USPS Publication Number 16300
THE
SUMMATIONWeeklyy
This Community Newspaper is a publication of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association
S E RV I N G T H E F I RS T J U D I C I A L C I RC U I T Vol. 23, No. 24
June 14, 2023
SummationWeekly.com
1 Section, 8 Pages
Section A, Page 1
LEAP FOR CHANGE
By Morgan Cole
H
elping the community, building relationships and cultivating a better Pensacola community is what each participant of the of the 55-member Leadership Pensacola (LeaP) class of 2023 strives to accomplish. The LeaP class of 2023 implemented their project, LeaP for Change, which is an initiative that will help provide basic needs including food, hygiene products, clothing, and other necessities to specific local organizations that serve families and children in the Northwest Florida community. For this initiative, LeaP class members established a Care Closet and School Pantry Program with the hope that the two projects will be sustained upon the current class ending. The class partnered with C.A. Weis Elementary School to establish the Care Closet, which is available at no cost to students in need of access to basic care including hygiene and personal care, clothing and nutritious foods. The class also worked with Feeding the Gulf Coast to utilize a multi-tiered approach to address childhood food insecurity through the establishment of their School Pantry Program. Located at the Ebonwood, Brownsville and Wedgewood community centers in Pensacola, the pantries will provide children and families with consistent access to nutritious meals and other non-perishable food items that can be easily consumed at home, as well as other essential necessities. On May 3, class members gathered at C.A. Weis Elementary School for the official ribbon cutting and to celebrate the completion of this year’s LeaP for Change project. LeaP is a program of the Pensacola Chamber Foundation that was founded in 1982, with the first class graduating in 1983. The program is designed to help cultivate community leaders and teach them about existing issues in Pensacola communities and about finding solutions. The Pensacola Chamber established the program to renew the community’s pool of talented leaders. They understood that the future health of any community is linked to committed, educated leaders who must be equipped to make vigorous, well informed and responsible decisions. Through the 10-month program, participants gain a deeper understanding of the issues facing the local community and acquire the leadership skills and credentials necessary to resolve them. Each year’s LeaP class is presented with a choice of potential local nonprofits to partner with for specific projects they are trying to accomplish within the community. Overall, this year’s class project initiatives are projected to have helped more than 800 households—with a total of 500 families at C.A. Weis and 300 through the School Pantry Program. “The Leadership Pensacola Class of 2023 had the honor of working directly with our local Community Food Pantries to serve our Pensacola community,” 2023 LeaP class member and director of research and development for Andrews Research Foundation, Jessi Truett said.
Each project initiative served to benefit families residing in the 32505 area code, where 23.5 percent of households are reported to live below the poverty threshold. The area is also classified as an urban food desert, meaning a person must travel more than one mile to access a traditional food retailer or grocery store. In total, LeaP class members collected more than 4,000 items for use in the new pantry and closet, including soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, socks, underwear, batteries, cleaning supplies, other toiletries and a variety of nonperishable food items. In addition to reaching more than 800 households through their community service project initiatives, the class also surpassed its initial fundraising goal of $60,000, collecting a total of $67,000 in donations. “Our group of 55 Pensacola Leaders from varying backgrounds and experiences worked together for a year to build and fill the pantries with the most needed items for our local families. This amazing experience allowed us to open our eyes to our community needs, and our hearts to help fill those needs,” Truett said. To date, more than 1,900 individuals have completed the Leadership Pensacola program and have acquired the skills, passion and connections to work effectively as community trustees.
For more ab out L eadership Pensacola and complete details on this year’s class project, visit p ensacolachamb er.com/leadership-p ensacola or leapforchangepensacola.org. ■
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