BUILDING FUTURE LEADERS: The Thomasville/Thomas County Chamber of Commerce celebrated their iLEAD graduates last week with the help of TC Federal Bank.

THOMASVILLE — The Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce announced the 2023-2024 iLEAD youth leadership graduation class last week. The summer program gives high school students a unique opportunity to develop solutions for their community.

Imagine Thomasville, along with sponsor TC Federal, congratulates the following students on their graduation of the program:

Landon Beaty (THS Scholars), Autumn Bracewell (TCCHS), Kayla Carr (TCCHS), Serenity Cliett (THS Scholars), Desmond Diggs (THS), Au’Meyiah Everett (THS), Lydia Glass (TCCHS), Rose Lehman (THS Scholars), Joseph Mervin (THS), De’Aljah Mills (THS Scholars), Paige Parkerson (TCCHS), Emma Poole (THS Scholars), Sarah Kate Still (THS Scholars), Kristopher Wilhelm (TCCHS).

In this year’s week-long summer intensive (May 22nd – May 26th), students received a behind-the-scenes look at city/county government and businesses and developed 21st century leadership skills. They also heard from community leaders to understand the challenges facing our area and collaborate with peers to design community vision plans. Participants also received free access to coaching from Olive Orchard, designed to help youth identify and reach their goals.

In addition to the summer intensive, students are invited to become honorary Chamber members and receive tickets to events like the Community Impact Awards. One exceptional participant will be awarded a $1000 college scholarship at this year’s Community Impact Awards event.

“Programs like iLEAD help cultivate and steward young adults into strong leaders, professionally and personally. The program provides opportunities to explore and gain a better understanding of economic vitality for the local community. Conversations with local civic and business leaders provides an interactive experience that challenges our students to think creatively and critically,” said Andrea Collins, Chamber executive director.

The program is made possible through TC Federal Bank, who is committed to building a pipeline of community leaders. Their generous sponsorship allows 10 full scholarships to the iLead program.

“TC Federal Bank believes in supporting our communities and investing in the development of future leaders. Supporting the iLead Youth Leadership Program is one way that we can do that,” said Jami Porter, TC Federal Bank Senior Vice President.

“Chamber members have made workforce development a priority for Imagine Thomasville,” said Collins. “Leadership development is just one piece of that puzzle, other efforts include Project Purpose, an interactive career fair to build business awareness and the School to Business Summit, a joint planning session to strengthen ties between schools and the business community.”

“We want our young people to be active participants in our business and civic community. When we involve them in the problem identification and solution generation process, they develop a sense of agency, which we know is important for long-term participation in a democracy,” said Katie Chastain, iLEAD Program Chair.

For more information on the program or how to get involved, visit imaginethomasville.com/ilead or call 229-226-9600.