Serving our communities is an important part of Palmetto GBA’s culture, but how do we know our initiatives have a meaningful impact on the places we live and work? Leadership Columbia, a 10-month program offered by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, focuses on providing an in-depth look at the critical issues facing the Columbia community.

“You gain a real understanding of how communities work – everything from school boards to business development – you just understand more about, not just Columbia, but really how all communities work,” said Donna Salais, director of reimbursement at Palmetto GBA and a Leadership Columbia Class of 2020 participant.

“I was familiar with the program because I knew a couple of people who had gone through it, but I didn't know exactly what it entailed,” said Marlena Harris, an investigations manager at Palmetto GBA and a Leadership of Columbia Class of 2020 participant. “My driving force for participating is that it was something outside of my comfort zone. I'm naturally introverted. In a leadership position, you have to step outside of that, and you have to become more comfortable with the extroverted aspects of that role.”

Leadership Columbia participants also choose a class project that benefits a local nonprofit organization. This year’s participants chose Palmetto Place Children and Youth Services, an organization that offers shelter and resources to children and teens who have faced abuse, abandonment, neglect and homelessness. Selection criteria for the Leadership Columbia project included having a positive impact on the Columbia community while allowing each of the participants to have hands-on involvement.

The Class of 2020 had plenty of ways to ensure everyone had a way to participate, with projects ranging from renovating the adolescent and teen home, collecting donations of picnic tables for the outside recreational spaces, helping teens with resumes and skill building, assisting with marketing and branding and even providing dental work for children and teens at Palmetto Place.

While Leadership Columbia participants gain a better understanding of how their community works and get an opportunity to give back, there is personal gain as well.

“I've learned so much in the time we've done this,” Marlena said. “The things that I've learned over the past six months – not just the leadership part of it, but the community aspect – has been invaluable.”

Leadership training and networking opportunities are among the benefits of participating in Leadership Columbia, but Marlena and Donna say they shouldn’t be the sole motivation to apply for the program.

“Do it for the right reasons,” Donna said. “There needs to be a motive beyond a resume-builder or networking. You need to have a desire to want to understand your community better and a desire to serve.”