The Aging Population
in St. Charles County”. Their project soon morphed into
what is now known as Coming of Age®. In brief, Coming of Age®
is a program that was first implemented at Temple University and
has since been launched in many cities throughout North America.
The program helps non-profits, community foundations, government
agencies, and senior centers leverage the passions, skills, and
talent of people 50+. This, in turn, helps build a community rich
in opportunities for this population, and also helps people over
50 connect and contribute. It is worth noting that The Community
Council of St. Charles County has been instrumental in supporting
this group’s efforts to bring this program to the entire
metro St. Louis area. Several members of this project group have
expressed a desire to continue their efforts to bring this program
to fruition in our community.
Project
2 - “The Huddle”
This group began with the subject “Tobacco Legislation in
St. Charles County”. Because they had a difficult time trying
to figure out how to go about producing a project from this subject,
they spent a lot of time trying to come up with project ideas
incorporating tobacco and smoking in general, but felt that a
lot of their ideas had already been done. Finally, they settled
on smoker productivity in the workplace and produced this video
called “The Huddle”. It is both entertaining and educational.
Project
3 - Economic Development
This group began with the subject of “Attracting Large New
Businesses to St. Charles County”. The title of their project
actually became “Economic Development, Attaining
and Retaining Business In St. Charles County”. Their presentation
consisted of results from a survey they conducted by interviewing
100 executives from small businesses of less than 10 employees
to companies with over 100 employees all located in St. Charles.
The executives were asked to rank how important they thought certain
topics in the County were to their business/industry. Then they
were asked what they thought the County’s most important
priorities should be. The results of the survey are contained
in the included .ppt file. The group then compared their results
with research from other cities. They then presented several programs
that American cities have implemented that have helped them to
attain and retain business. The group then presented an Action
Plan for the County. Please review the .ppt presentation for more
detailed information on this great project.
The
Challenge of Homelessness:
The class of 2010 opted to do one large project targeted on the
growing, yet sometimes disregarded issue of homelessness in St.
Charles County. They created a video that they have already shown
to multiple organizations to shed a light on the problem. Also
included below is their PowerPoint presentation, which contains
factual data collected from organizations in the St. Charles County
area that work in assisting the homeless.
Veteran
Services:
This group researched the available resources readily available
for veterans of our county. They found that there is a discrepancy
between what veterans and their families in St. Charles County
know about health and wellness resources and also how easily referenced
services are when a need is experienced by a veteran or family
member.
Health and Wellness:
This group surveyed hundreds of businesses in the county with
the help of the Economic Development Center to find out whether
a wellness directory is needed for employees. They found that
half of the responding businesses don’t offer wellness programs
to their staffs.
The Green Team:
This group delivered a news broadcast-themed presentation discussing
the importance of recycling and smart energy usage. Their presentation
also included an informative visit from Roscoe, O’Fallon’s
recycling raccoon.
Homelessness
Committee:
Created a full marketing campaign to bring awareness to St. Charles
County about homelessness being an issue in St. Charles County
that most people do not want to acknowledge. The group participated
in the annual Homeless Count where they observed dwellings of
homeless people on our streets, in our parks, under our bridges
and behind our dumpsters. Their moving presentation also includes
a video of the homeless being helped by local Sts. Joachim and
Anne Care Service, a local non-for-profit.
Overcrowding
of Schools Committee:
Created a presentation to show a comparison between different
school districts in St. Charles County, and whether or not overcrowding
is a problem. This group studied student-to-teacher ratios, district
sizes, National test scores and also raised questions regarding
future issues facing our school districts. They concluded that
overcrowding is not an issue in our county, and state that the
issue which should be drawing attention is declining enrollment
and the factors that are causing it.
Childhood Obesity Committee:
Created a PowerPoint presentation to define childhood obesity,
the contributing factors, and what it means for our county from
both a nutritional and financial perspective. The group also looked
at activities past and present to determine why obesity is growing
at such an alarming rate in children. The group states that the
most effective way to lessen the risk of childhood obesity starts
with adults acting as healthy role models. This led the group
to create a resource brochure which includes websites with information
on how to be a healthy role model for kids and also lists activities
in the St. Charles County area to promote active lifestyles.
Coordination
of County Services Committee: worked on creating one
source for identifying where residents of St. Charles County could
obtain information on the numerous St. Charles County Services,
Public Service Agencies, and from the State of Missouri. They
identified five major sources for information and published an
informational, easy to read card which was then distributed throughout
the County at Chambers of Commerce, Library branches, and at various
businesses. The major sources identified were either direct connections
to services or gateways to services that may be needed for the
residents of the County. Click
here to download the informational card.
Dealing
with Growth Committee: created a PowerPoint presentation,
which was created for business owners, to show the impact of traffic
congestion and travel delays on businesses and communities. They
focused on “Solutions for Today” including offering
employees flextime and compressed work weeks and using the benefits
and services provided by RideFinders (www.ridefinders.org).
They also focused on “Solutions for Tomorrow” including
Mixed-Use Development such as live near your work and on-site
services. They gave this presentation and distributed CD’s
and pamphlets to various organizations throughout St. Charles
County. Click
here to download the PowerPoint presentation.
Emergency
Preparedness Committee: With a goal to “increase
awareness and educate the general population on emergency preparedness
in conjunction with emergency management agencies throughout St.
Charles County,” their initial plan to develop a video was
redirected when they discovered the State of Missouri had just
announced their new emergency preparedness program called “Ready
in 3”, complete with a video presentation. Working closely
with St. Charles County Emergency Preparedness and the American
Red Cross, this team presented the “Ready in 3“ program
and distributed Family Safety Planning Guides at numerous community
and corporate organizations. They also developed a list of Emergency
Preparedness Resources for St. Charles County. This can be found
at: www.dhss.mo.gov/Ready_in_3/.
Class of 2005 Projects
Senior Citizen Services Committee:
worked closely with Healthy Communities St. Charles County to
collect a list of senior citizens services that could be identified
in the County. With the information, the Team developed a web
page on the Healthy Communities web site listing all the available
services. Healthy Communities is also planning to publish the
directory of information for distribution in the community.
Transportation
Committee: developed a questionnaire which was circulated
to more than 900 people across St. Charles County asking questions
relative to transportation issues. They have tabulated the results
and plan on sharing this information with the St. Charles County
Transportation Board.
Workforce
Housing Committee: evaluated workforce housing issues
across the country with a focus on what was successful in our
communities. They plan to present the results of their project
to various community officials.
