Twelve adults graduate South Cape leadership training program

Twelve adults from the south side of Cape Girardeau each received a certificate Thursday evening in recognition of their graduation from the River Corridor Connection Leadership Academy. The graduation took place in front of about 35 onlookers at the Greater Dimension Church in Cape Girardeau. Graduates celebrated learning how to be leaders in their community and will now focus on keeping Cape Girardeau's black teens in school.

Shelly Moore, assistant director of the academy, said a survey done with the United Way in 2007 shocked her into action. It found that 60 percent of black students in the Cape Girardeau School District were graduating, compared to 85 percent of white students.

Moore said academy attendees met for two hours every Sunday for eight weeks at the United Way in Cape Girardeau to learn about self-awareness, how to handle problems, and parenting and budgeting skills. She said the program was funded by the United Way and a grant from Procter & Gamble.

Renee Johnson, an academy graduate, said she heard about the academy through New Horizons Missionary Baptist Church and filled out an application. She said the academy instructed her on becoming a better role model for her 14-year-old daughter and other children in the community.

Stafford Moore, River Corridor Connection chairman, said that for the last four or five years the group had been using after-school and weekend activities to target teens.

"But when the children went home they ended up in an environment that wasn't conducive to continuing our efforts," he said. "To sustain, we wanted to get parents involved."

He said this graduating class' legacy project is building up Ranney Park at 600 S. Ranney Ave. The class planted a tree Tuesday to commemorate graduation and plans on finding funding for playground equipment.

Nancy Jernigan, United Way of Southeast Missouri's executive director, said her organization is dedicating itself to a community impact business model. She said for a long time the United Way was missing the big picture and needed to look at the needs of Cape Girardeau's south side as a whole.

"We are developing leaders in the neighborhood," Jernigan said. "We are giving them their voice back. This is empowering South Cape."

In the parking lot after the ceremony, graduate Robert Bailey said, "I feel like the class ended, but the group didn't. The class was just a starting point."

jhargraves@semissourian.com

388-3654

Pertinent address: 430A Broadway, Cape Girardeau