North Bay Leadership Council Welcomes the LIME Foundation as a New Member

Petaluma, CA  North Bay Leadership Council (NBLC) is pleased to announce its newest member, the LIME Foundation.  The mission of the LIME Foundation is to serve the specific needs of the disadvantaged community across all ages and income levels by collaborating with key community leaders to provide new skills to students and adults looking to reskill or upskill.  Steve Page, Chair of NBLC’s Board and President and General Manager, Sonoma Raceway, said “NBLC is aligned with the mission of the LIME Foundation because it is fundamental to having the workforce we need in the North Bay. We are impressed at how the Foundation’s work has been very successful in addressing inequities by helping their graduates gain access to new jobs at higher wages.”

The LIME Foundation was founded by Letitia Hanke, who is also the CEO of ARS Roofing in Santa Rosa.  Hanke has a wealth of experience in breaking barriers as a businesswoman and person of color and long list of accomplishments.  NBLC is proud to have honored Hanke as a Leader of the North Bay with an award for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Hanke said, “Joining NBLC is a good way to further connect the work of the LIME Foundation with the employers of the North Bay so that we can work together to create the workforce needed today and tomorrow.  Those served by the LIME Foundation learn vital skills to harness individual potential in music, performing arts, construction careers, technology, and health.”

Some of the programs offered by the LIME Foundation include the

Nextgen Trades Academy, which is a roofing and construction vocational program that trains youth in construction fields like roofing, solar, general contracting and more. The program also offers home repair services, specifically roofing, to the under-served. This allows seniors, veterans, the disabled and low-income families to remain in their own homes, independent and safe.

​Another program is the Turner Arts Initiative which brings positive, structured activities to disadvantaged youth, giving them the opportunity to learn technology or play a musical instrument – great alternatives to substance abuse, teen pregnancy, truancy, loneliness, obesity, bullying, exclusion, etc. Most importantly, this initiative uses music and dance as a positive, constructive means of expression. It features an activity center and a summer and after-school mentoring and tutoring program.

Another standout program is the Senior Activities Program, which provides a venue for seniors to remain active and make new friends. This program promotes healthy eating, exercise through dance, bowling, hiking and many other activities in order to prevent or reverse heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Letitia Hanke will be the member representative.  Hanke has received a many awards and recognition as head of the foundation and her roofing company.  Some of her recognitions include a Champion for Children Award by the Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County, Nonprofit Leadership Award and Women in Business Award from the North Bay Business Journal, and a North Bay Spirit Award Winner.  Hanke is also the former President, North Bay Black Chamber of Commerce.

The alternate will be Andrew Leonard, who is the Program Director for the LIME Foundation.  Community collaboration is a core tenet of Leonard’s work, for the Foundation and as Sonoma County Office of Education Board Trustee. Leonard’s past work with United Way of the Wine Country’s and with First 5 Sonoma County connects him directly to schools, students, and their success.

NBLC looks forward to having the LIME Foundation contribute its knowledge and experience to its public policy work to make the North Bay a better place to live and work.

North Bay Leadership Council is an employer-led public policy advocacy organization committed to providing leadership in ways to make the North Bay sustainable, prosperous and innovative.  The Council includes more than 50 leading employers in the region.  Our members represent a wide variety of businesses, non-profits and educational institutions, with a workforce in excess of 25,000. For more information please contact Cynthia Murray at 707.283.0028 or visit us at www.northbayleadership.org.