Meet the Members of the Jr. Planning Team

L: Trinity on a stroll  R:Maggie geeking-out that she just graduated

Name
Trinity Griffin (TG)

Maggie Wenzel (MW)

Role on the Planning Team

Jr. Planning Team Members
Currently Attends
TG: Southwest Baptist University
MW: Loyola University-Chicago
L4S hours

TG: 279
MW: 100 I think
Fellow staffers would vote you "Most likely to..."

TG: "Most likely to be a famous wedding planner."
MW: "Most likely to brighten your day." 

Favorite L4S project

TG: My favorite L4S project was when I hosted a Parent's Night Out for our church. I coordinated volunteers, trained them, and created an entire theme night for kids while their parents got a night out for Valentine's Day.
MW: I really enjoyed the lemonade stand that we did last year. I think everyone had a lot of fun and we raised a substantial amount of money for a great cause.

What has HOBY given you?

TG: HOBY has given me a renewed confidence in myself, the ability to open up and make new friends, and also the opportunity to set attainable, but incredible goals.
MW: HOBY has given me confidence to express my thoughts and that I can make peoples lives better through my words and deeds.

What do you hope to pass on to the 2014 HOBY ILCS Ambassadors?

TG: I would love to give the ILCS Ambassadors a hug. I want to genuinely congratulate them on taking an opportunity to change their lives. I want to encourage them to not grow stagnant, but to let their passions live on and create something great! I want them to know how killer awesome they are, and I want them to see that too.
MW: I hope to pass on my love for volunteering to the HOBY 2014 Ambassadors. I hope that they take advantage of this wonderful opportunity that is HOBY and make as many friends as they can because they will last a lifetime. My personal goal for the ambassadors is that through this experience, they come to understand the importance of their thoughts and that they are worthy of the respect of others and the respect of themselves.

Favorite Quote

TG: "I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." -Galileo
MW: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined." -Henry David Thoreau

Meet the Director of Facilitators and Registration

A real-life HOBY Mama of 2 alums

Name

Chastity Pick

Role on the Planning Team

Director of Facilitators and Registration
L4S hours

none :(
Fellow staffers would vote you "Most likely to..."

"Most likely to go on a coffee run for fellow staffers" 

Favorite L4S project

Alex's Lemonade Stand - it's much more hands on and fun than the cards and letters we used to do.

What has HOBY given you?

HOBY has given me an outlet to help young people, both staff and ambassadors, reach potential they may not even have known they could.

What do you hope to pass on to the 2014 HOBY ILCS Ambassadors?

I hope to pass on the inspiration to do something with what they've leared at HOBY.

Favorite Quote

All the quotes on the Quote Wall of 2013 are my faves.  I can't wait to do that again this year.

Meet the Director of Recruitment

First time picking a pumpkin off the vine

Name

Michael Blackwell

Role on the Planning Team

Director of Recruitment
L4S hours

I'm not an alum, so I can't log hours :(
Fellow staffers would vote you "Most likely to..."

"Most likely to solve the world's problems" 

Favorite L4S project

In high school, I helped build a house with Habitat for Humanity.  The house was for a family with 9 children, so it was the biggest project the local Habitat had done.  I enjoyed being able to give back in such a tangible way.
What has HOBY given you?

A chance to inspire the youth and a beautiful family.

What do you hope to pass on to the 2014 HOBY ILCS Ambassadors?

The courage to do the right thing and the importance of owning your decisions.

Favorite Quote

"And if you don't know, now you know." -The Notorious B.I.G.

Meet the Director of Special Services

About to save some lives at the 2013 WLC

Name

Jeff Kiesling

Role on the Planning Team

Director of Special Services
L4S hours

608
Fellow staffers would vote you "Most likely to..."

"Most likely to save a life" 

Favorite L4S project

My favorite L4S project is that I am the EMS coordinator for our local county fair.  I spend a week working hand in hand with all of the staff and emergency personnel from multiple agencies in planning and the week of the fair.  I love seeing everything come together and being able to help everyone.  I have made great friendships throughout the weeks that we have been doing this.  It is amazing to see that everyone takes time off of work and volunteers their time to make sure that one of the biggest events in our county can go on without a problem and if one would arise we have several very highly trained staff to take care of any issue.  I think that it is amazing to be able to lead a team of 30+ medical staff that are all there on volunteer time and see that they really enjoy being able to give back and have a good time while doing it.

What has HOBY given you?

HOBY has given me the tools that I needed to help me become a lot stronger person.  I was able take what I got from HOBY when I went through it and apply them to my job.  I became one of the youngest supervisors we had at the time at my former employer.  I was then able to keep building with those skills and I became one of the top managers at the banquet and event center.  HOBY has also helped teach me to be yourself and believe in yourself.  Due to HOBY I am now teaching an EMT class.  Prior to HOBY I would have never guessed I would be standing up in front of a class teaching.

What do you hope to pass on to the 2014 HOBY ILCS Ambassadors?

I hope to pass on to them the ability to be confident strong leaders.  I want the ambassadors to realize that they can be themselves and that they don't have to change to try to fit in with the crowd.

Favorite Quote

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

Meet the Director of Operations

Decompressing at the HOBY World Leadership Congress

Name

Grace Wenzel (a.k.a. Princess of HOBY)

Role on the Planning Team

Director of Operations
Currently Attends
Drake University
L4S hours

Over 700
Fellow staffers would vote you "Most likely to..."

"Most likely not to lose my voice" #CheerleaderProblems

Favorite L4S project

In high school I helped with a local theater camp for young kids.  It was really fun and rewarding because I could see the confidence boost in them as they preformed on stage.
What has HOBY given you?

HOBY has given me an incredible support system.  I know my HOBY family always has my back and will be there for me whenever I need them.

What do you hope to pass on to the 2014 HOBY ILCS Ambassadors?

I hope the ambassadors are able to experience the magic of HOBY.  Being around so many motivated and talented young people inspires every one there to dream bigger and reach higher.

Favorite Quote

"A good leader inspires peopleto have confidence in the leade, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Meet the Director of Leadership for Service

Reuniting with ILCS friends at the 2013 World Leadership Congress

Name

Matt Bunten

Role on the Planning Team

Director of Leadership for Service(L4S)
Currently Attends
Graduate school at Bradley University
L4S hours

284
Fellow staffers would vote you "Most likely to..."

"Most likely to go crazy over pumpkin donuts"

Favorite L4S project

When I was younger I attended a work camp with my church in Kentucky.  My group did some landscaping, roofing, painting, and we put up some soffit.  I like home improvement projects like that where the end result of the work is apparent right away.
What has HOBY given you?

HOBY has given me a number of wonderful friendships, a network, and an additional outlet to share ideas, gather or give support, or to better my environment.

What do you hope to pass on to the 2014 HOBY ILCS Ambassadors?

I hope to pass on a proactive and tenacious spirit.

Favorite Quote

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Meet the Director of Junior Staff

En route to Hogwarts via Platform 9 3/4 in London

Name

Marci Kolb

Role on the Planning Team

Director of Junior Staff
Currently Attends
Butler University
L4S hours

Not enough yet, but I'm working on it
Fellow staffers would vote you "Most likely to..."

"Most likely to be wearing something monogrammed"

Favorite L4S project

I work with a group called Girls Inc. which is a center that helps underprivileged girls.  We work with them to create speeches that they use for fundraising purposes.  It is one of my favorite days each year.
What has HOBY given you?

HOBY has given me an outlet to expand my leadership abilities.  I have held many different roles which has helped me find new strengths and weaknesses I have. 

What do you hope to pass on to the 2014 HOBY ILCS Ambassadors?

The idea that they have the power, but that they do not have to change the world alone.  I think that is the scariest part, not having a support system.  HOBY gives you the support system you need to make the changes you want to see in your community.

Favorite Quote

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." -George Bernard Shaw

Meet the LSC

Popping out of a space shuttle at at 2013 HOBY ILCS Seminar

Name

Hillary Blackwell

Role on the Planning Team

Leadership Seminar Chair AKA The HOBY Mama
L4S hours

Thousands-- planning a seminar is serious stuff.
Fellow staffers would vote you "Most likely to..."

This is a hard one!  I would say "Most likely to eat their weight in Starbursts"

Favorite L4S project

I loved the Alex's Lemonade Stand project at the 2013 seminar.  It was rainy, but the ambassadors kept the energy high and almost tripled the amount we had raised the year prior.
What has HOBY given you?

HOBY has given me the power to feel confident in making decisions that are against the grain.

What do you hope to pass on to the 2014 HOBY ILCS Ambassadors?

I hope to pass on the passion and practically of change making.  It is one thing to inspire the Ambassadors to make change, it is a whole other thing to give them right tools and education to make it happen.  Participating in the political process and having an entrepreneurial know-how are very important to me and I think some of the best ways to make change.  I hope to give them those tools and more so that their visions of a brighter tomorrow can become realities.

Favorite Quote

"Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't" -Bill Nye (the Science Guy)

It's J-Staff application time!

Want to be a part of the 2014 HOBY ILCS J-Staff?  Then you are in luck!  Below is a small informational slideshow that has application details and a list of requirements and expectations.

Once you have watched the show, click the '2014 Jr. Staff Application' tab or go HERE to fill out the application.  It is 3 pages long, so make sure you fill out all the pages before you submit it.

Applications and letters of recommendation should be in by August 18, 2013.  Please contact our Leadership Seminar Chair, aka HOBY, Mama Hillary at hoby.hillary@gmail.com if you have any questions!

WLC 2013: a Volunteer's Perspective

Michael Fitzgerald is a 2010 HOBY Illinois Central South and World Leadership Congress(WLC) alum.  Every year since Michael has volunteered on both the local and national level.  Below is an embedded version of his HOBY WLC journal from his website.  To find out more about Michael and all the OUTSTANDING things he is up to, visit michaelfitzgerald.weebly.com

HOBY 13: To boldly lead where no one has led before Video

HOBY ILCS 2013 Video  on Vimeo