It had to be foreshadowing, or a once-in-a-life time opportunity gone full circle.
Geauga County Maple Leaf writer Rose Nemunaitis is part of this year’s Leadership Geauga Class of 2017. She will be writing monthly articles about her experiences in the highly reputed program, which aims to bring out the leader in participants through personal growth, leadership development and community engagement. The following is her seventh installment:
It had to be foreshadowing, or a once-in-a-life time opportunity gone full circle.
Late November, my invite promising a journey of educational empowerment slipped into a “The Hunger Games” paperback set ablaze a whirlwind of Leadership Geauga program days and an educational school year like no other.
I still ponder the meaning behind why I received that book. Was it just a random mailing?
Vulnerable, but fierce, independent yet needy, passionate and dedicated, I adore the strong female protagonist Katniss Everdeen.
Little did I know, back on our first day of class, that the final activity I would participate in during our Arts & Leisure Day would be archery — the hunting method of choice for Katniss in “The Hunger Games.”
The adult leadership program is designed to develop “a cadre of well-informed future leaders through first-hand educational experiences” with Arts & Leisure Day aiming to examine quality of life, culture and leisure time activities in our great county.
I can still hear Leadership Geauga Executive Director Melanie Scanlon’s voice asking at the end of every program day adventure, “What is your take away?” Slipping out our journals, we soon put into words what that specific day meant to us and its overall lessons.
And, like any great books worth reading, this day came with many.
The Leadership Geauga Class of 2017 boarded its final bus ride of our school year. Cindy, Troy, Ben, Barb and Ian planned it right. They even remembered candy for the bus.
A full and beautiful life is about balance. That day, it was found sharing with special people, great local food, exercise, excitement on stage, birdying or making par, being silly with a paintbrush, in nature’s beauty and energy of the outdoors, satisfaction of making a bulls-eye, and ended with a perfect glass of Merlot.
“Don’t let making a living prevent you from making a life,” John Wooden once said.
My heart beat a bit faster when the doors to the beautiful Geauga Lyric Theater opened with a welcoming Erika Hansen, GLTG executive director, and we experienced the thrill of the casting experience with “The Wizard of Oz.”
Don’t underestimate people, like Katniss learned from the book character Rue, you never really know what people are capable of.
As we cold read from our scripts, there were some surprisingly born to be stars.
“One of the greatest gifts of Leadership Geauga is the many opportunities it provides to get out of your comfort zone and try new things,” Hansen said, a Leadership graduate. “Sometimes it means you try it once and are enriched by the experience, but never do it again — other times it piques your interest and leads you to keep at it.”
Geauga County’s fresh air greeted us once again as we left the theater and our bus came to a halt at Chip’s Clubhouse and miniature golf course.
Honing your skills pays off, just like Katniss’s dedication to archery, putting can either make or break your game as we learned from Chip’s owner, Bill Cox, and Bob Acquaviva, Chardon Lakes Golf Course instructor.
At MC Studio in Burton, we dipped our paintbrushes into another hour of fun until heading back on the road and rolling into Weslaco Sportsmen’s Club.
Excitement grew. This was my chance to become an archer.
I asked Brett Fraser, Weslaco Sportsmen’s Club president, what he hoped Leadership members took away from the experience.
“I am glad that Leadership Geauga was able to put down the technology for a few hours and try some fun new outdoor activities,” Fraser said. “A lot of them had never held a firearm before. As a club, we love opportunities to promote and present the shooting sports to new shooters in a safe, low-pressure environment.”
He added, “I hope they learned just how fun shooting can be when it’s done respectfully and responsibility.”
Putting trust in your abilities can be a good thing and a learning opportunity, especially when it results in a bull’s-eye.
Our day ended where we boarded, at The Sharon James Cellars in Newbury Township outside on the patio where the Leadership class mingled with alumni.
Alliances are important and everyone needs someone, as Katniss demonstrated by realizing she cannot emotionally survive on her own, and slowly began to trust Peeta.
A very important Leadership Geauga mission is to develop relationships with program participants, leadership alumni and community partners.
So, I had to ask Melanie. “What did you take away?”
“Arts and Leisure was an amazing experience because it reminded me how important it is for leaders to take time for themselves,” Melanie said. “Doing something you love reignites your spark and passion, but we often get busy and don’t take time to invest in ourselves. I hope this day reminded our leaders to take time to invest in ourselves.”
Arts & Leisure Day was the best day.
And as the famous “Hunger Games” quote goes: “May the odds be ever in your favor,” to next year’s Leadership class.
