A640.9.2.RB_MedleyKim Leadership: Difficulties and Rewards

            Leadership; what does it actually mean? To the lay person, a leader takes charge. He or she rallies his or her followers. How many of us recall a scene from a movie that was truly inspirational, wherein the leader delivered a memorable line or speech? Remember, “Let’s win one for the Gipper”? How about, “All we have to fear, is fear itself”? These are the leaders and the words that reach a level whereby national attention is garnered, either through the silver screen, radio fireside chats, or Congressional addresses. Yet, within each community across this country, there are those leaders who wake up every morning and ask, what can I do to make a difference? Whether the difference sought is in the lives of employees, those living outside the community, or the community as a whole; leadership occurs every day and this project helped me to appreciate both the difficulties and rewards that come with the territory.

            I volunteered for Team Feed Flagler. This group was formed six years ago in response to families who could not afford to keep the water turned on at their home; let alone pay for a Thanksgiving Dinner. A former county commissioner organized the first event within a two week time frame; and, using two locations and $2500, managed to provide hot meals to the needy on Thanksgiving Day. At one point, eleven locations had been designated as hot meal sites; however, logistics were such hot food could not be adequately delivered to all sites, so, the total number of locations providing dinners was trimmed to four. In order to compensate, boxed-meals were developed. A frozen turkey, along with canned corn, green beans, peas, cranberry sauce, boxed stuffing and potatoes, and gravy provided homeless and needy families with groceries so they could prepare their own dinner. Last year’s boxed-meals totaled a little over 500; this year, 752 were distributed; although more than a 1,000 requests had been received.

            Volunteering provided benefits in a two-fold manner. First, there was an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of knowing a few short hours would help so many families. A dinner, often taken for granted by many to the point where some families no longer gather together, consisting of such minimalist items would provide not only nourishment; but, warmth, too. The second benefit was the ability to observe leadership in action. I wasn’t reading about skills, traits, styles, and theories; I was witnessing it. Leadership is not a perfect paradigm. Leaders are human beings and by history are flawed. The outreach for monetary contributions was a success. More than $20,000 was raised. Volunteers worked so diligently on the first day; a full second day was not necessary. The community gave when asked. Chicks with Cans collected more than 10,000 pounds of food, enough to fill 752 boxes and the shelves of the food pantries. Yet, more than 200 families had to be scratched off lists at the last minute and churches were scrambling to find creative solutions. The leader, although he had been present and engaged throughout, along with the second in command, were absent from the last meeting prior to hot meal and boxed-meal distribution days. I will never know if their presence could have led to phone calls, or instructions that would have allowed for the creation of more boxed-meals.

            There are some areas where I believe the incorporation of technology would allow for larger contributions and a better way to organize the lists of those who need food, so that final deletions can be averted. There will be a post-event meeting in January, and I will present my observations. Regardless of the concerns I observed, more than 1500 were served either a hot meal, or given a boxed-meal. That in and of itself is a testament to Team Feed Flagler and its mission of bringing Thanksgiving Day Dinner to a community that has suffered throughout the economic downturn. Commissioner Nate McLaughlin was this year’s leader. I have seen his servant leadership qualities before and he brought those to Team Feed Flagler. A county team, consisting of those from County Administration, and the local area churches demonstrate two entities such as government and religious institutions can come together to make a difference in the community. Commissioner McLaughlin’s style, along with other on the team, did rally the outside vendors and volunteers in a manner that impacted the lives of many. My criticisms are minimal. The benefits from having the opportunity to not only volunteer; but, to observe leadership and all it entails, are ones that will last a lifetime.