St. Madeleine Sophie's Center participates in Leadership East County program for 17th year

The nine-month program aims to help residents become a vital part within the community. End Quote

San Diego, CA (1888PressRelease) August 01, 2012 - St. Madeleine Sophie's Center is participating in the East County Leadership program for the 17th year. The program, a 9-month course that transforms participants into an active part of their community, offers participants direction to flourish in the community. Those involved learn leadership skills while gaining courage to be an active citizen. Participants are individuals seeking to enhance their leadership skills, involvement, and knowledge of their community.

"We are excited to be participating in the Leadership East County program again this year," said Leadership East County Co-Chair and St. Madeleine Sophie's Center Executive Director, Debra Turner-Emerson. "The turnout has been fantastic and I am so excited to see so many great community leaders growing their knowledge and skill set for their community."

Since 1995, St. Madeleine Sophie's Center has sent more than 15 employees to participate in the program. Laura Purdom, St. Madeleine Sophie's Center Administrative and Facilities Manager, is also the Marketing Chair for the Leadership East County program, which began in 1991.

Each session is designed to inform, motivate, and challenge the participate. The 9 months will cover topics that are aimed to help increase community involvement and knowledge in Health Care, Education, Justice, Economy, Human Services, Art/History and Regional Collaboration. Simultaneously, the program educates East County residents about current issues in order to develop personal awareness, partnerships, and confidence in the community they live and work. Kevin Miller, a Class of 2010 graduate says, "Leadership taught me how little I knew about our region, fed my hunger to make it a better place to live, and inspired me to believe I could make a difference."

Monthly sessions begin in August 2012 and graduation is June 2013. For more information, please call: (619) 440-6161 or visit: www.leadershipeastcounty.com.

About St. Madeleine Sophie's Center
St. Madeleine Sophie's Center (SMSC) is a non-denominational program helping nearly 400 people with developmental disabilities, their families and communities, discover, explore, and nurture their full potential. Located in El Cajon, California, 20 miles east of Downtown San Diego, the organization provides service to the greater San Diego communities.

SMSC offers progressive programs and services with a teacher-to-student ratio ranging from 1:3 to 1:8, including Work Activity and Supported Employment; Behavior Modification; Computer Lab, Organic Garden & Worm Farm; Culinary Arts; Aquatics; Aerobics, Fitness, Yoga and Dance; Sophie's Gallery Art Program (the first program of its kind in the region, it has three sites: SMSC's main campus; Downtown El Cajon; and NTC Point Loma); Music Therapy; Reading; Speech Therapy/ Sign Language; and a Senior Program for students age 50+ (the first program of its kind in the region). SMSC also operates its own fleet of 30 paratransit vans and buses that transport students to and from SMSC each day, to work sites and on field trips.

For more information on St. Madeleine Sophie's Center, visit www.stmsc.org.

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