Group to celebrate its 20th anniversary
By B.C. Manion
When Pasco County residents hop into their cars to make a trip, chances are good they aren’t traveling east or west, but instead are heading north or south.
Because of those travel patterns, there’s a good likelihood that people living and working on the east side of the county are out of touch with the issues affecting the west side, and vice versa.
Since its inception, Leadership Pasco has tried to develop leaders who take a broad view of the county – and consider it as a whole, not two distinct parts, said Cynthia Armstrong, who served on the group’s founding board.
“Leadership Pasco has done an excellent, excellent job of bringing people from both sides of the county together,” Armstrong said.
The organization is marking its 20th anniversary with a celebration on Thursday, Aug. 11, at the Seven Springs Golf & Country Club in New Port Richey.
Armstrong, now a member of the Pasco County School Board, said Leadership Pasco has good reason to celebrate.
“I’m very proud of how it has evolved,” Armstrong said. “I think it has done exactly – and more – of what we originally envisioned,” said the woman who was serving on the board of the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce when Leadership Pasco was born.
Since the beginning, the organization has been devoted to helping develop leadership in Pasco County. It also has aimed to give its members a deeper understanding of the county’s physical makeup, its social issues, its strengths, weaknesses and potential.
At first glance, its members may seem to have little in common: They are bankers or lawyers, educators or marketing experts. Some work in agriculture, others in industry. Some do charitable work.
Having a diverse membership is deliberate, said Kurt Conover, marketing director for the Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point.
The idea is to bring people together from different walks of life so they can learn from each other, he said.
Therefore, each class of Leadership Pasco is made up of members who bring knowledge to the table about distinct community issues and who have diverse professional perspectives.
During the course of two decades more than 600 people have completed the training offered through Leadership Pasco.
Each Leadership Pasco class devotes the better part of a year to educational activities and learning sessions designed to help them develop a deeper understanding of Pasco County.
Class members begin their education by taking two daylong bus tours, devoting a day to each side of the county.
On the east side, for instance, they get a better sense of what’s happening on the agricultural scene. And, on the west side, they gain a better grasp about some of the urban challenges facing the county.
Harold Sample, who has been conducting the bus tour for about 18 years, said he tells each new class of Leadership Pasco that he will buy anyone on the bus a lunch if they don’t learn something new about the county during the bus tours.
So far, he hasn’t had to buy a single lunch, said Sample, now with Workforce Housing Ventures Inc.
Besides the bus tour, the organization has monthly programs, emphasizing different themes each month. Those topics include criminal justice; business and industry; government and the media; infrastructure and growth management; healthcare; education; and leadership in action.
On issues of criminal justice, for instance, they may tour the jail, learn about weapons and hear from the sheriff, attorneys and judges, Conover said.
In the healthcare arena, they cover the continuum of healthcare issues – from birth to death, he said. They’ll also tour healthcare facilities and will hear from nonprofit groups that provide healthcare on the community level.
Class members also take part in an overnight activity, where they live in a simulated society of haves, have-nots and people in between.
“I was in the have-not (group). You couldn’t go anywhere. You couldn’t do anything,” Conover said.
The experience helps participants develop a greater appreciation regarding the impacts that economic status can have on people’s choices, opportunities and experiences, Conover said.
Besides having a chance to increase their knowledge, each leadership class also identifies and completes a community service project.
The Leadership Pasco Class of 2011 raised funds for a K-9 shelter and shower for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. The previous year’s class raised money for two portable showers for homeless people.
Prospective Leadership Pasco members fill out an application, which is reviewed by a selection committee.
The program has a $700 fee, but there are partial and full scholarships available, Conover said.
What: 20th Anniversary Celebration
Where: Seven Springs Golf & Country Club, 3535 Trophy Boulevard
New Port Richey
When: Thursday, Aug. 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Enjoy Hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and mingling with 20 years of Leadership Pasco graduates
Ticket prices are $35 for the general public and $50 for members, which includes access to the group’s database of 600-plus members, or $75, which includes access to the database and a nice shirt that commemorates the 20th anniversary.
For more information, contact Glenn Hanff at (727) 457-6375.
