ESCANABA — Members of the Delta Force Class of 2019 are being selected! The purpose of Delta Force is to introduce and orient new leaders to our community, identify individuals who have displayed strong tendency toward civic involvement and assist them in increasing their potential to become community leaders.

Rather than giving our thoughts on why this program is vitally important to our community, we’ll offer the testimonial given by 2018 Delta Force graduate, Taylor Barron at last year’s Chamber Annual Dinner at the Island Resort and Casino.

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Delta County. Some might say: Home of the Eskymos, a community on the Bay, and home of the U.P. State Fair. Which of course is all true. But all of us up here on this stage now can say:

Delta County. A proud community on the bay with Native American and British backgrounds, home of a community with employers building a strong workforce like EMP and Verso, a healthcare system like OSF who believes in serving a community with the greatest love and care, an education system promoting CTE and STEM education, and growing the young minds of our community, and so much more.

Those are just a few highlights of what we have learned during our experience during Delta Force.

But Delta Force is so much more than just that.

It’s the relationships we built, the friendships we have made, history we have learned, and a community that we grew to love and admire more and more with every session. We had a chance to tour schools, companies, and gain professional development in business plans, public speaking (I am especially thankful for that) and networking.

I am not Yooper born. I grew up in Milwaukee, and I can promise you that I had every intention of moving back to the “city”. My brother in laws still have nicknamed me “city” to this day. Before Delta Force, I had always been proud to be a Yooper transplant. But by completing the Delta Force Program, I can confidently say I have a whole new outlook on the community that my husband and I picked to raise our family in and call home. After everything we all have learned during our experience in the Delta Force program, whether you have grew up here or moved here later in life like me, I think I can speak for all of us graduating that we believe in this community, everything it has to offer, and could not be more proud to call this county, home.

So, with that being said I would like to thank my husband for introducing me to this community, my employer UPWARD Talent Council, Michigan Works! for sponsoring me through Delta Force and teaching me every day what it means to be a part of a team that is working to grow and maintain a healthy work force and economy, my fellow Delta Force Graduates for making this a fun and memorable experience, and lastly to all of you in this room tonight for always being a community that is so welcoming and has made this non Yooper feel like she is right at home.

Submit your application for Delta Force Class of 2019 before January 12th by filling out the application form on deltami.org , emailing communicator@deltami.org , or visiting the Chamber at 230 Ludington Street in Escanaba.

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Taylor Barron is a member of the Delta Force Class of 2018