Young adults learn they can lead, make a difference in community

They knew they were destined to become community leaders and philanthropic givers — maybe at age 40 or 50.

Instead, these young adults have come face-to-face with Leadership NOW! and their transformation to leadership roles has begun.

The fourth Leadership NOW! class graduated Dec. 9 after immersing themselves in their community and what makes it tick. They met local leaders and local leaders met the future.

The young professionals met eight evenings and on a Saturday retreat between August and December, and dedicated themselves to two community projects.

The participants are “my rock stars,” said Leadership Pikes Peak Executive Director Susan Saksa.

Leadership NOW! is the youth-group program of the long-established Leadership Pikes Peak. Said Saksa: “They’re energetic and they pull things together in lightning speed.”

Lindsay Arkfeld, Executive Director of Kids on Bikes, had already started working with Urban Peak to provide bikes for six of their homeless youth. Problem was, the bikes and bike parts were often stolen.

Teaming with her Leadership NOW! classmates, Arkfeld’s idea of a bike club blossomed into a place where bikes and equipment can be stored.

Class member Ashley Fritz of GE Johnson spearheaded a plan to build a storage shed. As a group, the young leaders worked with city officials, threw a fundraiser at SouthSide Johnny’s that raised $15,000, bought a Conex shipping container, outfitted racks for 20 bikes, and put up equipment shelves.

The bill: $7,000 including labor, leaving money for more bikes, locks and parts.

“It is overwhelming,” said Urban Peak’s Daniel Byrd, who said he once had hoped for nothing more than a chain-link fence and some 2x4s to protect the bikes and equipment.

“It would have taken us two years to do anything close to this.,” Byrd said.

Class member Blair Sievert has gone on rides with several of the homeless youth, and has been approached to join the nonprofit’s board.

A Leadership NOW! group headed by Aaron Green teamed with the American Heart Association and city parks officials to create heart-health signs for several popular trails. That project also required working with city officials and fundraising.

The Start! Walking Path signs can be used to show distance traveled and calories burned. The signs also include heart-health facts.

“It’s amazing what these groups of twentysomethings can do,” said Saksa. “They don’t have to wait to do this until they’re older. They’re the future.”