North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement

University of North Carolina at Asheville

LTOP Memory Book Class of 2008 “Leadership Develops Daily and Not in a Day” is what twenty-seven dynamic older adults learned as they dedicated themselves to becoming stronger community leaders through their participation in Leadership Training for Older Persons (LTOP) at the NC Center for Creative Retirement this past fall. LTOP is a free public program for people age 50 or better. It is funded and coordinated by the NC Center for Creative Retirement at the University of North Carolina Asheville. LTOP is intended to help older adults become comfortable voicing their views on issues and taking a more active role as community leaders. Over 7 weeks, participants developed hands on skills in leading groups, running meetings, team building, and public speaking, project planning and much more. Participants continued their work after class by putting their new skills into practice by working on community projects. We invite you to read through our book of memories as we reflect on what we learned and accomplished. Sincerely,

Patti Cameron LTOP Coordinator

What Makes a Good Leader? What is leadership and what is not leadership? Craig White from the Center for Participatory Change got us started on the first day as we learned what it takes to be an effective leader in our community. Characteristics of A Good Leader • • • • •

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Good communication skills Receptive to others’ ideas and opinions Peaceful, calm, stable and even-tempered Positive core values Ability to work alone and with groups • Self-motivated • Knowledge of the subject or issue • Walks the talk • Organizer • Passion and commitment for a cause Charisma Articulate Humility In the community, with the people Capable of making contact with resources • Able to guide, direct and inspire • Good, affirming attitude • Courageous • Ability to withstand criticism • Seeing what’s needed Doesn’t complain Trustworthy Having the time Appropriate appearance for the setting Inclusion

Craig White works with the Center for Participatory Change in rural areas throughout North Carolina and Appalachia. Within CPC, Craig coordinates their grant-writing and newsletter, takes the lead on human dignity and anti-racism work, and supports many grassroots groups. http://www.cpcwnc.org/

Team Building This class didn’t have us swinging from ropes but we did have fun while learning about the dynamics of working in a team.

Here is just a little bit of what we learned. Characteristics of a Successful Team Clear Understanding of the Goal Clear Vision of What Success Looks Like Empowered to Get it Done Everyone is Aligned Clear Leadership Everyone is Engaged Characteristics of an Unsuccessful Team Hidden Agendas Resistance to Change Closed Minded Members Passive Aggressive Behavior Ineffective Listening

Bob Davis, NCCCR Volunteer Bob is a former Chief Information Officer with many years in technology, business and management consulting. Currently, he spends most of his time at the NC Center for Creative Retirement as an instructor and as the past chair of the Center for Creative Retirements Steering Committee. You can also see Bob around town giving of himself as a community volunteer.

Welcoming All to the Table – Diversity Good Leaders know the importance of having everyone present and heard at the table. Craig White for the Center for Participatory Change taught us about the challenges and benefits of welcoming all to the table. Curriculum was centered on the importance of diversity/inclusion in order to have a successful work group along with tips on how to make everyone welcome.

Craig White works with the Center for Participatory Change in rural areas throughout North Carolina and Appalachia. Within CPC, Craig coordinates their grant-writing and newsletter, takes the lead on human dignity and anti-racism work, and supports many grassroots groups. http://www.cpcwnc.org/

Oh No! Another Meeting Meetings - you just can’t have change in a community unless you sit down with other to discuss, plan and implement. Beth Lazer taught us about the different types of meetings and how they are organized. She also gave us tips on how to have a successful meeting. Here are her Ten Commandments for Meeting Facilitators 1. Never try to make other people exactly like you: one is enough. 2. Be organized 3. Be non-judgmental. Never judge another's needs or refuse your consideration solely because he/she causes trouble. 4. Don’t give people excuses. Allow individuals to own their own conduct and its consequences. 5. Try to help everyone be active listeners and tough-minded decisions makers. 6. Respect individuals who are pursuing knowledge. 7. Don’t expect to come up with perfect solutions or miracles. 8. Build relationships among team members. 9. Keep your sense of humor. 10. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Beth Laser (NCCCR Volunteer): A special thank you goes to Beth for founding LTOP & her continued mentorship for the program. Beth has served as chair of the Center for Creative Retirement Steering Committee, the Leadership Asheville Forum, the League of Women Voters, and her church’s Board of Trustees. She has recently chaired the Task Force which developed the 2008-2012 Livable and Aging-Friendly Community plan approved by the Buncombe County Commissioners in May 2008. Work is now being done to implement the plan. To learn more about the Buncombe County Aging Plan go to: www.landofsky.org/downloads/Agingplanningreport.pdf

“If you had three wishes to make your community a senior healthy community what would they be? What would you improve, create or change?” The World Café is an innovative yet simple methodology for hosting conversations about questions that matter. These conversations link and build on each other as people move between groups, cross-pollinate ideas, and discover new insights into the questions or issues that are most important in their life, work, or community. As a process, the World Café can evoke and make visible the collective intelligence of any group, thus increasing people’s capacity for effective action in pursuit of common aims. http://www.theworldcafe.com/what.htm

Café Etiquette. Focus on what matters. Contribute your thinking. Speak from your mind and heart. Listen to understanding. Link and connect ideas. Listen together for insights an deeper questions. Play, Doodle, Draw- writing on the tablecloths is encouraged. Have Fun !

Patti Cameron, LTOP Coordinator NCCCR and RSVP Coordinator LOSRC Patti has coordinated LTOP for the past 3 years. For the past 2 years she has taught the techniques of the World Café for LTOP. A fast, easy and enjoyable way to facilitate large or small groups. Special thanks to our table host for the World Café Connie Pegg– Lead RSVP Coordinator, Stacy Friesland– Foster Grandparent Manager, Tracy Ash– Senior Companion Manager. Tracy Ash– Senior Companion Manager, Marcy Churney Graduate LTOP 07

Leadership in Community How exactly do you coordinate a community project? Bill Bailey walked us through the process as we reflect on the challenges of organizing a community work day. Here is some of his good advice. GETTING READY • Pick a date & name of your workday! • Decide want you want to accomplish and how you will accomplish it? • Seek advice from appropriate community members. • Find a committed core of people who will take responsibility for its success. Involve as many people from as many sectors of the community as possible. ORGANIZATION Plan the day’s program and all the details. Plan the publicity. Plan the budget ORCHESTRATING THE WORKDAY • Remind everyone of the day and time and make sure leaders know their exact assignments. • Gather at a central location. Begin with a song or a brief speech. • Divide the work into teams with a leader and clear assignments. • Have supplies ready so that the teams can work to their maximum effect. • Have snacks and lunches for everyone. • End with a party! Report on the accomplishments, the discoveries, and the promise for the future. TYING UP THE ENDS • Receive reports from the team leaders on what they accomplished. • Write and report on your accomplishment and share it with the community. Thank everyone involved!

Bill Bailey, also a NCCCR member, came to us with a magical wand and big red noise to teach us how to coordinate community projects. Himself and his wife both participated in the 5th City project in Chicago in the early 1970’s. Through his many experiences, he and his wife have developed a hands on approached to solving community issues.

Inside the Media With Jill Yarnell, Assistant Director of Public InformationUNCA Working effectively with your local media is one of the most important factors to getting the word out about your community project. Jill Yarnell joined us again this year to share her experience on how to work effectively with our local media outlets. Tips for Getting your Story in the News • Draft a press release, and have several people proof read. The better the press release, the more likely the story is to run. • Most reporters prefer to receive press releases via e-mail. Copy and paste the plain text into the body of the e-mail. • Send images only to print and electronic media, there is no sense of sending them to radio. • Daily newspapers, radio, television and electronic media need information 10 days or more prior to the event. Weekly newspaper deadlines are the middle of each month. • After e-mailing your press release you may follow-up with the reporter– don’t pester them. • Consider pitching your story ideas to the live 6am WLOS-TV broadcaster. This is one of the most popular broadcasting viewers but producers often have a hard time booking and interview because of the early hours. • Chose one spokesperson from your organization to field interviews. For future reference, Mountain Area Information Networks always posts a listing of up-to-date media listings. http://www.main.nc.us/cgi-bin/jumpbox.pl?goto=%2Fregionalmedia%2F

211 Training Good leaders know where to go for resources. In our community it is 211. 2-1-1 of WNC is a community service information line that links people to health and human services in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties. We thank Zoe Kelly from United Way’s 2-1-1 for demonstrating how to use their on-line database. Zoe Kelly, 211 Call Center Manager http://www.211wnc.org/

Fundraising 101 Mark Goldstein from “Communication Mark” introduced us to different technique for fundraising from the grassroots level to grant writing.

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Top most important things you can know about fundraising • If you want money, you have to ask for it. • Thank before you bank. • Donors are not ATMs. • Most money comes from people, and most of those people are not rich. • People have the right to say no. • To be good at fundraising, cultivate three traits: belief in the cause for which you are raising money and the ability to maintain that belief during defeats, tedious tasks, and financial insecurity; second, the ability to have high hopes and low expectations, allowing you to be pleased but rarely disappointed; and third, faith in the basic goodness of people. Fundraising should not be confused with fund chasing, fund squeezing, or fund hoarding. People’s anxieties about fundraising stem from their anxieties about money. There are four steps to fundraising— Plan, plan, plan, and work your plan.

From: JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 • GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING JOURNAL by Kim Klein

Mark Goldstein, Communication Mark Mark’s primary role at Communication Mark is to formulate creative project strategies, direct project and grant research, and edit grant proposals. He has raised millions for nonprofit organizations by obtaining grants for organizations of all types, sizes and locales. His volunteer service includes: launching URTV, Board to the Association of Fundraising Professionals WNC Chapter and the WNC Nonprofit Professionals Association. To learn more about Mark’s business go to www.communicationmark.com

Marketing 101 Without knowledge of basic marketing techniques and skills getting the word out about your community project can be an uphill battle. Elliott Black and Nancy Mathewson (NCCCR Marketing Committee Volunteers) taught us the basics of marketing for nonprofits and community groups. Not only did we learn that marketing is all about creativity but also that the dollar store can be your best friend when it comes to promotional items. Elliott Black & Nancy Mathewson Elliott is President of EMBA, Inc., a Marketing & Management consulting firm. Currently. Elliot sits on the board of the Keowee Chamber Music and on the NCCCR Marketing committee and is active in the Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition. Nancy’s background is in the fields of public budgeting, human resource administration, and communications. Currently she is a member of the NCCCR Marketing Committee, the board of the Asheville Quilt Guild and a volunteer at the Smith-McDowell House.

Public Speaking 101 For many, public speaking is a necessary evil that stands in the way of being an effective leader. John Huie taught us how to be an effective speaker in public and how to dispel our fears. We spent a full, day practicing in and evaluating our classmates performances. We not only learned the ins and outs of public speaking, but also got the opportunity to hear some exciting life experiences from one another.

John Huie Ph.D., John Huie Consulting

John has been an important part to the success of LTOP. For the past 3 years, John has used his unique coaching skills to help us learn to work as a team. This year John coached us through the process of becoming successful public speakers. To learn more about John Huie consulting go to:

http://www.johnhuie.com/

Community Projects Participants continued their work after class by putting their new skills into practice by working on community projects. Below is a listing of many of the projects. Self Help- Edna Metcalf (Senior Companion) Edna, a Senior Companion for over 7yrs, plans to use her new skills to help the sick and handicapped residents in her apartment building (Vanderbilt) by assisting with errands, housework and other tasks as needed. Vials of Life - Gordon Hughes & Jay Buchner Jay and Gordon are working with their building and church to educate the congregation on the Vials of Life. In the future, they plan to branch out to senior housing projects, other churches and grocery stores with a predominant focus on senior adults. Non-Partisan Voter Taxi - Nancy Dugga Working to ensure that those who want to vote, either early or on polling day, are able to through providing rides to designated stations. Personal Disaster Preparedness - Norma Poore Norma’s will be taking the Personal Disaster Training provided from the Land-of-Sky Regional Council and will go out into the community to teach older adults want they need to prepare for and how to create personal preparedness kits for their family and pets. Room at the Inn- Aviva Bruyer Aviva will be working with the Catholic Daughters of America to assist with the Room at the Inn by feeding, clothing and sheltering homeless women of our community on three separate evenings. Vials of Life and Air Quality Project- Bob Cunningham Bob plans on making several presentations on the Vials of Life program; this will be an ongoing project. Saving Kilowatts is Bob’s second project. His goal is to reach out to households to help them decrease household consumption of electricity with the end result of improving air quality. Each kilowatt hour not used saves 1 pound of coals, resulting in less carbon dioxide and mercury released into our atmosphere.

Community Projects—Continued Henderson County Vision 2009 Culture & Leisure Review & Guided Autobiography Course - Bob Kemp Bob is working with a sub-committee of the Henderson County Vision 2009 to review the Culture & Leisure opportunities in Henderson County. They are currently reviewing the identified list of “Likes” and ‘Dislikes” and proposing recommendations for improving opportunities in Henderson County. Bob second project is to create a six week Guided Autobiography Course using the “Guided Autobiography Method”. The Program uses a combination of writings and group discussions to organize and put into words the details of participants’ lives. The course accommodates 8-12 participates. Bob is planning to run the class in Feb/March of 2009 Operation Christmas Child - Jeanne Stewart For the past 15 years, Jeanne’s church has participated in Operation Christmas Child (an International Organization run by Franklin Graham’s Samaritan Purse to provide toys to children in need.) The program distributes toys to children in 100 countries and disaster areas around the world. Jeanne will be using her skills from LTOP to be the promoter for the project, their goal this year is 100 shoeboxes filled with toys. Chronic Disease Self Management -Mary-Ann PettiJohn Mary-Ann will be attending the Chronic Disease Self Management Course provided by the Land-Of-Sky Regional Council. She will be learning how to manage not only her own chronic illness but teach others how to do the same. Closed Circuit TVs - Margaret Hartley Margaret will propose to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners that our libraries need to have closed circuit-tvs installed. This technology allows individuals to place reading material on a sliding platform that projects the material onto a monitor which in turn allows you to dial up any size font depending on your current visual loss. This would be greatly beneficial to legally blind and low vision persons in our community. Other Projects Many LTOP classmates plan to better serve their communities by utilizing their new skills within their current volunteer capacity to take on greater responsibilities and new projects.

NC Center for Creative Retirement at UNCA Reuter Center, CPO #5000, UNC Asheville, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804-8516 828/251-6140 · Fax 828/251-6803 · www.unca.edu/nccccr/