Each Leadership Selma-Dallas County class picks a new project to focus on each year and director Beth Taylor said these projects all focus on the betterment of the community.

Past classes have created fundraisers such as the fish fry, the Alabama River Chili Cookoff and one class started the local Crimestoppers program.

This year’s class has decided to help Selma’s youth, by supporting their sister organization, Youth Leadership Selma-Dallas County.

“After the adult class went through their retreat, they realized how important it is to get away from everything that is usual to you,” Taylor said about Class XIX going to their retreat to kick off their leadership class in August.

The retreat for the Selma Youth Leadership Class is just as expensive, but youth are only charged $50 so that all can have an opportunity to join in, she said. The youth retreat, with its room and board and  speakers can add up to $6,000.

“When the board started talking about how they might want to raise tuition they vetoed that because they wanted any child who has leadership interests to apply and to be able to afford it,” Taylor said. “This class feels very strongly about the youth in Selma and are trying to do as much as they possibly can for the youth because they are our future and maybe some of them, after they have gone off to school, will come back and make Selma their home.”

To offset these retreat costs, Class XIX is raising money through a raffle that will be held on the same day as the Arts Revive Streetfest on May 17 at 3 p.m. Raffle tickets can be purchased now for $20 for a chance to win one of three monetary prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250.

There will be a celebration of the local youth leadership class at the Hank Sanders Building at Wallace Community College on Feb. 1 at 7:30 a.m. Raffle tickets can be purchased by contacting members of Leadership Selma Class XIX.