Madera’s Teach One to Lead One chapter first in state

The founder and chief operations officer of the nationwide Teach One to Lead One program with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, visited the local Madera Chapter recently. Madera is the first and only city in California to currently have a chapter. The program has had teams across the country that has helped 30,000 students, and recently began forming chapters.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Lori Salierno-Maldonado and her husband and Chief Operations Officer, Jose Maldonado met with Madera County chapter director Theresa Farmer for progress reports and attended graduation ceremonies. Salierno-Maldonado said she was happy with their choice of Madera for the initial chapter. “We have found the school district, the ministerial association, and business leaders and citizens of Madera very supportive toward our efforts,” said Salierno-Maldonado.

Teach One to Lead One, founded in 1996, is a community-mentoring program that teaches universal principles to lead at-risk youth into a life of purpose and potential. The program uses teams of volunteers using a curriculum and approach to create a transforming experience for students.

The principles presented to the students include, respect, integrity, self-control, excellence, compassion, humility, teamwork, enthusiasm, and honor. The Madera chapter, started in May 2015. Prior to that, volunteers ran the program in Madera County...