The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Kelly Monson, President of Montana’s chapter of the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership (HOBY) program, outlined the events that engaged two Chinook High School sophomores, Morgan Friede and Tyler Schoen, from June 3-6 on the campus of Rocky Mountain College in Billings.

Schoen and Friede, who were named HOBY Leadership Seminar Ambassadors for 2021, joined youth from across the state to interact with business leaders and to learn the value of leadership in its various forms.

“A big takeaway from my HOBY experience was that when you’re a leader, you don’t have to be perfect at what you do, but when you mess up, you learn from it and get better,” Schoen said.

Several presenters spoke on the topic of leadership. One of those, Leif Welhaven is a Marketing Consultant with LW Consulting, which provides marketing and motivational services. Focusing on Servant Leadership and Personal Volunteerism, this self-employed businessman from Billings told the young leaders gathered at Rocky Mountain College, “Think big, trust yourself, and make it happen.”

Since 1999, Welhaven has been a member of a service club called the Exchange Club. He joined to meet business people, then became a committee member with intentions of serving youth, communities, veterans, and the cause of preventing child abuse. Now, 22 years later, he sits on the National Board of Directors for the National Exchange Club. In that capacity, he oversees close to fifty clubs and 1,500 members in Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

About his time shared with the youth, Welhaven further remarked: “How cool to have forty high school leaders cheer for you! I feel so blessed to serve the young leaders from all over Montana!”

Another speaker, Brian Dennis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boys and Girls Clubs of Yellowstone County, talked on the topic of Group Leadership. Dennis explained the importance of a group's mission and values, saying: “A mission and values give a group purpose and lend a solid foundation for leadership. Being intentional about your leadership efforts will help to ensure you are diverse and inclusive in your leadership styles.”

His comments on diversity and inclusion were specific to ensuring that any leader accounts for the preferred learning/engagement styles of each member of the group/team so everyone has the opportunity to engage at his/her comfort level.

Other speakers at the seminar were Gavin Woltjer, Director of Billings Public Library, who addressed the ambassadors about Social Responsibility; Holly Danhof of Kicks for Kids 406; and David Firebaugh, K9 Handler for Billings Police Department. These latter two shared ideas on the topic of Service.

Working with school counsellors, Kicks for Kids 406 is a nonprofit that helps to provide new shoes to children whose families cannot afford them. The organization calls such a gift, the Gift of Self Esteem, since a new pair of shoes often gives these young people “the pride and dignity to walk through the school hallways.”

As she imparted her message to care for the less fortunate, Danhof said, “A pair of shoes might seem like a small thing, but when these kids get their new shoes, you can see it raises their self-worth and teaches them lessons about their value.”

Sharing his views on service, Officer Firebaugh claims that “a K9 unit can reduce threats to human safety in many situations and also allow for a more efficient distribution of police manpower by letting fewer officers accomplish tasks and by reducing the time it takes to complete sweeps of buildings or searches of property.”

On a daily basis, his goal and that of the dogs is not only to better the community in which they serve but to show the community that their investment is worth it.

The HOBY representatives also completed a community service project at Montana Audubon Center in Billings. They pulled weeds around the children's area, skimmed a pond of algae, setup a new bed of dirt and compost, and planted some willows on floating pads to help clean the water in a pond.

Schoen described that experience as the most memorable part of HOBY. “When we did community service, I made a lot of friends while we were working, and it was nice to help out the community.”

Another fun fact is that Schoen’s group leader was Elizabeth Hodgson, daughter of James and Frances Hodgson from Chinook.

Friede could not be reached for comment.