In his classic essay titled The Servant as a Leader, author Robert Greenleaf introduced us to the concept of servant leadership and defined it as “the desire to serve.” The “servant’s heart,” is a fundamental characteristic of a servant-leader. It is not about being servile; it is about wanting to help others. It is about identifying and meeting the needs of colleagues, customers, and communities.
The Leadership DeKalb Class of 2014 was comprised of ten community leaders, citizens, business owners, students, educators, health care professionals, and managers. During our monthly meetings over the last year, we learned an immense amount of information about the community in which we all live. Now, as we direct our energies into our class service project, we are learning the importance of servant leadership.
Our class discussed several worthwhile and deserving projects which we could contribute to, but the one which we felt would have the most impact is what we call “Tools for Students.”
The Leadership DeKalb Class of 2014 is asking for support from the community in assisting our schools with the resources they need to teach arts, music, and the physical education for every student in the DeKalb County school system. This project is being coordinated with the DeKalb County Foundation for Education, which is a 501 (c) 3 organization and will allow contributions to be tax deductible.
How can you help? Our class will be collecting new or gently used art supplies from companies or individuals. Examples include paint, paintbrushes, paper, pastels, and charcoal pencils. To assist with physical education classes, companies or individuals can donate new or gently used sports equipment such as balls, jump ropes, and hula hoops. Music classes need gently used or new instruments.
Who will benefit from your donation? Every child in DeKalb County who participates in any physical education, art, or music class will have the benefit of these resources made possible through your donation. Monetary donations can also be accepted. Checks should be made out to DeKalb County Foundation for Education.
Who do I contact and where can I make my donation? There are three locations in Smithville where donations or monetary gifts can be dropped off. 1) Kim Frazier, DeKalb Community Hospital; 2) April Martin, UT Extension Office; and 3) Eli Gill, DeKalb Tire and Service.
For more information on this project, please contact either April Martin at 615-597-4945, Kim Frazier at 615-215-5000 or Eli Gill at 615-597-9400.
Photo Caption: Leadership DeKalb 2014 Class Members. Front row, left to right: Jen Sherwood, Executive Director of Leadership DeKalb , David Barrett, Lisa Cripps, Alejandra Cisneros Conohan, and Raul Ramirez. Second row, left to right: Shannon Atkins, Joe Green, April Martin, and Eli Gill. Third row, left to right: Jordan Wilkins, Kim Frazier, Shannon Jones, and Emmaly Bennett.
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