Patch Goes to Jail With Leadership Macomb

Patch is going to jail Wednesday, but not in the way you’re probably thinking.

To clarify, Patch is going to visit the Macomb County jail as a guest student of Leadership Macomb.

A nonprofit organization, Leadership Macomb is, by simplest definition, a school for community leaders.

Now in its 14th session, the Leadership Macomb program runs September through June and provides its students with insight into local issues, knowledge of local resources and networking opportunities to support both.

“Anyone can benefit from the program,” said Karen Smith, the program’s executive director. “This is our 15th year. Mark Hackel went through our program, and it’s interesting to see with government changing, that many on his team are on the Leadership Macomb board, have been through program, or both. He is aligning himself with people from the program and this is a good advertisement for us.”

Patch will join the class for Justice System Day, which includes field trips to the Macomb County circuit court, jail and juvenile justice center.

“We meet 11 full days (during the school year) and each day focuses on a different topic relevant to Macomb County,” Smith said. “On those days we provide unique learning experiences such as field trips and access to experts in that area. County leaders spend the day with us and have one-on-one time with participants and every day has a different twist.”

Although not all classes are field trips, Smith said even lecture days include interactive activities and panel discussions.

The content also changes year-to-year to keep the program as current as possible. 

“We are getting ready to recruit for the 15th class,” Smith said. “They’ve been growing each year, typically between 32-35 in each class, and now we have 440 alumni.”

Smith said that a byproduct of the class is that the students–representing a variety of different businesses and fields–bond with each other and with the knowledge the program provides of local resources, are able to “make a difference in Macomb County.”

Tuition for the class is $2,000, but a limited number of scholarships are available.

Leadership Macomb will host a recruitment breakfast for its 15th class session on May 12 aboard the Ovation yacht at the Jefferson Beach Marina in St. Clair Shores. The event is free, but participants must be registered on the website by May 6.