Leadership Day 2016 includes over 100 civic engagement and leadership events

Oct. 19 leadership development activities includes 1,200 cadets volunteering in Lowcountry

Members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets live and learn in what is considered a leadership laboratory at The Citadel. Cadets learn to lead by managing the undergraduate student body as officers and staff in the Corps. They are required to study leadership and ethics in the classroom, and they are dedicated to learning through service to the community, directed by the college’s Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics. During the 2015-16 academic year, the Corp provided more than 19,000 hours of community service in total.

 

 

But on one particular day each October is dedicated solely to service learning, and leadership and ethics education. Whether it is participating in community service, shadowing business leaders, or attending ethics training from a global organization, every cadet, as well as many faculty and staff, participates.

Leadership Day 2016 will be held Wednesday, Oct. 19. As the sun rises more than 1,200 cadets— freshmen led by sophomores—will board buses to fan out across the Lowcountry to learn by serving. They will help lead STEM and literacy classroom activities, clean up parks, prepare food and deliver meals. Juniors will attend a full day ethics seminar, and seniors will spend a full day learning from the leaders of more than 20 businesses in the Charleston area, including Boeing South Carolina, Google Charleston, Hollings Marine Laboratory, the Medical University of South Carolina, and SCANA/SCE&G.

New this year is a partnership with Soldiers’ Angels mobile food pantry, a program that originated in Texas to fight veteran hunger. On Leadership Day, and once a month going forward, cadets will help run the pantry on campus. On Oct. 19, the Soldiers’ Angels Veteran Mobile Food Pantry and cadets will provide takeaways meals from noon until 3:30 at the Altman Athletic Center end of The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium parking. The next event will be held Nov. 10.

For the second year, cadets will assist with a program called Veterans on Deck, where they help clean sailboats and sail with veterans who are learning the sport. Additionally, cadets will work with more than 20 public schools in Charleston and Berkeley County, including Liberty Hill Academy on John’s Island, to help with literacy programs or to work on school improvement projects.

“We are working to becoming principled leaders—that’s our overall goal.  As part of this four-year process, we really look forward to Leadership Day each fall when we get to meet, help and learn from so many of our Lowcountry neighbors,” said Alexandria Guild, regimental public affairs officer for the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. “It takes months to plan, but the results are rewarding and many cadets continue volunteering with the organizations and schools they visit long after the actual Leadership Day ends.”

In an effort to expand Leadership Day across campus, one of the options for faculty and staff includes the college’s National Coalition Building Institution International (NCBI) training course. NCBI is a non-profit leadership development organization promoting skills for working with diverse populations.

“Though the college offers NCBI training throughout the year, we are now also including this diversity skills course for the first time as part of Leadership Day for faculty and staff, recognizing that one way we serve our community is by continuing to enhance our own awareness and development,” said Book.

Leadership Day is planned and managed annually by The Citadel’s Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics.  The annual day of service was instrumental in The Citadel receiving the Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Community Engagement Classification.

“This year we have more faculty and staff participating than ever before as Leadership Day continues to develop into a dynamic, campus-wide event,” said Col. Tom Clark, USMC (retired), and director for The Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics.

Leadership Day began in 2010 with 150 cadets working simultaneously in service opportunities.

“We are grateful for the trust and enthusiastic participation that our 45 community partners demonstrate year after year, generously allowing our cadets to work with their teams, facilities, and those they serve,” said Conway Saylor, director of service learning and civic engagement for the Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics. “Our relationships with our partners have broadened to include meaningful volunteer opportunities for our cadets and students throughout the year.”

On Leadership Day 2015, The Citadel provided an estimated 5,990 hours of volunteer service to the Lowcountry valued at approximately $167,209. Watch a video from Leadership Day 2015 here.

A partial list of Leadership Day 2016 service-learning activities can be found below:

 

TIME (Departure times may vary)	AGENCY or EVENT	ADDRESS	TASKS
8a.m. – 11a.m.	Association for the Blind	3795 Spruill Ave. (at Chicora Elementary)	Focus on Children program; assisting with vision tests
9a.m. – 1p.m.	Bees Landing Rec. Center	1580 Ashley Gardens Blvd., Charleston	Leading youth in learning about and playing Bocce
8:30a.m. – 3:30p.m.	Charleston Development Academy	233 Line St., Charleston	Reading and literacy assistance
9a.m. – 4:30p.m.	Charlestowne Landing	1500 Old Towne Rd., Charleston	Tending animals and outdoor park facilities
9a.m. – 1p.m.	Cannon YMCA	61 Cannon St., Charleston	Assist with building maintenance and improvements
9a.m. – noon	East Cooper Meals on Wheels	2300 N. Hwy 17, Mount Pleasant	Meal preparation
8:30 – 11:30a.m.	Hampton Park	Charleston	Landscaping and storm cleanup
7:30a.m. – 4:30p.m.	James Spann Elementary	901 John McKissick Way, Summerville	Hands on teaching about engineering
9a.m. – 3p.m.	Liberty Hill Academy	Johns Island	Various
9:30a.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Lowcountry Food Bank	2864 Azalea Dr., North Charleston	Helping with escalated work due to flood
9a.m. – 4p.m.	NCBI training for faculty and staff	Citadel Human Resources Conference Room
9a.m. – 3p.m.	Ronald McDonald House	81 Gadsen St., Charleston	Various
9a.m.-4p.m.	Savannah Place	1501 Successionville Rd.	Companionship, activities and various tasks
9a.m. – 1p.m.	SCORE/ SC Dept. of Natural Resources	217 Ft. Johnson Rd., James Island	Bagging oyster shells for reefs and storm erosion recovery
8a.m. – 5p.m.	Sea Island Habitat for Humanity	Pumpkin Hill Rd., John’s Island	Various
9a.m. – 2p.m.	St. Thomas & St. Denis Church	1513 Cainhoy Rd., Cainhoy SC, Berkeley County	Various
1p.m. – 4p.m.	Veterans on Deck	33 Lockwood Dr., Charleston	Cleaning and sailing boats with veterans
9a.m. – 2p.m.	Water Missions International	1150 Kinzer St., Charleston	Water purification kit building
9a.m. – 1:00p.m.	Windwood Farm Home & Family Services	4857 Windwood Farm Rd., Awendaw	Combination of landscaping and facility improvements and support of Winwood Farm students.

 

Some of the business hosting or teaching senior cadets include:

• Barnwell Whaley Patterson and Helms
• Blackbaud
• Boeing South Carolina
• Booz-Allen-Hamilton
• Charleston County School District
• Google Charleston
• Hollings Marine Laboratory
• Life Cycle Engineering
• Medical University of South Carolina
• One80 Place
• SCANA/SCE&G
• T.Y. Lin Int./Lindbergh
• Wells Fargo
• 25 facilitators from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies