Guest Blogger: Amber Steele, Director of Brain Injury Services
I recently had the opportunity to participate in the 1Berkshire Leadership Program as a member of the class of 2018. Thanks to BCArc and the Senior Leadership team’s appreciation and understanding of the value of this program I was encouraged to apply and supported by my employer in this exceptional learning opportunity.
This year was extra special in that the program was celebrating its 20th anniversary. Our class really took this to heart and it became a driving force in our project. “No pressure right? For a group of 30 overachieving leaders, no idea was out of reach!”
Not being a home grown native to the area, the program allowed me to really branch out and explore the wonders in Berkshire County with a group of professionals representing the diversity of local business.
If anyone doubts that there are amazing people in Berkshire County doing amazing things for the local community, they have to look no further than to 1Berkshire and its group of almost 600 Alumni from the Berkshire Leadership Program.
As a team we were able to come together to hone our leadership skills, raise over $20,000 for Roots Rising, plant 20 trees throughout the county and amass a large amount of data on the program’s success over the course of 20 years through an amazing info graphic. All of this, in the course of just 10 weeks!
The impact of the program does not stop here as there is a strong emphasis on continued community based leadership which I’m sure will stay with each of us as we move forward into the next chapter of our lives.
Berkshire Leadership Program Alumni have continued to give back averaging annual donations to the local community of $200,000 per year and in addition volunteer their time on average, totaling 16 days per year! The true impact of that for Berkshire County and beyond, is immeasurable.
