Leadership Orange Class of 2008 Graduation

Friday night, June 20th, was the graduation of the Leadership Orange Class of 2008 -- The Class of Change. The event, attended by over 150 leaders in business, was held at the Ontaroga Estate in Goshen, and celebrated 15 Years of Leadership.

As a member of the Class of 2008, I can't help but feel our class was incredible. And as all Leadership Orange alumni are aware, every class boasts their superiority over past classes. Our class did more than boast.

Put to a challenge presented by Leadership Dutchess, we participated in our own version of "The Apprentice". And after raising $27,000 by proceeds from a journal, the Leadership Orange Class of 2008 were the first recipients of the Leadership Challenge trophy. In addition, each member of our class received personally signed congratulatory letters from Donald Trump.

Also big winners were the 15 non-profits our class chose to be recipients of the proceeds of our fund-raising, as well as the 15 non-profits we chose to donate our time.

The theme of the journal was based on the 15 year anniversary of Leadership Orange. Our class chose 15 community leaders who have inspired us and asked them questions like "Who inspired you?" and " What is your advice to future leaders?". The results were enlightening.

So many people contributed to the success of the evening. Erin Pascual from Club Ontaroga worked with the BOCES culinary students who helped in preparing the delicious food and worked as wait staff. Rose Shevchuk from Goshen Gourmet Cafe supplied the incredible desserts. Our entire class donated their time and efforts to decorating, event planning, and the development of the journal. Our agency, BBG&G Advertising donated the design and production of the journal and coordinated with the graphic design class at BOCES. Vanessa Foerster, a BOCES graduate and Goshen resident who is now attending the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, designed the artwork that was chosen for the journal cover.

The Leadership Orange program was a wonderful experience. If you live or work in Orange County, New York, I encourage you to visit their web site at www.leadershiporange.org