ALF’s “Hillside Garden Party” fundraiser set for October 6

The American Leadership Forum – Great Valley Chapter invites you to the 2012 Hillside Garden Party – an evening of captivating conversation, wonderful wines and brews, and delectable delights by Greens Catering. The fundraiser will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 6, and individual tickets are on sale for $75. It will be held at the same venue as last year’s party, in a beautiful, countryside garden setting in Modesto.

The focus of this year’s event is to raise scholarship funds for leaders of non-profits and smaller organizations who do not have the means to participate in ALF without financial support. Scholarship funds raised last year are currently supporting several participants in the ALF-Great Valley Chapter’s Class III, which began this year-long transformational leadership development program in June.

Multi-level sponsorship opportunities are also available, from $500 for a “Supporting” sponsorship” which includes admission of ten guests, up to a “Uniting” sponsorship for $10,000 that includes admission for 20 guests.

Purchase your tickets or sponsorship today and help us unite and strengthen our valley’s leaders to address our region’s challenges and serve the public good.

Click here to download information on sponsorships and purchasing tickets. For more information contact Kathy Halsey at kathy@greatvalley.org or (209) 522-5103, ext. 109.

Class III begins transformational leadership development journey

The challenges facing the San Joaquin Valley are daunting. We struggle with high rates of unemployment, housing foreclosures, obesity and asthma, as well as low average household income and low educational attainment levels. The rapid population expansion of the last decade has placed increasing pressures on transportation, air quality and water resources. We must address these challenges and many others to effect a positive outcome for our communities.

Solving these complex problems, however, is further complicated by diverse ways of thinking and approaches to dealing with issues. Our culture, how and where we are raised, and our life experiences all effect how we think and solve problems. Unfortunately, these differences many times get in the way of collaborative problem solving. The need for inclusive, effective and cooperative leadership between government, business, education and non-profit community leaders has never been greater.

To address these needs the Great Valley Center joined with community leaders in 2008 to begin the American Leadership Forum (ALF) Great Valley Chapter, understanding that ALF recognizes, respects and embraces these differences and uses them to promote collaborative problem solving within and among communities.

The chapter seeks to build a diverse network of leaders in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced Counties who are equipped and motivated to address our area’s pressing issues.

Over the course of a year, ALF Fellows come together for an intense, national-caliber training on how to solve problems and work together to tackle challenges facing our communities and region. Most participants say it is life-changing and the single best program for developing and refining their leadership skills.

A key factor in class selection is representation from a broad spectrum of organizations, backgrounds and cultures – involving a cross section of leaders who might not ordinarily interact. This builds understanding and valuing of diversity and creates bridges of relationship and trust within the network of leadership.

How does our region benefit?

Led by ALF national facilitators Kevin McCarthy and Kristen Jacobsen, the 22 leaders selected as Fellows for Class III began their year-long, leadership development journey in June. During their training they will establish relationships built on trust and cooperation; be armed with new skills in dialogue, systems thinking and community leadership for taking on complex issues; learn to appreciate diverse views, and identify resources to turn dialogue into action.

The ALF program strives to motivate “servant leaders” to a lifetime of active public engagement and to become catalysts for positive community change. In addition to their leadership positions on the job, the Senior Fellows serve as board members and as volunteers in a variety of community organizations – spreading their new insights and skills out to their communities.


The transformation that Fellows report taking place within them during the program eventually translates in to transformational change for our region.