About Leadership Golden

Mission  *   Results  *  History  *   Participation 

Mission

Leadership Golden is designed to enhance the abilities of the participants to make a difference.  The program educates emerging volunteers and leaders to the realities, opportunities, and challenges in Golden.

The Leadership Golden program is a series of seminars spanning a ten month period.  These seminars challenge participants to increase their knowledge of the relationships between government, education, business, and the community of Golden.   Participants have the opportunity to explore options and methods of problem solving with city staff and community leaders in the fields of education, arts, recreation, public finance, city and county government, justice, community responsibility and economic development.

Results

Over 90% of our graduates are or have been active in the community.  Their involvement includes activities in arts and recreation organizations, Buffalo Bill Days, Chamber of Commerce, charitable organizations, Golden Civic Foundation, government boards, councils and committees, historic organizations, religious organizations, schools, senior citizen activities, service organizations, and youth organizations.

Our goal for the following classes is to sustain this level of involvement.   This volunteer effort can be directed any of the areas in which the graduate is interested.  The opportunity to commit one's talent, time and energy to making the Golden area a better place to live, work, and play is real.  Individuals can and do make a difference in our society.

History

The Leadership Golden program was introduced to Golden in the spring of 1984 by the Greater Golden Area Chamber of Commerce and the Golden Civic Foundation.  The program was funded for the first two years through contributions from Golden area businesses, private citizens, and the Golden Civic Foundation.   Responsibility for the Leadership Golden program was transferred from the Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Foundation to the Leadership Golden Alumni Association, Inc. (LGAA) in the spring of 1986.  Funding the program since then has been accomplished solely through the fund-raising efforts to the LGAA.  LGAA is a nonprofit organization granted Internal Revenue 501(c)3 status in 1986.

Participation

Leadership Golden is one of very few leadership programs in the nation which is tuition free.  Graduates are encouraged to participate in the continuation and betterment of the organization as committee members, project volunteers and/or to assist in fund raising activities to fund future sessions of the Leadership Golden program.   Participants for each class of Leadership Golden are selected from the applications received by that year's deadline.  Each applicant is considered for his/her interests, sincere commitment to the greater Golden area, genuine interest in being an integral part of the Golden community, and their background.

Leadership Golden strives to balance each class by selecting participants from all neighborhoods of the Golden area as well as a cross section of adult age groups, areas of interest, and variety of professions.  Occasionally, in order to prevent an over abundance of class members who live in one area or share a particular interest, applicants are encouraged to re-apply the following year.

An application may be printed from this web site.   Additional applications are available from any Leadership Golden alumni, any Steering Committee member, any Board of Directors member, or from the following locations: Creekside Jewelry, Wells Fargo Bank, or the Golden Community Center.