Rotarians see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in local communities, and in oneself. This is the vision of Rotary International, as well as The Rotary Club of Carmel.
The Rotary Club of Carmel has been striving to meet this vision for over 50 years. They do this by contributing to local community projects and non-profits, as well as being involved in service projects around the globe.
One of the programs the Rotary Club of Carmel is most proud of is the Leadership Connection.
The mission of the Leadership Connection is to connect today’s leaders to ignite future leaders in building a stronger community. Who are these future leaders? Students in local communities.
The Rotary Club of Carmel recognizes how important it is to engage local youth and get them involved in community projects. It is imperative that young students witness excellent examples of leadership that will help them become pillars of their community and strong leaders as adults.
Leadership Connection is a branded event of the Rotary Club of Carmel. The objective of this program is to provide a forum to allow local students to engage with local leaders from both the private and public sector.
The program sets up events that allow local leaders to have the opportunity to grow professional and personal leadership skills while having a positive impact on the next generation. The program educates a diverse community of high school students on the value of civic engagement, human centered community service and business leadership.
The last event was hosted this past October as over 100 students headed to Carmel Clay Parks for various activities. The Leadership Connection effort was the largest volunteer event supervised by Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation in 2022.
Six groups of Rotarians, Carmel Firefighters, and students and chaperones from various schools took part in Citizen Science Data Collection, native seed sorting, honeysuckle removal, and litter clean-up in three Central Park locations in Carmel.
Schools represented included Carmel High School, Christel House Watanabe Manual High School (Indianapolis), and the ProAct Indy Program.
Derrin Slack, Founder and CEO of ProAct Indy, brings years of positive results with his participation in the Leadership Connection. He founded ProAct Indy to promote the power of giving back to others. Under his leadership, ProAct Indy has engaged over 25,000 students, community leaders, and business professionals to value intentional community engagement and appreciate diversity and equity as an integral part of their lives.
Under the vision and past leadership of Richard Markoff, this program has enhanced and mentored many students in our communities. Tim Flint serves as the new Chairman of Leadership Connection. He, along with Vice Chairman, Louise Jackson, and other Rotary members are excited as they look to 2023.
The Rotary Club of Carmel also created Leadership Connection Scholarships. These scholarships are intended for students who participated in last year’s event.
The Leadership Connection Scholarships include a laptop and $1,000 that can be used for tuition at a college, university, community college, or trade school.
These scholarships are awarded with equal emphasis on merit and need. Application deadline is March 15, 2023. Recipients will be honored at a Rotary luncheon in the spring of 2023.
The Rotary Club’s Leadership Connection is always looking for business leaders interested in participating in these events including being a sponsor, sending representatives from a business to mentor participating students, and a variety of other roles. Anyone interested can visit CarmelRotary.com for more information.