Community Action Team (CAT)
Leadership Fort Wayne Community Action Teams provide class members the opportunity to develop their leadership capacities while learning about and addressing a real community need.
Starting in September, class members from the Leadership Fort Wayne program participate in a dynamic vehicle for community service: the Community Action Team (CAT). Based on individual personal interest, each class member is assigned to a Community Action Team. These teams focus on community issues in the areas of economic development, community development, education, and social service.
Requests for proposals (RFP) go out in late June and are due back to the LFW office by August 1. If you have an idea for a Community Action Team project, complete an RFP and send it to the LFW office.
2007-2008 Community Action Team Projects
Allen County United Youth Summit: The second annual Allen County United Youth Summit for youth was held in March, 2008. LFW class members provided assistance with promotion and marketing to increase student attendance and participation in community service projects subsequent to the Summit.
Canstruction 2008: High school students, paired with engineering and architecture mentors, designed and built structures out of cans. The cans of food were then donated to the Community Harvest Food Bank with a goal of feeding 125-135 families for a year. LFW class members helped create a city-wide awareness and publicity campaign for the weeklong event in April.
Community Brand Alliance: LFW class members helped with marketing efforts to promote Fort Wayne as a viable location where young professionals can have a successful a career. The LFW team helped develop the campaign, distribute a strategy for marketing the campaign and then evaluated the marketing attitude of the target audience with pre and post measures.
Fort Wayne Urban League: LFW class members helped the Urban League equip a kitchen, in conjunction with Community Harvest Food Bank, as a Kid’s Café site to serve a nutritious dinner to 70 low income, central city youth per evening.
Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana: This group of LFW class members helped create and support JA in a Day programs to serve schools challenged with attracting the appropriate number of volunteers needed to serve their school population.
The Literacy Alliance: Increased use of technology is needed in the delivery of literacy programs. Beyond basic computer usage, LFW class members explored potential forms of technology that can be used by tutors, teachers and students both in the ABE/GED program and with students learning English as a new language
Matthew 25, Inc.: To impact the issue of skipped or reduced dosages of medication due to lack of money, LFW class members helped with outreach to the African American population regarding health care services available at Matthew 25.
Vincent Village, Inc.: LFW class members helped pull together resources for a corner garden as a gateway to Vincent Village. This garden assists with revitalization efforts around Pontiac, Hanna, Creighton and Anthony neighborhoods and provides a tipping point to combat the negative image of this area.