PHILLIPS – The Zone Coalition recently hosted one of the series of Lead Western Maine workshops and welcomed participants from across Oxford, Franklin and Somerset counties to the center for local children.

Caroline King, Board vice chairwoman of the Zone Coalition, is a 2007 participant in the leadership program, which is coordinated by the Western Mountains Alliance. The alliance has been building grassroots leadership capacity in the region for 20 years.

“The Zone Coalition initially evolved out of our community’s hope for the future and it became our organizational vision to unite the towns of Phillips, Madrid and Avon by nurturing the community’s youth,” said King. King and the board of directors are leading the organization into that future.

The initial project, which began in 1999, was focused on youth and was named the SAFE Zone, which stands for Staying Alcohol (and Drug) Free Everyday. The SAFE Zone provides activities for middle and high school students on Saturday evenings and remains an on-going program through the dedication of volunteers.

In 2004, a nonprofit corporation was formed by a group of concerned citizens to continue the work of the SAFE Zone and to expand the mission to include the development of the Zone Community Center.

In 2005 American Legion Post 64 provided a permanent home in Alumni Gym, better known as “The Old Gym” on Depot Street. The building is a unique piece of local history, having been built originally as a machine and carpentry shop for the narrow gauge railroad system in Phillips in the late 1870s, later serving as the Phillips High School Gym and now home to the Zone Community Center.

With the addition of a larger permanent facility, the youth program, in collaboration with the Lighthouse Baptist Church, has recently expanded to include kindergarten to sixth-grade students in a structured after-school program, which serves 25 to 40 youth on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

“People from across western Maine join the Lead Western Maine group each year and for most workshops they travel around the region to see projects and sample the local culture. The Zone Coalition is an amazing story in a promising community. The LWM group gained a deeper understanding of the strengths and opportunities ahead for the Zone Coalition by seeing the site first hand,” said Kathleen Beauregard, facilitator of Lead Western Maine.

Lead Western Maine supports people to transform their ideas for western Maine’s future into action through the development of leadership skills, resources and networks.

Participants learn how to find grants and build donor support for their project, motivate and organize volunteers, develop an effective board or committee, communicate with the media, facilitate meetings, negotiate win-win solutions and support small business or project development.

The next session on Wednesday, April 25, in Rumford is open to the public and will feature speakers from the Institute for Civic Leadership on “Finding and Keeping Great Board Members” and “Harnessing the Energy of Inclusive Effective Community Groups.” For more information, visit www.westernmountainsalliance.org.