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Impacts

The mission of Leadership Lorain County is to foster life long leaders who serve as catalysts for positive change. One of the ways LLC accomplishes this mission is by offering class participants expanded knowledge and awareness of existing and emerging community issues, needs, challenges and resources through direct contact with a spectrum of people, places, and organizations. Through this exposure each class develops a “class project”, which impacts their communities and its citizenry in sometimes life changing ways. Here is the list of “Class Projects” that continue to create positive change in our County and Region:

Year	Descriptive History of Leadership Lorain County Class Projects
1985	Conceived and developed the LLC Alumni Association. Worked with the community and the telephone companies in Lorain County and in the state to have the "1" dropped when dialing in certain areas and off peak rates.
1986	Developed a directory of community programs/classes and distributed the program throughout Lorain County. Worked with Voices for Children to recruit advocates for clients.
1987	Introduced Inroads Project to Lorain County. Initiated the pilot program for the LLC Summer Internship Program. Worked on the passage of the Metro Parks Levy.
1988	Developed a day-long Youth Leadership Training Session for LC High School students. Surveyed citizens of Lorain County regarding their opinion on various issues including resources, economy, gambling issues, education
1989	Put in an application for the All American Cities Project. Developed and produced a video on the first house renovated by Habitat for Humanity in the area, and used it for a marketing campaign for Habitat. Established the Task Force for Domestic Violence, from which a Rape Crisis Brochure was developed.
1990	Initiated the Lorain County Freenet website, which provided the Lorain County community with an advanced computerized internet service before 99% of the rest of the country. This group stayed together after the year program to continue work on this project.
1992	Surveyed LLC Alumni to determine interest in working with the LC 2020 project. Worked on creating The Volunteer Action Center.
1993	Established the first LLC Golf Outing.
1994	Established Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County after identifying a need for at-risk children, doing research, writing the grant, and hiring the first director.
1995	Identified a need for youth inclusion in the adult Leadership Program, submitted a proposal to the LLC Board, secured funding, promoted the program, selected the students for inclusion, and evaluated the program. This group stayed together after the year to finish up the project.
1996	Established the LLC Golf Outing as a Fundraiser. Instituted selling advertising in the LLC Newsletter.
1997	Board Training Orientation (headed up by Tony Zucco)
1998	No class project this year.
1999	Assisted in finding suitable clothing for a women in transitional housing to be able to go on job interviews. Also gathered furnishings to help when the women transitioned out of that housing.
2000	Identified a need for board training, interview services. Assisted in establishing Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU) in Lorain County.
2001	Established the LLC Golden Apple Award for innovations in education. Established the Safe Baby Drop-off process in Lorain County before it became a law in Ohio. Worked with the county in the Lorain County Beautification Project.
2002	Organized a conference for non-profit organizations that focused on grant-writing and fund raising. Developed a summer program for at-risk youth that covered career exploration, resume writing and interview tools; collaborated with Junior Achievement. All the foundation work was completed but program was never implemented due to a lack of interest from the schools. It ended up evolving into a job shadow program through JA.
2003	Identified a need and developed a plan for a save-haven for pets of residents of Genesis House, a safe haven for abused women. An evaluation of minority donations to Lorain County Blood Bank was done.
2004	Developed and distributed the "Top Ten Reasons to Love Lorain County" Bookmarks. Organized an Alumni picnic at French Creek Reservation. Planned and coordinated a Leadership conference at the Lorain Palace Theater with General Johnnie Wilson as the guest speaker.
2005	Implemented the establishment of Blessing House--provided a plan for fund-raising, for obtaining supplies and equipment, and for general operations. Identified a "missing link" in the Signature Leadership Program and made the recommendation of adding board leadership component to the session days.
2006	Developed and implemented a corporate blood donor drive for LifeShare Blood Services. Developed and implemented a corporate Harvest for Hunger Food Drive participation.
2007	Developed the Non-Profit Volunteer Consultants (NPVC) network as a way to connect non-profits with the expertise of the business community and volunteer consultants. Facilitated two Poverty Simulation experiences (for community members, and again the following fall for the Class of 2008) designed to engage policy makers, non-profit leadership and community leaders in a hands-on experience of the day-to-day realities of life for low-income families. Developed and implemented the online Pet Network, a comprehensive directory of pet related businesses, services and information designed to help keep companion pets healthy and happy.
2008	Constructed an Outdoor Activity Center and Shelter for the Haven Center of Neighborhood House Association. Developed the Homeless Task Force Support Project, which supported the development of a website and the creation and distribution of Homeless Street information cards for families and individuals in need; Implemented the Government Collaboration Project, which successfully initiated a grant from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) that will investigate the most effective forms of governmental collaboration. This grant will advance the County’s intergovernmental collaboration by examining issues such as shared resources and collective purchasing.
2009	The Community Build Project, through partnerships with several social service agencies, private enterprises and local government entities, raised funds to construct a playground at one of Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority’s family development. Designed and printed a 25th anniversary LLC Cookbook. Worked LLC in consultation for redesigning LLC's web site. Facilitated conversations with local veterans, researched resources and convened a meeting with Lorain County Community College to establish some local benefits and outreach.
2010	The Urban Garden Project worked with EdenVision a local non-profit that creates and sustains urban gardens in underserved neighborhoods. The project also included the development of EdenVision's website, the preparation of two gardens and assistance finding land for additional garden spots. The S.O.S (Students for Other Students), a peer tutoring project, was introduced into the Oberlin City Schools. This program pairs older and more advanced students with younger, less proficient students. The WOW (Women of Worth) offers organizations who work with "women in transition" a 6 part series that focuses on women's personal empowerment. A playground build in Lorain County.
2011	The Connect Project updated the current Alumni database to include not only basic information, but identified skills. Interestes, willingness to serve on boards or volunteer, job shadow and mentoring. Catch The Future was developed by the high school students that provides a comprehensive educational experience that fosters leadership development and program activities for 10th and 11th graders. The Urban Garden Sock Project delivered over 700 garden socks to local citizens and organizations to grow their own gardens.