BE OUR GUEST

Holly Rust Payne is a resident of Cape Girardeau and vice president of Concord Printing Services.

Six years ago the first LEADERSHIP CAPE was held in Cape Girardeau. It was sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and there were 35 participants. I was fortunate to have been one of them. The purpose of the program was to identify and motivate emerging leaders, regardless of age, and to develop their potential for community leadership roles by exposing them to the opportunities, realities and challenges of the community. The program was a success. Many of the graduates of this program have indeed developed into community leaders today, some of which include Dennis Marchi, John Mehner, David Barklage, Jim Rust, Lee Langston, Kristy Mehner and Bekki Cook to name just a few. The only negative surrounding this program was the fact that it wasn't offered again until now.

Last year the chamber developed a new committee the Training & Development Committee with one of it's main objectives being to reinstate the LEADERSHIP CAPE program. After several months of planning a revitalized LEADERSHIP CAPE kicks off on January 24, 1991. The program consists of eight sessions held every other Thursday morning beginning no earlier than 7:30 a.m. and concluding no later than 1:00 p.m. A continental breakfast and a buffet lunch will be provided each week. Session formats will vary, but will include such things as lively panel discussions, rousing group interaction and knowledgeable speakers. Current community leaders and experts from Cape Girardeau organizations and institutions will participate in the class sessions with the purpose of stimulating and provoking new thoughts and ideas.

The topic areas and scheduled speakers to date include:

January 24 Media: Mike Beecher, KFVS TV; Gary Rust, Southeast Missourian; Ron Duff, Cable Access TV; Susan Westfall, KRCU radio; and Art Wallhausen, moderator.

February 7 Health: Jim Wente, Southeast Hospital; Edythe Davis, St. Francis Medical Center; Ron Wittmer, Doctors' Park; Barb Calvin, Chateau Girardeau; Mattie Stone, Community Counseling Center; Karen Hendrickson, Nursing; and Terry Ford, Missouri Veterans Home.

February 21 Education: Art Turner, Cape Public Schools; Gary Gilbert, Vo-Tech School; and Les Cochran, Southeast Missouri State University.

March 7 Government & Politics: The Honorable Mary Kasten, state representative; Gene Huckstep, county commissioner; Gene Rhodes, mayor, and David Limbaugh, city council representative.

March 21 Development & Planning: J. Ronald Fischer, city manager; Al Stoverink, assistant. city manager; Alan Maki, executive director, Regional Port Authority; and Dennis Vollink, chairman, Planning & Zoning Commission.

April 4 Local Economy & Tourism: Bob Hendrix, Cape Chamber of Commerce; Judy Moss, Office of Economic Development; and Lyn Muzzy, Convention & Tourism Bureau.

April 18 Legal & Law Enforcement: program to be announced.

May 2 Arts, Recreation & Quality of Life: program to be announced

A sampling of some of the issues that will be addressed and discussed include: How does the media determine what's news? How can the media work together more effectively? Why is there so much duplication of services between the two hospitals? Is there still a prospect that the two hospitals will merge? How do we get a handle on escalating medical costs? How is this community preparing for the increased number of elderly and their needs? How are we, as educators, preparing to meet the needs of Workplace 2000? How do we combat illiteracy? What is the structure of our local and state government? Who is responsible for what? What are the future plans and projections of this community?

The program will conclude with a graduation banquet on May 16 and will feature a motivational and inspirational speaker.

We have a great program lined up and I'd like to thank our speakers for agreeing to participate. We appreciate your support and we look forward to your open discussions on such important topics to the community. I'd also like to thank those people serving on the Training & Development Committee who have been instrumental in putting the program together. They include: Kevin Greaser, John Grimm, Charlotte Herr, Lee Langston, Ben Lewis, Kristy Mehner, Linda Minner, Chris Qualls, Tim Singleton, Kim Swartz, and Brad Yount.

It truly is going to be an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in taking a more active role in the community and we encourage your involvement and your suggestions. There is no age limit, however, class size will be limited to 25 to allow for greater participation and involvement. If you are interested in being a participant in LEADERSHIP CAPE 1991 applications are available at the Chamber office, 601 N. Kingshighway. The final deadline for applications has been extended to 5:00 on Tuesday, January 8.

Tuition cost is $285.00 and covers expenses for meals, notebooks, handouts, and all other costs incidental to operating the program.

For additional information please contact the chamber office at 335-3312 or feel free to call me at Concord Printing Services, 334-7100.