Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/418074
territorial newS >> 'Energized and equipped' East hosts Kroc Conference WARREN L. MAYE Western Territory Southern Territory Central Territory Eastern Territory HAWAII PUERTO RICO & VIRGIN ISLANDS ALABAMA ARIZONA ARKANSAS CALIFORNIA COLORADO CONNECTICUT DELAWARE FLORIDA GEORGIA IDAHO ILLINOIS INDIANA IOWA KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA MAINE MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN MINNESOTA MISSISSIPPI MISSOURI MONTANA NEBRASKA NEVADA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY NEW MEXICO NEW YORK NORTH CAROLINA NORTH DAKOTA OHIO OKLAHOMA OREGON PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE TEXAS UTAH VERMONT VIRGINIA WASHINGTON WEST VIRGINIA WISCONSIN WYOMING Boston Philadelphia Norfolk Atlanta Dayton Chicago Omaha Memphis Phoenix San Diego San Francisco Suisun City Honolulu Salem Coeur d'Alene Kerrville Green Bay Grand Rapids Quincy Biloxi Augusta Greenville South Bend Ashland Camden C ommissioner Swanson wrote these inspiring words in an open letter to the 326 delegates who attended the 2014 Kroc Center Conference held at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Philadelphia, Pa., September 22–25. They were center administrators, corps officers, food and facilities vendors, and employees who came from the 26 centers currently in op- eration throughout the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (see map). For three days, they dis- cussed best practices and shared strategies and plans for implementing more effective facilities manage- ment, donor cultivation and retention, corps and community–based minis- tries, headquarters interac- tions and public relations, fitness and recreation, marketing and develop- ment, and much more. During a territorial kin- dred session, Major Jorge E. Diaz, territorial property secretary and Kroc Center development officer, presented a practical talk about the procedures and policies that are important to successfully managing each Kroc Center in the Eastern Territory. "This information that we are sharing with you is about walk- ing alongside you, trying to support you in this very complex ministry delivery system we call Kroc Centers," he said. Major Valerie J. Lopes, associate administrator of the Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Boston, Mass., shared how 28 students had recently graduated from the center's culinary arts program, under the leadership of 5 Star hotel Chef Timothy Tucker. During the conference, he presented a workshop entitled "From Food Court to Cafe." Lopes said the graduates have heartfelt stories to tell. "I sat there with tears in my eyes," she said. Lopes quoted one student who said, "This program really isn't just an opportunity for me to find employ- ment—this was a lifeline thrown to me when I was ready to give up hope." The third class is now in session. An evening class is being planned. Joel Manby was the Kroc Conference's closing session's guest speaker. He is a Salvation Army National Advisory Board member and president and CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, the nation's largest family–owned themed attractions operator. The company manages dozens of properties such as Dollywood, Silver Dol- lar City, Stone Mountain Park, and the Harlem Globetrotters. Using a video segment from "Undercover Boss," a highly– rated reality show, Manby described how being on the show brought him into a closer relationship with his employees and made him more effective. Manby, also author of the book Leading With Love, shared several principles to help conference delegates manage their staffs. "You can't put your self–worth into whether the Kroc Center makes it," said Manby. "That's in God's hands. At the end of the day, God cares about the process that we go through to get there—the trust, unselfishness, understanding, and compassion that we leave with people." " My prayer is that, as you partici- pate in the activities that have been prayerfully planned, you will return to your center of min- istry energized and equipped to provide excellent service to those people who grace the doors of your Kroc Center." — Commissioner Barry C. Swanson Territorial Commander 8 November/December 2014