Missouri Ag Connection - Greene Co. Merging EXCEL and Betterment Night for Expanded Impact

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Greene Co. Merging EXCEL and Betterment Night for Expanded Impact
Missouri Ag Connection - 08/14/2018

Hot off the success of a community "Betterment Night" in Ash Grove, specialists with Greene County MU Extension are hoping and planning to expand the program to every town in the county.

"Our event in Ash Grove had 52 people in attendance, and the Sunshine Center was able to make $400 by providing the meals," said David Burton, county engagement specialist with University of Missouri Extension. "We want to take that same model, tweak it from some input we received, and expand the program to Willard, Walnut Grove, Fair Grove, Strafford, Rogersville, Battlefield, Bois D'Arc and Republic."

To make that work, Burton says he needs some interested contacts or leaders in each of those communities to work with Greene County Extension on meeting logistics and meeting topics.

The county extension office will provide the speakers and do all program promotion (including a postcard to all residents of the school district). If a meal is provided then a partner will be needed to fund that cost or an organization willing to do the meal as a fundraiser.

"We need an available and public location of suitable size for the meeting first and foremost," said Burton. "Our speaker topics will vary from town to town, but we also want to feature non-profits in each community and provide them with an opportunity to recruit volunteers or at least provide education about what their organization does for the community."

Events must be scheduled several months in advance so early planning is essential. Burton says the goal is to make each of these meetings an annual event.

"To me, these are an excellent opportunity for the local county extension office to partner with senior centers or event Chambers of Commerce on a community program that is a win-win and also begin the ball roll for increased community involvement here in Greene County," said Burton. "Positive community involvement leads to community betterment, and that is our goal."

As part of this push toward hosting betterment night events, the Greene County Extension office is also redesigning its EXCEL leadership program.

MU Extension's EXCEL Leadership program is being reimagined in Greene County as a county-wide program that is adaptable to each participant's needs, interests and schedule. The first EXCEL class in 2017-2018 was more traditional and focused on western Greene County.

"That first class achieved wonderful things and participants did great community projects, and have taken an active role in their respective communities. Our expectations for graduates of the EXCEL Greene County program have not changed but how we get there has been modified based on feedback we have received," said Burton.

All individuals that enroll in the EXCEL program will be required to earn a set number of points. Various programs and events provide a different level of points depending on an individual's involvement.

Simply attending would provide one level of points while serving on a planning committee or even leading in the development of an event would create the opportunity to earn a different level of points. There will be traditional classes but also leadership tours, betterment night events, and other announced events as the program develops.

Participants will be given three years to accumulate the necessary points and earn recognition at an EXCEL graduation event. Class participants and alumni will be kept connected through a special EXCEL newsletter and future program involvement.

"The end goal of all that we do is to first, expose participants to the people and issues of Greene County and two, to provide practical opportunities for them to develop leadership skills for the benefit of their community and even employer," said Burton.

Exact dates for community programs are not known at this point, but since participants will have a menu of options from which to pick and up to three years to complete the program (if needed), they can progress at their own pace.

Thanks to sponsors and funding from the Greene County Commission, the EXCEL program does not have an enrollment fee at this time. Materials and training are provided free-of-charge. However, some events where leadership points could be earned do have registration fees. These are normally minimum and almost always include a meal.

"We will annually offer a leadership conference and an EXCEL graduation where class participants will be recognized formally as graduates. We also look forward to hosting events for EXCEL alumni or involving alumni in other events," said Burton.

Enrollment in the program is open all year round, and participants can register at any time and begin the process.

EXCEL program participants must: 1) register for the program and sign a program ethics and participation agreement; 2) earn the required points to graduate (attendance and reporting is required for points); 3) give one presentation about EXCEL or a community issue; and 4) write one column or letter to the editor that gets published in the Greene County Commonwealth newspaper about a local community issue.

EXCEL is an award-winning local leadership development program that targets rural residents of Greene County that are considered emerging or potential leaders.

For more information on EXCEL or betterment night events, contact David Burton at the Greene County MU Extension office by phone at (417) 881-8909 or by email at burtond@missouri.edu.

The Greene County Extension office is located inside the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center at 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield. Funding for the local office comes from the Greene County Commission and donors to The Friends of Greene County Extension. Springfield-Greene County Parks provides extension with office and classroom space in the Botanical Center as part of an agreement that led to the funding and construction of the Botanical Center.

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