Winter 2011
Vol 3, Issue 1
ALY11 Hello Neighbor

Advancing Leadership logo

Envision eNews

Left:  Ming Lane, ALY '11, created this photo with her partner Marty Markey, AL '11, as part of the Hello Neighbor activity during the December class.
Greetings!
Welcome to 2011!  On behalf of everyone at Advancing Leadership, I wish great things for you this year.

As we greet the new year, the AL and ALY classes are reaching the midpoint of their program year and demonstrating huge progress in teamwork and leadership capacity.

Our Facebook page is launched, and I encourage you to "like" us so you will get all the alumni updates, inspirational stories and lots of photos in between issues of this newsletter.

ALY will need lots of volunteers for their team project.  If you can help out on February 22nd, 10 am - 2 pm, send me an email.

With appreciation for your role in the AL community,

 
Teri Hickel
Executive Director 
Quick Links

We're On Facebook!
Click for AL's Facebook Page
Have you visited the Advancing Leadership Facebook page?  In only one month's time, we've been able to reach over 120 of your fellow classmates, alumni, sponsors and supporters up to date on all the great news (and great photos) happening in between newsletters.

If you haven't already connected with our online community, click on the Facebook image (left) and see what you've been missing!  If you already have a Facebook account, make sure and "like" our page.  You'll get updates on your wall whenever we have news or pix to share.  If you don't have an account, you can still view our page and find links to articles, video and more.

Make sure you share our page with friends who might be interested in joining AL or ALY.  We bet they'll be inspired by what they see!
Leading the Leaders: 2010-11 Advancing Leadership Board of Directors
Since AL's inception over twelve years ago, we have relied on a strong, all-volunteer board to keep our organization fresh, focused and viable.  Each board member models servant leadership skills and demonstrates a passion for expanding leadership opportunities for adults and youth from every walk of life.

In addition to monthly meetings, AL board directors attend program sessions to assess and provide feedback, meet and mentor class members, recruit new sponsors and participants and work on committees to continually improve our work.  Many of our board members are also our alumni!

Advancing Leadership is proud to introduce you to our 2011 Board of Directors:

2010-11 AL Board of Directors

AL 2011 BOARD DIRECTORS: (back row, l to r) Board President Brady Nelson, AL '05, State Farm Insurance; John Carnahan, Starbucks Coffee Company; Dinah Herring, AL '09, Comcast Cable; Lisa Skari, AL '04, Highline Community College; Allen Church, AL '99, South King Fire & Rescue; Jon McIntosh, AL '99, Grace Church; Dan Shea, Weyerhaeuser Company; Bob Wroblewski, Community Leader; (front row, l to r) Debra Hansen, Community Leader; Andy Hwang, AL '00, Federal Way Police Department; Dini Duclos, Multi-Service Center; Tom Pierson, Federal Way Chamber of Commerce; (not pictured) Joshua Garcia, Federal Way Public Schools.

Servant Leader: AL Alum and Board Member is Volunteer of the Year
Advancing Leadership is proud to claim the 2010 Federal Way Chamber of Commerce Volunteer

of the Year as our own Jon McIntosh, AL '99.

 

Jon McIntosh

Jon, who graduated from AL's very first class, has stayed involved with the program ever since.  He has participated in committees, been a guest speaker, helped with team projects and been involved in alumni events.  He is currently an Advancing Leadership Board Director and facilitates leadership development curriculum and project planning for the AL adult class.  Basically, Jon gives us many hours of his life, at no charge, because he believes in AL and the people it serves.

 

 

"It wasn't my award, it was my dad's award," Jon told AL and ALY '11, just a week after receiving the honor.  "I'm just doing what my dad taught me to do.  I am a living legacy."

 

Jon's dad, Mike McIntosh, was the pastor of Grace Church in Federal Way, a committed volunteer in our community, and one of the founders of Advancing Leadership.  When he passed away in 2007, AL established a scholarship fund in his name to help make our program financially accessible to local volunteers and employees of small businesses. "He was present in groups that supported community and advocated for the individual who didn't have a business or corporation behind them. He strongly encouraged the "community leader" to join Advancing Leadership," explains AL Executive Director Teri Hickel.  "He wanted them to know their voice was just as strong as a CEO or high-ranking elected person. Mike was a servant leader and Jon carries on his legacy."

 

Teri was behind Jon's nomination for the Chamber award.  She has been witness to his community contributions for many years.  "Jon's greatest gift is his ability to speak with humility. He makes it easy for folks to identify with ideas. Last year, he spoke to the youth about living with integrity and discovering who you are. He shared his personal story of growing up a pastor's son and the journey it involved to settle down in his own skin, not only accepting his role but cherishing his job of leading Grace Church. He said life doesn't get better than this."

Servant leaders don't get any better than this either.

 

Thanks, Jon, for all you do for AL and our community.  Click here to see Jon speak about service and legacy, or visit our YouTube channel: Advancing Leadership.

 

If YOU have received special recognition related to leadership, tell us about it - your success inspires others!  Contact Amye Bronson-Doherty at [email protected], or post on our Facebook page. 

Modeling the Way: ALY Alums Earn Scholarships

As high school students wrap up their first semester, some are receiving the first notices of scholarships and awards that recognize their hard work in school and beyond.  Several of our ALY alumni have been selected for noteworthy scholarships related to their leadership skills:


Bailey Warrior, ALY '10: Qwest Leadership Challenge Scholarship.


 Bailey W.
Bailey is a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School, and has been busy applying for scholarships in preparation for her college career at Pacific Lutheran University.  "I believe scholarships are some of the biggest stepping stones on my way to success," she explains.  She credits her parents, friends and school for inspiring her, and ALY for giving her the courage to apply.


"I grew up shy and afraid to share my opinion. ALY allowed me to break out of my shell. In fact, I painted my entire body green and played Captain Green to promote recycling to over 100 fifth graders...Knowing I have the ability to be involved in my community and have my voice be heard by all people has given me confidence in a way nothing else has."


In addition to her Qwest Scholarship, Bailey is a finalist for the Act Six Scholarship, which would cover her full tuition and provide additional leadership training during college.  ALY '08 grad Christian Dawson is also an Act Six Scholar.


Costner McKenzie, ALY '10: Nordstrom Scholarship.


 Costner M
Costner, a Todd Beamer High School senior, was surprised by the Nordstroms representative who walked into one of his classes with "a giant check, bringing cupcakes for the class, and inviting my family to see."  The check was giant in two ways - size and amount: $10,000!


The application process was intense, and included two essays on community leadership and one on diversity.  According to Costner, his ALY experience was a big help.


"ALY had a significant impact upon my application - to the point of where one of my essays derived from my ALY experiences. It asked about a community project that I would wish to devote a year of my life too. ALY was able to expose me to a number of community outreach programs, as well as give me ideas for those which I would wish to begin myself. In addition, ALY gave me the confidence necessary to be successful during my interview. I was able to make many references to experiences I had as an ALY participant, as well as demonstrate my strong leadership skills. Because of ALY I am a true community leader."


Costner plans on continuing to build on his leadership experiences at Stanford University.


Makoa Rosa, ALY '09: Qwest Leadership Challenge Scholarship
 

Makoa RMakoa is also a senior at Thomas Jefferson, and was nominated for the Qwest Scholarship by the school's atheletic director Mike Grady.  In addition to winning a $5000 scholarship, which will go towards his studies at the University of Hawaii, Makoa participated in a two-day leadership conference at Qwest Field and got to attend a Seahawks game - including field time during warm-ups.
 

The leadership experience he gained from ALY, along with a letter of recommendation from Executive Director Teri Hickel, "gave me an edge on the competition," according to Makoa.
 

As he puts it, "ALY gave the opportunity to see myself in a more professional leadership role  I feel like in the future I could hold some sort of leadership role and do very well at it."
 

Congratulations to these outstanding ALY alums for their ongoing efforts.  Their success proves that young leaders can do great things.
 

If YOU have received special recognition related to leadership, tell us about it - your success inspires others!  Contact Amye Bronson-Doherty at [email protected], or post on our Facebook page.

"Hello Neighbor" a Huge Hit with AL and ALY
Julie & Majik from Hello Neighbor
Julie & Majik from Hello Neighbor
In December, the adult and youth classes met together for a combined day of creativity, teambuilding, service and inspiration.  The theme was "Servant Leadership", and guests included board members, sponsors, alumni and community leaders from business, government and the school district.

The highlight activity for many participants was the "Hello Neighbor Project".  Begun in Portland, OR as a way to help neighbors reconnect with each other, the project involved local students interviewing adults in their area, photographing them, and selecting comments from the interviews to add to the photos.  Completed posters were hung in prominent locations in the neighborhood.

"Hello Neighbor" was brought to AL's attention by Debra Feammelli, AL '08, whose son Tyler Kohlhoff is involved in the ongoing project.  After initially testing the idea on ALY '09, Executive Director Teri Hickel added it to the combined class day last December.  "It was an amazing icebreaker for adults and youth to get to know each other in a fairly short period of time.  They made connections with each other that fueled in-depth conversations throughout the day," explains Teri.  "The feedback was overwhelming, and the photos they produced were thoughtful and moving."

Not to be outdone, AL and ALY '10 kicked off their December day with their own take on "Hello Neighbor".  This year, the activity was led by founder Julie Keefe and assistant Majik Hodges.  After introducing the concept, showing samples of AL 2010's work and a mini-photography lesson, participants - who were paired up for the day - scattered in all directions to find unique settings, angles and poses to express themselves.  The original photos (without captions) can be seen on the Advancing Leadership Facebook page.

For more information on the "Hello Neighbor Project", visit their website: www.helloneighborproject.org.
 
The Votes Are In: Adults and Youth Choose Projects

Advancing Leadership team projects are a vital part of the program.  The project experience provides participants with practical application of all of the year's leadership training, and challenges them to work with different leadership styles, utilize their new network of community contacts, and consider long-term impacts of their work.  The results over the years have been a wide array of improvements to our city that benefit many different people.

 

ALY and AL 2011 have chosen their projects and are already busy mapping out steps to finish them by April (for ALY) and May (for AL). The youth had four proposals submitted for their approval in the fall, and chose "One Day Federal Way".  This project will involve a day of service, bringing together many volunteers to clean, repair and beautify three local schools. Click HERE to see how you can join ALY on February 22nd, 10 am - 2 pm for One Day Federal Way.

 

The adult AL class, building on the three-year focus of gang awareness and prevention, will partner with Communities in Schools to recruit new mentors for teens and tweens in Federal Way schools.  They are also working on an outreach to parents. More info on how you can support this project - including how to become a mentor - is coming soon!

AL
AL & ALY '11 on Servant Leadership Day

AL Receives Grant from Flip for Good
Flip Video Spotlight
We have two new additions to the AL team - Flip video cameras!  In the past year, we've been discovering how powerful video can be in sharing the AL experience.  Our first videos were created using borrowed equipment.  When we decided it was time to get our own, our research led us to Flip for Good.

In December, Flip selected Advancing Leadership to be a Participating Partner in the Flip Video Spotlight program.  This opportunity has two parts. We were offered a "buy one, get one free" discount on our camera purchase.  In addition, the Flip Video Spotlight channel on YouTube has linked with our channel.  Now, when we tag our new videos "flipforgood", viewers far beyond the AL community will discover the amazing work we are doing right here in Federal Way.

Having two video cameras will allow participants to record site visits, teambuilding activities, and every stage of their projects - even when they split into groups.  We will also be able to capture clips of our favorite speakers and activities, and use video to pitch project ideas and interview alumni.

For more information on Flip for Good, visit the website: www.flipvideospotlight.com.  Thanks, Flip!
Advancing Leadership is proud of our corporate partners:

Comcast Foundation logo      FWPS     Starbucks logo      Weyhaeuser

 City of FW    Highline CC       St. Francis Hospital        Multi-Service Center     Umpqua Bank logo