A Look at Leadership Toledo Through the Years
Leadership Toledo began in 1976 when members of Trinity Episcopal Church were looking for ways to enhance the downtown community which surrounded them. They established a not-for-profit corporation called Levis Square Ministries, which presented programs at a coffeehouse called “My Brother’s Place.” The programs soon grew to include one-day forums on topics of concern to the community.
The success of the forums led to the creation of ToledoScape in 1980 to foster community involvement among leaders and potential leaders in the greater Toledo area. A decade later, ToledoScape became Leadership Toledo. And seven years later, the board of Leadership Toledo decided that they should expand to offer the same benefits to area youth – and Youth Leadership Toledo was born.
In 1998, the Toledo Community Foundation asked Leadership Toledo to expand its youth programs to include philanthropy. In response, we created Youth in Philanthropy Encouraging Excellence (YIPEE) – a program providing area high school students an opportunity to learn about philanthropy. Each year, YIPEE raises and distributes funds for not-for-profit organizations that deal with issues affecting the lives of teenagers.
Our programs and structure continue to grow and evolve with the addition of youth leadership development conferences, workshops, the Community Leadership Series, Spark, and Focus 419.