"Through research we gained a better understanding of the community change process.We're more familiar with the complexity of community improvement and more aware of changes that can happen when community members stand up."
More than 220 hours of work went into the project. The finished product includes about 15 videos and a find file that can be accessed in the downtown public library. There also will be a multi-media compilation of the visioning processes for Chattanooga Venture and the Vision 2000 to preserve memories and insights of principals in the programs.
Other team members were Domina Alford (Hamilton County Government), Elizabeth Bell (UTC), Jenni Berz (Private Dispute Resolution Services), Franklin Farrow (Independent Healthcare Properties, LLC), Sean Goff (CIGNA HealthCare), Lori Hairrell (READ Chattanooga, Inc.) and Mary Knaff (Chattanooga State).
Recognizing that more than 86,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for life-saving organs, another Leadership Team launched "Recycle Every Body" to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation and increasing the number of organ donor enrollees.
"The hardest part of the process was picking an idea that everyone could agree on," said Marc Serrano of Mars Interactive, LLC. "Everyone came up with three ideas, and they were all really good. But we had to consider our time frame for getting the project completed, which was from August to May."
Team members formed partnerships with community organizations such as UTC, Chattanooga State, Orchard Knob Missionary Baptist Church and Tennessee Donor Services. These organizations allowed the group to conduct organ donation drives that resulted in the registration of more than 100 new donors.
Other team members were Jay Baumgardner (Blood Assurance, Inc.), Michelle Chastain (AmSouth Bank), Karlene Claridy (EPB), Bethe Deakin (The Décor Diva), Katie Harbison (Children's Home/Chambliss Shelter), Stan Maffett (Chattanooga Police Department) and Alison Martin (Miller & Martin PLLC).
Team Circus developed Chattanology, a mural depicting the chronology of events in Chattanooga's history. The project required research to gather information on both well-known and obscure historical data and incorporated the talents of area middle school students to paint chronological events on movable panels.
The participating schools – CSAS, CSLA, Dalewood, Howard, 21st Century and Chattanooga Middle – were given about a 31-year time span to depict, starting with 1816. In addition to showcasing Chattanooga's culture of cooperation, the mural encourages viewers to become engaged in civic activities.
We wanted students to not only create the art but to really grasp that what they were learning about is their history," said Karen McReynolds of the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition.
"We provided them a starting point by creating information packets and establishing contacts at the Chattanooga Regional History Museum and the African-American History Museum, but we did not want to narrow the information too much because we wanted them to make decisions about what to include in the mural."
McReynolds said the students reacted eagerly to the project and demonstrated admirable concern for obtaining accurate information.
The mural, which was unveiled in May at Miller Plaza, was then put on display at the Regional History Museum.
Other team members were Pat Buckley (The Johnson Group), Penny Douglas (TVA), Lionel Hodges (BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee), Tim Morris (Morris Capital Management, LLC), Trey Stanley (Trafalgar Development Company) and Miriam Wohlfarth (Hamilton County Department of Education.)
Team Leadership Bethlehem created a program to assist children at the Bethlehem Center in developing leadership skills. The team partnered with Beth Center staff and volunteers to create a multi-purpose curriculum that would complement programs already in place at the center. The curriculum provides programming in character development, family life, college preparation and other key issues.
