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We have assumed the role of
leader of the free world – and that’s most of the globe. Our
friends see us as the only superpower with the will and the
intentions to protect the principles that encourage freedom
and opportunity. We are the envy of every nation thatcares
about quality of living for its people and about the freedom
of its citizens and their capacity to build a better life
for themselves.
That reputation didn’t happen without a national commitment
to invest in our most valuable resource – our people and in
particular the leadership skills of our people. The most fundamental
investment any nation can make is educating its citizens –
preparing them to excel and pursue excellence in all they
do. In the final analysis, our commitment to educating our
citizens is designed to cultivate and mature the next generation
of leaders who will elevate our nation to even greater heights.The
equation that we are committed to solve to produce our leaders
involves two fundamental components – a credible academic
education and character development. Those two components
– education and character — are the enablers for corporate,
governmental,and academic leadership. The greatness of our
nation is based on extraordinary leadership, starting with
our forefathers, who valued education and character as they
delivered freedom and opportunity for us by fighting for it.
It was ensured for us in more ways than is possible to count
by citizens from across a wide spectrum of talents who committed
themselves to excellence, made courageous decisions and were
leaders of vision.
The Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation (ALEF)
is committed to finding, funding and forging the next greatest
generation of leaders by providing them with a credible education
and ensuring their character. Our promise to ourselves and
to our Fellows is to commit to integrity, service before self
and excellence in all we do – to lead by example so our Fellows
will have a road map to follow as they move into our workforce
and assume the leadership roles that will continue to solidify
our position as the most respected nation in the world.
We are fortunate to have a nation full of young men and women
who are bright, articulate and motivated to contribute to
improving themselves and their communities. ALEF is the engine
for their success, as we provide academic, character and leadership
opportunities to our Fellows. Our focus will continue to be
on young men and women who have credible academic skills and
demonstrated leadership qualities and who will need assistance
to continue their academic and character growth. Those are
the only qualifiers. An additional focus will be on proliferating
opportunities for young men and women across a wider spectrum
by working with schools and universities to establish forums
for character and leadership development.
Thank you for being a partner in this movement to enable and
ensure our future.
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