Keywords: leadership, HARDWORK, VisionQuest, 4-H STARS, Flagship Award

    Action is a quarterly publication of the Community Resource Development (CRD) unit of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES). Our mission in CRD is to provide educational and technical assistance in economic development, leadership development, strategic planning, environmental education, community health, and public policy education. Our overall goal is to help people solve community problems, take advantage of opportunities, and build on their assets. We also link community groups to internal and external resources.

    The focus of the previous issue of Action, Summer 2000, was Leadership for the New Millennium. This Fall 2000 issue will continue to examine methods of conquering the leadership crisis in Alabama. Dr. Willie D. Larkin, CRD staff member and Extension Community Development specialist, is the primary contributor. Other contributors include an Alabama 4-H Volunteer Association member (Wanda Pharris), a county Extension coordinator (Oscar Sam Wiggins), and three county Extension agents (Patti Presley-Fuller, Sylvia Oakes, and Tyrone Smith). The last article highlights an award recently received by one segment of the CRD group. The award was received as part of the group's work in radon awareness.

    The next issue of Action, Winter 2001, will focus on CRD's involvement in health care and health promotion issues. Dr. Kathleen S. Tajeu, a member of the CRD faculty, will focus on health projects that reflect A Community and Partnership Approaches to Improving the Health of Alabama Citizens. Also to be included is an overview of a new program in which the CRD unit will be involved: the Robert Wood Johnson-funded Alabama Southern Rural Health Access Project. For more information on these topics or suggestions for additional topics, contact the editor at (334) 844-3517, or fax on these topics or suggestions for additional topics, contact the editor at (334) 844-3517, or fax (334) 844-9022, or e-mail jchesnut@acesag.auburn.edu.

      J. Thomas Chesnutt
      Editor
      Extension Tourism Specialist

    What will it take to make this utopia happen in our marvelous state? Well, it is going to require a different kind of thinking and mind-set. It will demand a broad-based thought process that excludes selfishness and single-mindedness. Instead, we must put all of our energies toward the big picture.

    In a collective effort, we all need to be sharing information about the problems facing our organizations and communities. We also need to share our success stories about leadership and organizational strategies that really work. Experience has consistently proven that our collective wisdom solves more problems. President and CEO of Godfather's Pizza Herman Cain says, "Leadership is common sense." Mr. Cain frowns on people who have to think about whether or not they should lead. We both feel that all Americans should be conditioned to automatically saying yes to the opportunity to lead and serve. We also agree that leadership, in fact, is an obligation and the moral responsibility of every citizen in the United States of America. Well, I guess leadership is difficult after all. If it were not, everyone would be doing it.

    Recently my father passed away but left me with some very wise advice about leadership. He often talked about the importance of hard work in making important things happen. He once shared the HARDWORK acronym with me. He said that the eight letters represented the following words:

H-eart. He thought that all people need empathy and compassion for other people. If they possessed these qualities, they would be more encouraged to lead.

A-ttitude. He felt that a positive mental attitude alone can not help you do much, but it can help you do everything better than a negative attitude. So, I learned how to be positive about most things. Leadership requires positive thinking.

R-espect. He firmly believed that you can never give that which you do not have; and if you do not have respect for yourself, you can not show it toward other people. Respect is essential in building the basic character of leadership.

D-esire. Daddy thought that desire is like an engine that drives you toward your dreams or goals. He said that desire compels you to complete an important job or task.

W-illpower. My father believed that you should never abandon a goal once you declare it important. He maintained that only cowards give in to hard times.

O-ptimism. He thought that you should wake up in the morning expecting to be successful. He believed that if you thought it, it would materialize; so, believing in something is important to success. Leaders, therefore, need to be optimistic.

R-esilience. Often we get knocked down while pursuing our destiny in life. Most people just lie there without attempting to get back up. My father thought that you should be like a basketball and always bounce back up. Remember, when you get knocked down, get up quickly, or you will kill the grass.

K-nowlege. Daddy disagreed with the notion that knowledge is power. Instead, he said, "Knowledge is power only when it is used correctly." Many times, he would say that our prisons are filled with people who have knowledge but, unfortunately, neglected to use their knowledge properly. Therefore, their lives are wasted, because they make no significant contributions to society. Furthermore, he felt that misusing one's knowledge was the biggest sin of all.

    I am sure Daddy's advice will not solve all of our leadership woes in Alabama; but hopefully, it will put us on the right track. Simply stated, we must get leadership production and contributions from everyone—not just a few. We all must bind ourselves to the greater cause of Alabama. We must foster trust among ourselves. We must all subscribe and commit to excellence. And, we must care about our fellow human beings unconditionally. After all, we are human beings with an unlimited capacity for love, respect, and understanding. We just have to be inspired by a great cause. For more information on leadership programs in Alabama, please call Dr. Willie D. Larkin at (334) 844-3681 or via e-mail at WLarkin753C@aol.com or wlarkin@acesag.auburn.edu.

      Willie D. Larkin
      Leadership & Organizational Development Specialist
      Alabama Cooperative Extension System

    The Pickens County Extension office saw this as an opportunity to bring all of the elected officials together in a special leadership program. The staff pulled together key leaders as planners. Many of the key leaders were former Leadership Pickens graduates. The charge given to this group was to develop a survey that would expose the feelings of the citizens regarding leaders.

    With the help of our local Baptist director of missions, who is a trained sociologist, we developed a survey. The survey was hand delivered to educators and civic groups and placed in bank statements. Around 600 surveys returned to the local Extension office. The staff compiled the data from the surveys and used the results to educate the elected officials on the concerns of the citizens and to develop the curriculum for the VisionQuest training.

    Staff spent the fall of 1998 securing instructors for leadership training and obtaining funding for the program. The local Alabama Power office made a donation to fund the program. Letters were sent to all of the county commissioners, mayors, and superintendent of education, inviting them to be a part of this leadership training. A notebook was developed and filled with leadership materials. The goal for the program was to have elected officials capture a shared vision for the future of Pickens County.

    In January of 1999, VisionQuest held its first session—a two-day retreat at the 4-H Center. All of the commissioners, the superintendent of education, and four of the mayors attended. These four mayors represented the larger towns in the county.

    Training began with a get-acquainted exercise. This allowed all to see that they had more in common than they had differences. A facilitator, furnished by Alabama Power, led the diversity training session. Next, the leaders learned the results of the survey. Dr. Bill Sauser led a session on strengths, opportunities, and threats. Dr. Willie D. Larkin led a session on successful leadership. Before leaving the 4-H Center, the group set the dates and locations for the remaining sessions.

    Aliceville was the site of the February session. The group used this half-day session to learn about past strategic planning efforts. They also learned about local educational needs. Copies of past strategic plans were given to the leaders to study. The consensus of the group was to implement the existing plans, not restudy.

    The March session was held in Carrollton. Responding to the group's highest ranked need, the session was on building good communication skills. Dr. Larkin led this half-day session. The leaders learned different levels of verbal and nonverbal communication.

    The location of the April session was Gordo. The group viewed a video on paradigm shifts. Gene Worrell, from Alabama Power Company, led the session during which the group brainstormed on ways to communicate with the citizens and planned a special communication piece.

    The May session was held in Reform. The group worked on the communication piece and learned about the fiber optic system installed at the hospital and school board. Plans were made to meet during the summer months to finalize the communication piece. Educational materials, additional inserts for their notebooks, were given to the attendees at each session.

    A special graduation ceremony was planned for June. All of the city council members, as well as Leadership Pickens alumni and current class, were invited to attend. The VisionQuest group and their spouses were honored that night, and all of the VisionQuest graduates received plaques. Dr. Joel Carwile, from Bethlehem Baptist Church in Hazel Green, Alabama, was the keynote speaker. He led a session on leadership—We Win From Within. Gene Worrell, from Alabama Power Company, charged the group to make things better by working together. For additional information on this initiative, please contact Oscar S. Wiggins or Patti Presley-Fuller at (205) 367-8148.

    Oscar Sam Wiggins
    Pickens County Extension Coordinator
    Patti Presley-Fuller
    Pickens County Extension Agent

    The Spring Fling Leadership Conference focused on future careers with emphasis on self-improvement. The conference featured speakers and lecturers from various professional backgrounds. Dr. Willie D. Larkin of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System spoke to the group on Conflict Resolution and Effective Communication Skills.

    Local anchorperson Kimberly Essex spoke about the difficulty of becoming an anchorperson: how tough it is to land jobs in that field but that hard work and dedication are ways to succeed. She also discussed communications as a major, based on her experience at the University of Montevallo. Ms. Essex then featured the 4-H STARS on the 5 o'clock local news.

    Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Billingslea highlighted the focus of a nontraditional spring break and congratulated the youth for their discipline in wisely choosing it. After interviewing several students, she spoke of the high level of concentration that is involved in preparing to become a lawyer. Attorney Billingslea also warned the group that as young people they could commit certain types of crimes that would prohibit them from entering many professions.

    Donna Gesner with the AIDS Action Coalition conducted what appeared to be a simple game of colors and names. The game illustrated how rapidly the HIV-AIDS virus spreads. As the group looked around the room, they saw many people with the same color they had; this indicated the virus had been transferred to many of them.

    Beth Jackson with SCAN (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect) introduced the children to good touches and bad touches. She told the children to tell if they are abused in any way—verbally, physically, or sexually.

    The 4-H STARS Spring Fling Leadership Program was designed to give the group a hands-on look at professional careers, while placing it in a conference setting. With changes occurring at an increasing rate, the need for a dynamic youth program is greater today than ever before. To be prepared for the future, youth must have accessibility to the latest information available.

    The New Nontraditional Programs provide positive opportunities for youth to share in the efforts to meet emerging societal needs and concerns. Four-H has involved volunteer leaders and parents in the program planning process at all stages of development. The involvement in this conference exhibited strong commitment from volunteers and parents. Parents' involvement included being present as chaperones throughout the conference and managing club funds. Parents supervised the swimming and the overall planning, implementation, and evaluation of the conference.

    Conference evaluations indicate that the youth enjoyed the conference and that it was a great learning experience for everyone. They especially benefited from the hands-on interaction with professionals and have requested that it be done again next year. For additional information about this program, please contact Sylvia Oakes or Tyrone Smith at (256) 532-1578.

    Wanda Pharris
    President-Elect
    Alabama 4-H Volunteer Association
    Sylvia Oakes
    Madison County Extension Agent
    Tyrone Smith
    Madison County Extension Agent

    The Alabama radon training and awareness program was offered to all citizens in Alabama counties having the highest incidence of radon. Topics covered included training on radon, where it comes from, and how it gets into homes and other buildings; how to mitigate dwellings; and how builders can build new homes that will have a lower incidence of radon and soil gasses and reduced moisture levels. During the two years and nine months of program effort, 2,425 homes were tested for radon, with 520 dwellings (21.4 percent) showing elevated levels of radon.

    The national award-winning team included EPA, Southern Regional Radon Training Center, Alabama Department of Public Health, and Extension professionals and support personnel. Extension professionals and support personnel, with their counties, included

Carol Reid (Blount); Ruth Sarro and Hayes Jackson (Calhoun); Marsha Moorehead and Tom Farrow (Clay and Cleburne); Marian Beck and Teresa McDonald (Colbert and Lauderdale); Melinda Luker and Roger Vines (Coosa); Annette Wardrup (DeKalb); Karen Thompson (Franklin); Lewis Tapley (Jackson); Linda Robinson (Lawrence); Reetta Christopher (Limestone); Cynthia Whittaker, David Hubbard, and Jackie Ramsey (Jefferson); Walter Rodgers and Sabrina Hill (Madison); Lisa Murphy (Marion); Julie Dutton and Betty Gottler (Morgan); Angela Treadaway and Peggy Prucnal (Shelby); Ronny Williams (Talladega); Rebecca Dollman, Clarene Teague-Johnson (North Alabama Regional Office); Paul Waddy (East Alabama Regional Office); Warren McCord, Jesse LaPrade, Barbara Mobley, Laura Booth, and Susan Roberts (State Office, Auburn University).