Portsmouth's civic-minded citizens will find a wealth of support from the Lefcoe Leadership Development Program. The nonprofit has cultivated the talent and skill of more than 300 since its inception nearly two decades ago.
The program's name honors Vann H. Lefcoe, former chairman of several city commissions and an ardent believer in the power of informed and involved community members.
Enrollees in the Lefcoe program have class for two-and-a-half hours every week from January through March. Topics include development and redevelopment, education and volunteerism. The classes are in lecture, small group discussion or guest speaker formats.
Each three-month session ends with a community service project chosen by the group. Past graduates include Terry Danaher of the Citizens for Accountability in Politics, Doris Cobb of the Churchland YMCA and Aaron Kelly of the city's economic development commission.
Recipients of past community projects include the H.E.R. Shelter and Portsmouth Area Resources Coalition (PARC).
Local children will benefit from the hard work and dedication of the 2014 Lefcoe class. Instead of one community assignment, this group chose two: the Edmarc Hospice for Children and the Ida Barbour Early Learning Center.
The class partnered with TowneBank on March 1 to send five Edmarc families to see the Harlem Globetrotters. Each family was chauffeured from their homes to the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk.
When they arrived, they were escorted to box seats where they met Globetrotter "Hot Shot" Branch and the team's mascot, Globie. The delighted kids got autographed basketballs and T-shirts.
Lefcoe grads Chad Marshall and Jennifer White were co-managers for this event. TowneBank donated the use of its skybox. The classmates raised the funds to pay for the five separate chauffeured trips and the banquet meal in the private room.
"So often the family's focus tends to shift towards the ill child. This was a family event where everyone could enjoy each other and have a great time," White said.
"Everyone had a blast," Edmarc community resource coordinator Kristen Jones said. She mentioned 6-year-old wheelchair-bound Za'myiah.
"I've never seen her that happy. She danced in her chair the entire evening," Jones said.
The site for the second project, the Ida Barbour center, was started in 1910 by its namesake and is listed in the Library of Congress as one of the oldest daycare establishments in Virginia. When director Sharon Howell mentioned the toddlers didn't have an outside play area, the Lefcoe group moved into action.
They raised more than $10,000 for a playground for the little ones then rolled up their sleeves and built it. Each of the 29 class members pledged $300 toward the project, and the donations were a combination of personal funds and pledges. Every member reached his goal.
The group knew nothing about building a playground and had to do quite a bit of research.
"We had no idea how expensive playgrounds were or how to build one," White admits. She co-managed the effort with classmate A.J. Simmons.
They found a vendor willing to offer a discounted price for equipment as well as free shipping. One area the group didn't skimp on was the mulch. A special grade, nontoxic variety was required and the classmates willingly paid full price for that.
Local retailers offered their support too. Lowe's donated the wood that borders the play area. Home Depot sent bags of concrete and loaned an employee to oversee some of the work.
Shade trees were given by K&D Rounds Landscaping and Lancaster Farms. K&D also donated timber spikes. Lunch for the two-day job was supplied by Chick-fil-A and JoJack's Cafe.
Ida Barbour executive director Sharon Howell, staff and parents are excited about the new area, but not as excited as the children.
"You should have seen their faces," Howell said about the kids' reaction the Monday after the weekend installation. "We had a time getting them from the car into the building," she said, explaining the new area is about much more than play time.
"It will help the toddlers develop their motor, cognitive and social skills and that will have lasting positive effects on their development," she said. The center's connection with the Lefcoe leaders will continue as some have pledged to help with other areas of the center and may even volunteer as board members.
Both projects exemplify the overall goal of the Lefcoe Leadership program: train and support leaders willing to improve Portsmouth and her citizens. Learn more at www.LefcoeLeaders.org or email matchettb@portsmouthpartnership.org about the next class.
Pamela Nichols, pamelawrites@hotmail.com