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. Below summarizes projects for the past two years:

Class of 2006 Projects

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.