LMC Class of 2010 students shovel dirt at The Community ClinicBY KIM MORGAN
Chronicle correspondent

When a small child flushed a toy down the toilet at The Community Clinic last year, the result was a flooded main lobby.

But the clinic, a nonprofit organization in Oak Ridge North that serves uninsured patients, hasn't been able to replace the flooring.

That's where Leadership Montgomery County is stepping in.

The Class of 2010 has chosen the Community Clinic as its service project.

"The clinic makes its money through donors," said Michele Guthrie, a marketing coordinator at Conroe Regional Medical Center who is participating in this year's LMC program. "There are fundraisers through the year, but all of that money goes to serving their patients. There's not much money left to put towards the facility itself."

Guthrie, a 26-year-old Tomball resident, said the class has been working on other things at the clinic as well, including updating the landscaping and bringing in fill dirt to help with outside flooding problems.

They also plan to build out a room for counseling sessions, since the clinic provides social services in addition to medical care, dental care and prescription filling.

"They didn't have an area to meet with patients one-on-one other than an exam room," Guthrie said. "So we're going to fix that."

The class has a lot to do, and it has to all be done before they graduate in May.

LMC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and enhancing current and future leaders of Montgomery County.

"Applicants come from a diversity of backgrounds," said LMC Board Chairman Steve Williams. "You want individuals who are committed to community involvement, and who are currently in different types of career fields. We look for people in leadership positions as well as people who have leadership potential."

Williams, 39, is a graduate of LMC Class of 2006. He's currently the director of finance for the City of Conroe.

"It's a pretty big commitment to be in the program in terms of your time," Williams said, "but it's definitely worth it."

Others must think so too, because every year, there are usually more applicants than spots available. Class size is capped at 35.

School is a nine-month process, with a full day of sessions the first Thursday of the month. Each month is a different topic – infrastructure, public safety/criminal justice, government, economic development, healthcare, and education - and how it relates to Montgomery County.

The class must also come to an agreement of what its community service project is going to be. Then, it has to be packaged and presented to the LMC board for approval. They have to generate their own funding, and complete it on schedule.
Michael Martin is the Class of 2010 team leader for The Community Clinic project.

He said their project is fully funded, thanks to cash and in-kind donations. He said there should even be some money leftover at the end, which will be donated to the clinic.

Martin, a 58-year-old resident of The Woodlands, said he's passionate about the project because until he joined LMC, he didn't know the clinic existed – even though it's been there since 1996, and he's been living in Montgomery County since 2002.

That's why another portion of the project is raising awareness about the good things the clinic is doing in the community.

"This has also become personal for me, because my daughter, who is 20 and in her first year of college, can no longer be on our personal insurance," said Martin, an attorney and partner at Martin Stillwell &Jones. "Finding proper coverage has been very, very difficult. We're looking at the clinic as a first line of defense.
So we're not talking about the clinic only helping low income folks. It's for anyone who is uninsured."

Martin said the class is also working on filling up the clinic's drug pantry by reaching out to local doctors for free supplies pharmaceutical companies leave behind.

LMC President Frankie Alexander is proud of the Class of 2010, just as she's been proud of the classes that came before them.

"It's a lot of fun to see what they do in the community while they're in the program, but also after they graduate," Alexander said.

LMC was founded in 1987 by the Conroe Chamber of Commerce. It merged with South Montgomery Woodlands Chamber of Commerce in 1995. The LMC board now includes representation from the Magnolia Area Chamber of Commerce and the Community Chamber of East Montgomery County.

Alexander, a former bank marketing specialist, joined the nonprofit in 1996, saying she would oversee the program for one year.

Now it's 14 years later. Alexander is still president and enjoying every minute of it.

"A lot of the things that have transpired before our very eyes in Montgomery County have happened in the last 14 years," Alexander said. "The growth of the county has been amazing. It's more important than ever to develop and enhance our leaders."

Fast Facts:
- Leadership Montgomery County has been in existence since 1987
- The Class of 2010 will graduate in May
- The Class of 2010 theme is "Making Strides"
- The Class of 2010 service project is at The Community Clinic

For more information on LMC, visit www.lmctx.org
For more information on The Community Clinic, visit www.communityclinic.net