Graduates of the Leadership Alexandria program were highly visible in the community this weekend through two different service projects, both of which made our community an even better place to live, work and play.

Leadership Alexandria is a program of the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce that educates 24 participants annually on the various aspects of the Alexandria/Douglas County area – from history and business to education, government services and more.

At the end of each nine-month program, the class is tasked with deciding on and conducting a community service project. The intent of this project is to get the class to work together and utilize their leadership skills and the knowledge and social capital gained throughout the nine-month program to serve their community.

Here’s a look at the projects conducted by the 2024 and 2023 cohorts.
 
Class of 2024
The Class of 2024 decided to support local law enforcement by assisting with the 2024 Minnesota Tour de Shield616 event.

This was a 456.7-mile bike ride consisting of 30 riders who traveled from the Wisconsin border to Owatonna, Minnetonka, St. Cloud, Alexandria and finished in Moorhead to raise money to purchase all day rifle armor for first responders.

The ride took place June 19-23 and raised funds for the Alexandria Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, Glenwood Police Department, Pope County Sheriff’s Office, Starbuck Police Department, South Lake Minnetonka Police Department and Perry, Iowa Police Department.

A total of $79,200 was needed just to outfit the Alexandria and Douglas County officers, with a total of $192,800 needed to outfit all entities noted. At the time of writing this, the final figures have not yet come in.

Members of the Leadership Alexandria Class of 2024 got involved by conducting their own fundraising efforts for the cause, assisting with a welcome event in Alexandria on Saturday, and by providing breakfast to the Shield616 riders and support team before they headed out on the final leg of their ride Sunday morning.
 
Class of 2023
While most projects are conducted during the summer after a class graduates, the Leadership Alexandria Class of 2023 needed an additional year to complete their project due to its complexity and magnitude.

Because this was the 30th class to graduate from the program, members wanted to do something big. They landed on a community sculpture project.

They started with a blank page and a whole lot of questions – what should the sculptures be? What materials should they be made of? How do we find artists to create the designs? How and where will they be erected and displayed? How do we ensure they last a minimum of three years? Where do we store them during creation and how do we transport them to their final locations? And, most importantly, how are we going to pay for them?

Through many meetings, emails, and phone calls, class members began finding answers to every question that popped up, and enlisted help from a variety of community partners. Minnesota sculptor

Hans Gilsdorf designed a steel sculpture that served as the blank canvas for artists to showcase their work. The Alexandria Art Guild served as fiscal host and assisted in identifying artists for the project. 3M of Alexandria donated 18 steel panels, which were cut into the shape of outboard motors by students in the Alexandria Area High School Cardinal Fab program. The sculptures then went to Protainer for sandblasting and TWF Industries for powdered coating. Duininck Concrete donated the concrete bases on which the sculptures will be erected.
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Members of the class gathered with artists and members of the community at Big Ole Park Saturday to celebrate completion of the project with a ribbon cutting. The sculptures are being installed in their final locations throughout the community this week. For photos of some of the sculptures and a map to their locations, visit explorealex.com/sculptures.

Dr. Myra Heckenlaible-Gotta is the owner of Crossing Life's Bridges at 5396 Peaceful Ln. NE in Carlos. Myra is a Certified Equine Gestalt Practitioner, Certified GiANT (Leadership) Coach, Licensed Equine Facilitator, and has her Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Counseling. Crossing Life's Bridges was created for those who seek self-awareness, personal or professional growth, guidance through life transitions, healing, recharge and renewal, and leadership/team development. A lot of these services can be done with or without the horses. Learn more at CrossingLifesBridges.com.

The Alexandria Senior Center is a nonprofit organization, serving seniors over the age of 50 by providing social, educational, nutritional, and informational services. It offers a variety of events and services for this population. Learn more at AlexSrCtr.org.