The Stony Brook School’s founding students of the Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy held their inaugural meeting last month. Dean of Students, Dr. Tonja Detwiler, who is leading the group of Brookers said, “The foundation of this program is servant leadership, and through it, our students will be doing three Service Projects this year along with learning the skills and tools it takes to be an impactful leader. Chick-fil-A provided all the needed materials for the first service project, and our students put together 60 book packages (five books and a handwritten note) for children in need.”
One of the members, Madison Dumerlin, shared this about her involvement with the Leadership Academy: “The purpose is to carry out three community service projects over seven months and teach servant leadership to the members. Events already set up by Chick-fil-A include the “1 Million Book Giveaway” and “Do Good December.” Participating students will create their own service idea, called the “Impact Project,” which seeks to have a positive impact on the community. One of Chick-fil-A’s core values is based upon servant leadership. Its founder, S. Truett Cathy, valued customers and made it a point to give them the best experience possible at his chain, whether greeting and welcoming them or listening to concerns. The company wishes to carry on these ideals by teaching the youth Cathy’s principles. As of now, the leadership team has begun their first service project by assembling care packages filled with books and encouraging hand-written notes for children in need. Stay tuned for more updates and events to come.”