It was another great day at The Pirates House! President Andrew Cosey announced the date for the upcoming September Social which will be held on Thursday, September 28, at Wyld Dock Bar. He also announced the September service project that will be on Saturday, September 30, at Tharros Place in Pooler. Once all Rotary business items were discussed, Katie Gingrich introduced our speaker, Jennifer Davenport, who is with Leadership Savannah.
Leadership Savannah was started in 1961 and in the second oldest community based leadership program in the United States. Our very own Joe Buck was instrumental in revitalizing the program in 1972 when it went to a two year program that taught life skills. In 2008, the program pivoted again and went to a one year commitment.
The common theme of Leadership Savannah is that you feel called to serve. Participants meet one day a month and discuss topics that are important to our community as well as visit places around town. Enrollment is from July 1 - September 30. There is not a minimum age and there are around 45 participants per class. The overall acceptance rate into the program is 50% and the cost is $3100. They strive to have diversity in each class and Jennifer relies on her board to aid with this. They host a golf tournament each year that not only helps with the cost of the program but also provides one full scholarship per class. There are currently over 2200 graduates. Many RCSE members have gone through the program and there was discussion as to how beneficial is was and the impact it had on their lives. To learn more about Leadership Savannah, please visit https://www.savannahchamber.com/leadership-savannah/