Leadership Susquehanna Valley                      Dec. 2008 E-newsletter

Letter From the President

Ryan Unger

The end of the calendar year marks the halfway point in our 2008-09 Leadership Susquehanna Valley class and affords us, as a Board of Directors, to regroup, reflect and rejuvenate to “strengthen the Susquehanna Valley by preparing tomorrow’s leaders.”  An important part of that will occur in early 2009 when the Board of Directors gathers to formulate a strategic plan for the next several years.  I urge any LSV alumni to contact a Board member to let them know how they feel LSV can make a greater impact over the next several years.  LSV is only as strong as its active alumni and your feedback is critical to our success.

Also, in 2009, we will be having a transition in professional leadership.  Dave Hall, LSV’s executive director, has tendered his resignation to the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, effective Dec. 31, 2008.  As a result, and in accordance with the current services agreement with the Chamber, LSV will be working with the Chamber to identify an interim executive director to fulfill the remainder of this program year.  We thank Dave for his service to LSV and wish him well in his future endeavors.

This past calendar year has been one of growth for LSV, we achieved new highs in sponsor participation and alumni giving, but there is always room to improve.  We look forward to engaging all of our alumni as we continue to fulfill our mission of preparing and cultivating a “diverse group of area citizens for positions of effective community leadership.”

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Letter From the Executive Director

Dave Hall

Many of you know that I will be leaving the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber at the end of this month, which will mean a change in the executive director of LSV, but not one in the quality or direction of the program.  One of the reasons why we’ve worked hard to get more Chamber staff involved in the program the last year and a half was to minimize any turmoil when inevitable turnover occurs, as it does in any good organization.   

LSV is an important program in the fabric of the Susquehanna Valley, so regardless of just when the new Chamber CEO is announced, the Chamber Board and the current staff are committed to servicing the contract.  In the short term Jenny Daddario, who is both an LSV graduate and responsible for much of the recent financial success of LSV, will shoulder the day to day management.  We have thoroughly discussed the change with the Class of 2009, and although there will be some change in personality, content, scheduling and graduation requirements will not change.  To the Class of 2009 is should be relatively transparent.

As I look back over the last year and a half of LSV, I’m pleased at the board level involvement, an increasing alumni participation level, a growing bank account, more interactive program opportunities for the class, more of a leadership component to the program days, and more companies recognizing the value of LSV and sending their employees.   The program is in good shape and will continue to progress.

Alumni Giving Campaign

For the second year, the LSV Board of Directors has initiated an alumni-giving campaign. The LSV program is a 501{c} 3 nonprofit agency that relies on tax-deductible contributions from businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals for its continued operation. 

Knowing the impact that the LSV program has had on your personal and professional development, the Board would like you to consider a contribution of $25, $50, or more.  Your contribution will assist others in having the same opportunity.

To date the alumni-giving campaign has yielded over $1,000 in contributions.  The Board thanks those for their generous gifts and urges those who have not yet sent a contribution to consider doing so before the year is out.  Remember, the gift is tax-deductible.

You can also obtain a copy of the letter and pledge form by clicking here. Please contact Jennifer Daddario at 570-743-4100 or jdaddario@gsvcc.org with any questions.

Alumni Social Committee

Are you a social butterfly?

If so, then the LSV Alumni Committee has a new committee for you, the Alumni Social Committee.

Currently, the Alumni Committee is looking for one member from each class to join the Social Committee. This person would communicate LSV news and events to his/her fellow classmates. He/she would also be responsible for getting his/her class to sponsor one event per year.The Social Committee will create events such as picnics, trips and outdoor activities.

Interested? Please contact Patty Bennett at 570-286-5671 or at pbennett@dailyitem.com.

LSV Alumna Wins Award

Jaci Lucas of the Northumberland County Conservation District (LSV Class of 2006 ) received the Penn State Cooperative Extension 2008 Leadership Award.

Habitat for Humanity

The Union-Snyder Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors is looking for people interested in working with Habitat.  Specifically, it has the following positions open: fundraising chair; family support chair; and volunteer coordinators.

Other committees include family selection, family support, construction, site selection, organizational development, newsletter and information technology.  

Interested parties should contact Randal Shroyer at 570-522-9800.

November Program Day

Dawn E. Raszcewski

Good interpersonal communication skills are essential to any successful leader.

The Leadership Susquehanna Valley Class of 2009 learned this and other communication and public relations skills at its Nov. 20 program day.

Rhonda Campbell, owner of Jahron Communications, presented to the class on conflict management. She said that many people confuse conflict with indecision, disagreements or stress, but true conflict is: a fight, battle or struggle; discord of action, feeling or effect; antagonism or opposition of interests or principles; or a conflict of ideas.

Poor communication is one of the top causes of conflict. This is because people communicate both verbally and nonverbally and often times one contradicts the other. Nonverbal communication makes up 55 percent of a message, tone makes up 38 percent, while actual words make up only 7 percent of a received message.  In today’s technology world, this is especially dangerous with e-mails and text messages.

Campbell urged class members to think before they spoke and left them with a short, but powerful quote by Stephen Covey.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

After Janet Allis’ session on meeting etiquette, the class broke up into groups and toured Max Media of PA and Sunbury Broadcasting Corp.

Shawn Felty, president of Sire Advertising Inc., then presented to the class on e-mail marketing.

He said that e-mail marketing is cost effective, efficient and a real-time marketing channel. The goal of an e-mail marketing campaign should be to establish a relationship with customers.

Since consumers only respond to one in 10 e-mails, campaigns have to be timely, relevant and noticeable.

The class ended the day by touring the press building of The Daily Item, pictured below.

LSV sends its greatest appreciation to Albright Footcare Center of Lewisburg for sponsoring the program day and Max Media of Selinsgrove for sponsoring lunch.

December Program Day

Dawn E. Raszcewski

With the recent economic crisis, the health and human services industry has been hit hard just like most industries. Combine this with new technologies and new challenges such as childhood obesity and there is a lot to keep up with.

The Leadership Susquehanna Valley (LSV) Class of 2008-09 spent its December program day at Evangelical Community Hospital learning about these new issues.

Melissa Gayer (LSV Class of 2005), director of development at Evangelical, told the class that the biggest reason a person donates to a hospital is based on whether or not he thinks that it is important to the community. Community supports is essential to the success of a hospital, she said.

Explaining health care costs from a hospital’s viewpoint, Yvette Graver, CPA of Evangelical, said that the average financial loss on a hip replacement procedure is $2,354 for a hospital. This is because hospitals are only paid a certain percent of the charges depending on the procedure, etc.

By the year 2030, there will be an 800,000 shortage of nurses across the U.S., said Rick Schroeder, administrator of ancillary services at Sunbury Community Hospital & Outpatient Center. This is just one of the many issues in the recruitment of health care professionals. One of the biggest issues is the lack of primary care doctors, Schroeder said. As the baby boomers age, the number of primary care doctors are decreasing. One of the main reasons is that a primary care doctor makes around $150,000 a year compared to roughly $325,000 a year for a specialist.

Switching over to human services, Chris Minnich and Jerome Alex of the Northumberland County Mental Health and Mental Retardation spoke about services for Valley residents coping with either. Agencies such as Northumberland County’s offer a continuum of services because of the many different levels of diagnoses.

Peggy Reichenbach, executive director of Big Brothers, Big Sisters told the class about the Valley’s program. Started in 1904 as Big Brothers and then merging with Big Sisters in 1976, this program helps kids “lost in the shuffle,” said Reichenbach. The program matches kids aged 6-to-16 with positive role models. Currently, the Valley has 80-90 kids matched, with 90-95 on a waiting list. Recruiting men is one of the hardest challenges, she said.

There are currently over 500,000 children in foster care in the U.S., with 20,000 in Pennsylvania, said Bill Shutt, assistant executive director for Family Care for Children & Youth Inc. Organizations such as Shutt’s strive to give every child safety, permanence and well-being.

One of today’s biggest issues is childhood obesity. Thirty-one to 42 percent of K-8 students are obese, said Lynn James, extension educator at Penn State Cooperative Extension. One of the main reasons is that portion sizes have increased. A correct portion is the size of your palm. Thirty-seven percent of high school students also do not meet the recommended 60 minutes of physical education a day. This does not have to be done all at one, James said. Parents should also limit a child’s screen time to less than two hours a day.

Evangelical Community hospital was the program day and lunch sponsor. Evangelical is a nonprofit hospital, so it is required to provide charity care to maintain its tax-exempt status. With the current financial crisis, the demand for charity care has tripled – another new challenge.

Class members tour the ER of Evangelical