Leader in Me Process Will Grow to Almost 50 Schools in Five Years
Allentown, PA November 8, 2018 – United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (UWGLV) strengthens its commitment to developing leaders of all ages under an agreement with FranklinCovey Education, a division of Franklin Covey Co., that will allow the Leader in Me© process to grow from 38 to 48 local schools during the next five years.
“This opportunity is a perfect synergy for our organization as we begin a new century of service to the Lehigh Valley and build a UNITED future,” said David Lewis, President, UWGLV. “Education is the center point of our investments, our community-building efforts and our commitment to the region. Preparing the next generation of citizens through Leader in Me has been an exciting endeavor for many years. We are thrilled to take a leadership role to grow this initiative to support more than 26,000 students in the Lehigh Valley.”
Based on several leadership, social-emotional learning, quality, and educational models and processes from past and current thought leaders, Leader in Me is an evidence-based, comprehensive school improvement model and process developed in partnership with educators that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st Century.
“We are excited to announce this collaboration to bring one of FranklinCovey’s most renowned and engaging solutions to more students throughout the Lehigh Valley,” said Sean Covey, FranklinCovey Education Practice Leader. “Students in 50 countries across the globe have reaped the benefits of participating in Leader in Me. Now, more Pennsylvania students will have access to that content, designed specifically to prepare students for college, career and to be life-ready.”
Under the five-year agreement, formal sponsorship of the Leader in Me process transitions from Leader Lehigh Valley to United Way’s leadership and management. The process will continue to serve 38 schools in Allentown, Bangor Area, Bethlehem Area, Easton Area and Salisbury school districts and will add ten new schools during the next five years.
“We sincerely thank the team from Leader Lehigh Valley for bringing this process to our community, for personally investing in and raising the necessary resources to support the effort and for ensuring the wellbeing of students is central to each and every conversation during this transition,” added Lewis. “We’d specifically like to applaud Al Douglass, Glen Bressner and Bob Gadomski for their ongoing support of Leader in Me as well as City Center Allentown for stepping up to support United Way’s new sponsorship of this program.”
Douglass and Bressner worked together to bring Leader in Me to Lehigh Valley schools, starting with Lincoln and Governor Wolf Elementary Schools in Bethlehem Area School District in 2011.
“We’re grateful to the many individuals, foundations and corporations who have helped Leader in Me grow from two schools in Bethlehem to 38 schools in five districts during the past seven years,” remarked Douglass, Vice Chairman, Leader Lehigh Valley. “Thanks to their support, this program has developed and prepared thousands of citizens for the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow.”
“This program helps students learn how to become self-reliant, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, prioritize their time, manage their emotions, be considerate of others, express their viewpoint persuasively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences and live a balanced life. We look forward to the program’s continued impact on long-term student success under United Way’s leadership,” added Leader Lehigh Valley Chairman Bressner and former President Gadomski.
“Through our research and assessment, we’ve discovered that the implementation of this process with other United Way initiatives such as Community Schools, trauma-informed classrooms, case management and parent and family engagement can create a powerful combination,” said Marci Lesko, Executive Vice President, UWGLV.
Since its official launch nearly a decade ago, nearly 4,000 public, private, and charter schools across 50 countries have adopted the Leader in Me process. For more information, please visit https://www.leaderinme.org/.
Mission of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley
The mission of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is to provide the leadership, convene the partnerships, and develop the resources and solutions that improve our community. We remain committed to these goals and sincerely appreciate the continued support of partners, program providers and donors throughout the Lehigh Valley. www.UnitedWayGLV.org
About FranklinCovey Education
For nearly three decades, FranklinCovey Education, a division of FranklinCovey, has been one of the world’s most prominent and trusted providers of educational leadership programs and transformational processes. FranklinCovey’s programs, books, and content have been utilized by thousands of public and private primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools and institutions, including educational service centers and vocational schools in all 50 states within the United States and in over 150 countries.
Information provided to TVL by:
Laura McHugh
Director, Communications and Media Relations
United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley
Celebrating 100 years of service to the Lehigh Valley.
1110 American Parkway NE Suite F-120 Allentown, PA 18109
www.unitedwayglv.org
