Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Savannah Chapter has been awarded a grant from the national chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. to implement a leadership development project. This is a national initiative with the mission of "Empowering Leaders for the Nation." The program, which will be implemented at the Frank Callen's Boys and Girls Club, will cover topics on service and sacrifice, communications, legislation, and problem solving/conflict resolution. The sessions will be facilitated by various individuals who are leaders in their field including, Clyde Newton, Georgia Power Executive, Robert Graham, Air National Guard, State Representative Craig Gordon, and Dr. Malik Watkins, University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government. These individuals will present the leadership modules over the next 4 months to youth between the ages of 13-18.

"We don't want this to just be a series of lectures to the participants; they get a lot of that already. We want this to be a fun, interactive experience, which will allow give and take between the participants and the facilitators" said Karen Bogans, Foundation Chair for the local chapter who submitted the proposal. Rhonda Houston, Chapter President said "I am excited our chapter is involved in this national initiative. Not only will people from the community be involved, our members, and their children, will be involved as well. After the overwhelming response to the Mayor's Youth Summit, we knew we needed to do our part to try and make a difference in the lives of our local youth."

The project will begin in August and end in November with a completion ceremony.