VALU classes to resume in fall
The St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with several other organizations, is bringing back the VALU Class program for its 20th anniversary in September.
The Valuing Auglaize Leadership and Unity (VALU) Class is a valuable program that the chamber is planning to start later this year, in conjunction with the Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce and the Southwester Auglaize County Chamber of Commerce. Despite its absence last year due to the rise of COVID, the program is planning to come back in full force to anyone interested in joining.
The main goal of this popular program is help provide local leaders with a better understanding of Auglaize County and everything it has to offer. This means that participants will meet with
local business owners, members of local government, and even meet with people who work in education and other county services.
The VALU Class is a great resource for people that want to become more active members in their community, along with making relationships with people that may last a lifetime. For anyone that plans on networking or getting into certain organizations, this class be the foot in the door needed to get involved with local government and help shape the community in a profound way. With the program reaching its 20th year in production, it has changed and adapted to the county’s goals, along with its challenges.
Participants in the program will go through a 10 class process through September 2021 and July 2022, meeting at least once a month.
The program covers a wide range of topics, with each class focused on one aspect of the community through tours and presentations going all across Auglaize County.
These topics can range from focusing on law enforcement, to regional tourism and even onto the industrial side of the county.
The chambers are taking COVID pre-cautions into account, which will have an effect on some of its aspects. The safety procedures of each organization the VALU Class plans on touring are being observed and will change accordingly depending on the organization in question.
For anyone interested in joining the program, they are encourage to contact one of the chambers mentioned as soon as they possibly can.
There is a waiting list for participants, meaning that the class can be booked to capacity fairly quickly. There is a $400 course fee, but that includes lunch and transportation.
The VALU Classes are scheduled to begin Sept. 16.