Leadership Shelby County

Class Projects

Class of 1995
• Education & Business: How They Support Each Other
• Parks & Recreation: The Needs, The Solution
• Shelby County: The Whole Picture

Class of 1996
• Unifying Shelby County
• Quality of Life – Parks & Recreation
• Rapid Growth in Shelby County

Class of 1997
• Juvenile Crime
• Education
• Roads/Highways
• County Debt
• Sewer & Water

Class of 1998
• Unity Round Table
• Should the County Participate in The Metro Area Transportation System?
• County-wide Health Care Assessment

Class of 1999
• Juvenile Court – Hoover
• Environmental Report Card
• Fire/Emergency Service in Shelby County – Problem/Solutions

Class of 2000
• Should Shelby County Continue the one-cent Sales Tax Created in 1992
• Does Shelby County Need Its Own Visitors Bureau
• Considering Home Rule in Shelby County

Class of 2001
• Intergovernmental Cooperation to Address Metropolitan Area-wide Problems
• Committee of 19 Recommendations for Water Treatment in Shelby County
• Endowment Evaluation & Funding Strategy for the Greater Shelby County Education Foundation

Class of 2002
• Impact Fees – An Avenue for Funding or Controlling Growth?
• The Plan & Coordination of Shelby County’s Emergency System
• Operation & Funding of Districts in Shelby County

Class of 2003
• Meeting the Needs of a Culturally Diverse Population
• Evaluation & Promotion of the Cultural Arts in Shelby County
• The Shelby County Coalition for Safe and Drug Free Communities

Class of 2004
• Evaluate the Existing Network of Non-Vehicular Paths and Trails in Shelby    County and Propose a Plan to Interconnect Communities Within the County with    a Network of these Pathways
• Evaluate the Current Programs in Shelby County that Address the Unique Needs    of our Growing Senior Population and Propose Additional Programs to    Compliment Existing Ones and Solve Problems Facing the Senior Community
• Evaluate the Strengths and Weaknesses for New Business Recruitment in Shelby    County and Propose Programs to Enhance the County’s Ability to Address these    Challenges

Class of 2005
• Study the Concept of Volunteerism in Shelby County, Especially Focusing on    Agencies that Need Volunteers, Translators for Hispanic Population, Internet    System, Grants – and Develop a Plan to Communicate the Needs of Various    Agencies and Match Volunteers with Opportunities
• Study Environmental Issues with Respect to Water Quality and Develop a Plan to    Implement Protection of Water Resources in Shelby County
• Study the Concept of a Countywide Communication System -- Especially the    Benefits of a Public Access Channel for Education and Government. Develop a    Plan to incorporate the school system's use in overseeing programming from    each county school, and also a plan to encourage all of the area Chambers of    Commerce to provide community programming furnished by the County and    Municipalities

Class of 2006
• Research, Assemble and Establish On-Line and Printed Guides for the Following    Growing Populations of Shelby County: Hispanic, Special Needs and Senior    Populations
• Research, Determine Funding, Create and Then Determine a Method of    Continuity for a Comprehensive Leadership Shelby County Website to be    Hosted by the University of Montevallo and Linked to Area Businesses, Civic    Groups, etc.
• “Focus on Foster Parenting” – Work with Foster Parenting Officials in Shelby    County to Assist With a Program to Increase Awareness, Education and    Promotion of Foster Parenting

Class of 2007
• Protecting Shelby County’s Water Resources: Water resources are one of Shelby    County’s most abundant and fragile natural resources. As a project team, we will    look at ways to implement an environmental education program for schools, local    media outlets and various other outlets to promote best management practices in    order to protect water resources.
• Youth Financial Responsibility Education: Develop a program to educate    students about finances, budgeting, basic insurances, and benefits. Too many    students are getting into debt at an early age and do not understand how they got    into the debt trap. Our committee will develop a plan to work with schools, and    other youth agencies to help teach these principles.
• Railroad Crossing Safety in Shelby County: The project idea is to study the    various railroad crossings in Shelby County and focus on those that have had the    greatest number of accidents and/or fatalities. The group would make Shelby    County aware of the locations and types of crossings throughout the area. The    project would then incorporate actionable items to help alleviate the situation.    These actions could be anything ranging from warning signs to speed bumps to    “Adopt A Crossing” projects to new equipment from DOT or the railroads. The    study will conclude with a possible brochure and an informative video.

Class of 2008

• Prescription Addiction Prevention Starts At Home

•Awareness of Prescription Drug Abuse in Shelby County: Prescription drug abuse is on the verge of becoming more than an issue but an epidemic with potentially catastrophic results for the next generation. This is a problem that plagues every county in the state, even Shelby County. The project goal is to educate parents in the community of the dangers that prescription drugs may pose to their children and through parental awareness, limit the accessibility children have to obtaining these drugs.

Ken Blackmon
Jessica Keller
Bill Bostick
Lee McKinnon
Jim Coker
Lisa McMahon
Jimmy Farris
Lynn Ray
Randall Fields
Tom Weber
Brenda Frias
Stancil Handley

• I*MAGINE
I*MAGINE is an annual marketing campaign for art festivals in Shelby County each spring. These art festivals celebrate the unique quality of life in Shelby County by offering exceptional cultural, educational and entertainment opportunities that appeal to a broad spectrum of the community. The goal of I*MAGINE is to increase awareness and attendance at the arts events, encourage tourism and have an economic impact in the community. Leadership Shelby County will partner with the Shelby County Arts Council to kick off the inaugural campaign. The Arts Council will continue the campaign in subsequent years.

Mark Beddingfield
Grady Parsons
Mindy Boggs
Kevin Peters
Debra Goldstein
Danny Ralph
Rachel Harris
Terri Sullivan
Gary McCombs
Ron Tanner
Ashley Vansant

•Community of Hope Health Clinic: Project members will develop a multi-faceted marketing plan for the Community of Hope Health Clinic. They will develop a website, brochure templates, marketing plan, volunteer recruitment plan, speaker’s bureau, fundraising plan, press release guide, and a stock clinic Power Point presentation.

Lee Boles
Phyllis Koon
Will Davenport
Brett McBrayer
Matt Fridy
Andrew Murr
Kay Harris
Joey Ritchey
Alicia Huey
Chris Schmidt

Class of 2009

• Immunization Awareness
The number of children attending Shelby County schools that are without full immunizations is rising, therefore, in order to better protect the children and future population of Shelby County, our group selected immunization awareness as the topic of our project. In preparing for the project, we researched the concerns of parents to determine the reasons they may elect to forego immunization of their children. Using information from a variety of sources, we produced an educational resource for parents, which will be distributed to all Shelby county elementary schools and other appropriate venues. A website, www.immunizeyourkids.com was designed and launched to educate the public. To direct parents to the website, bookmarks, referencing the website are being produced and placed in all Shelby County public libraries. Other targeted, local websites will link to our site, increasing visibility and site traffic. All project activities were funded by generous corporate donors, the Shelby County Reporter and Southwest Water Company, Inc.

• Shelby County Broadband Initiative
The Shelby County Broadband initiative is an effort to expand the utilization and create awareness of broadband service in Shelby County. The initiative will primarily focus on the impact of broadband service in the areas of education, economic development, governmental services, and healthcare.

• Shelby County Paws for the Cause Society
The project that our group has been working on is a plan to decrease the number of euthanized animals in Shelby County. We have worked closely with the Shelby County Humane Society to create a supportive, 501(c)(3) non- profit organization called the Shelby County Paws for the Cause Society. Every year in Shelby County, thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized because no one wants them or can afford the expenses incurred with a new pet. Our non-profit helps to raise monies for the Shelby County Humane Society to fund projects such as Quick-fix and Project Orange. Our first fund raiser will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at the Veteran’s Park on Valleydale Road. We will be hosting a 5K and Fun Run/Pet Walk.

Class of 2010

• CAP/Career Awareness Program:
Exploring high school seniors, who are not college bond and who have not taken advantage of technical school programs, to careers available to them after graduation. This program is aimed at students who are projected to score between 12 and 17 on the ACT, who do not have discipline or attendance issues. The program consists of spending five days during the course of a school year at five majors employers and then receiving exposure to recruiters from a number of area community and technical colleges after those employer visits.

• Shelby County Mental Health Court:
The Shelby County Mental Health Court Program is a collaborative effort of the criminal justice system, mental health providers, and treatment services focused on connecting defendants with serious mental illness and/or mental retardation to the appropriate health resources in order to decrease recidivism of these individuals. Funding for the first year of the program is being provided but the Shelby County Community Health Foundation. If will be administered through Shelby County Community Corrections.

• Change the Trend:
The project addresses the Childhood/teenage obesity epidemic in middle and high school students. A DVD using high school students and lcoal celebrities will encourage students to "Change The Trend" and start living more active and healthier lives. Curriculum packets and student DVDs will be distributed to all tenth grade Health classes next year. Resources will also be shared with social science, nutrition, and Family and Consumer Sciences teachers.