“BE UNITED” KICKS OFF LSA 45’S VIRTUAL CLASS DAY SERIES

Leadership San Antonio’s Class 45 held its first virtual class day hosted by the “Be United” team. The event kicked off with a special poem written by Greg Wukasch (SAWS) to inspire and motivate LSA 45 to “Stand With Us To Move San Antonio Forward.” Staying engaged and giving back to our great city will be vital to our recovery and is very important to LSA 45 through the remainder of this year.

Following the welcome, Molly Cox and Kiran Bains from SA2020 hosted an interactive workshop which spurred considerable discussion on the role of nonprofits in our city; their economic impacts, diversity, equity and equality within the community; how to get involved in nonprofits; and what boards look for in their members. Great information was provided about how nonprofits collaborate with each other and industry, as well as the perceived competition between nonprofits – spurred by the gap between a donor’s intentions and a nonprofit’s goals. SA2020 tailored a few “Calls to Action” for LSA 45 based on a pre-submitted survey completed by our members and using the gap between a class member’s stated passions and their reported amount of giving. We were challenged to ask ourselves, “How can I make a difference?” During last month’s “Buy Local” Challenge, LSA 45 completed 250 transactions supporting 167 unique businesses in San Antonio. With an average purchase of $45, our class put more than $11,000 back into the economy to keep San Antonio alive. Clearly, LSA continues to make a difference!

Important updates for the class came from Chris Sherman (Wells Fargo) who provided a teaser of what to expect on the June Virtual Class Day “Be Competitive.” Lori Castillo (NatureSweet) reminded everyone that LSA will continue to highlight our class members’ contributions to our bright and resilient San Antonio community during this nationwide pandemic and will begin a Spotlight member series soon. Additionally, San Antonio Chamber President Richard Perez shared a message of resilience and support on behalf of both chambers. Hope and service were themes throughout the day. For more on that message, click here.

Team Be United then invited everyone to stay on the call for a “Hope-y Half-hour” and kicked off the next section of the evening with a recorded music video by Cooper Greenberg, a local San Antonio musician who prepared a song just for LSA 45. Keeping our local talent active in our events (even if virtually) is a great way to support them! Following the music, everyone was invited to join break-out rooms for small group discussions and networking.

The first digital day was a huge success and a sign of the resiliency and determination of LSA to step up and serve in San Antonio’s time of need. We look forward to seeing what June’s class is up to!

For more information on how to support Leadership San Antonio’s efforts to stay engaged and active, especially throughout these challenging times, please contact Lori Stinson at lstinson@sachamber.org.