Each year, the Multicultural Leadership Program (MCLP) selects five local non-profit organizations to be served by MCLP project teams.
On September 7, the MCLP Class of 2014 participants were officially introduced to their non-profit partners, to begin the planning phase of their projects. This year’s non-profits and projects are:
- The Baby Fold/Healthy Start — develop a long-term financial plan to sustain program
- Community Cancer Center — increase testing awareness, primarily in the Indian community
- Faith in Action — increase diversity and outreach, develop a business plan
- Heartland Head Start — increase awareness and partnerships
- Illinois Shakespeare Festival — increase awareness and diversity of attendees
MCLP is a professional leadership program that develops strong leaders who value diversity in decision-making for home, work and the community. The program emphasizes community service as a fundamental responsibility and competency for leaders.
Serving a local non-profit is one of the core activities for MCLP participants, who work closely with their non-profit partners until graduation in April 2014. During the coming months, they will work in teams to identify and solve the organizations’ targeted areas of need.
Previous program participants and non-profit partners describe the mutual rewards of this experience. “In my wildest imagination, I could not have anticipated the quality and quantity of the work that would be done by the MCLP team,” said Mary Campbell, last year’s non-profit project liaison for Labyrinth Outreach Service to Women. “The experience of working with these five individuals was extremely rewarding, both to Labyrinth and to me personally. I got a great deal of joy and stimulation out of my work with the team. We created a very positive working relationship that will last for many years. They continue to express interest in our progress, they contact us with new contacts and ideas, and one of the team has joined our board.”
MCLP participants often maintain professional relationships with their non-profit partner long after their graduation. These connections represent just one aspect of positive community change that the program aspires to cultivate through each year’s class, and in perpetuity.
The public is invited to attend the final project presentations on Saturday morning, March 8, 2014.
Organizations interested in partnering with MCLP for a future community project should contact MCLP Executive Director, Sonya Mau at 309-438-3417 or contactus@bn-mclp.org.