The United Way of Greater St. Joseph will see 28 adults graduate from its Leadership St. Joseph program Thursday.

“The purpose of the program is to build the skills of individuals to be effective leaders in the community,” said United Way President Kylee Strough. “Program curriculum is designed to help participants identify and maximize their leadership styles and to increase their knowledge of the issues, needs and services available in our community.”

Participants in the program are accepted by a committee after review of submitted applications. It begins with a two-day leadership retreat in January and continues once a month for the entire year.

More than 700 people have graduated from the program in the past 32 years it’s been held in St. Joseph.

“The program has been in place since 1982 and has evolved over time,” said Strough. “From our perspective the program has not only benefited participants, but also sponsors, employers and our community.”

The participants come from the community and companies that want to grow their employees.  Tuition to participate is $1,200 and employers usually pay for their employee.

“Employers share a variety of reasons as to why they sponsor employees to participate,” she said. “Reasons include, but are not limited to: increased leadership skills; increased ability to understand, identify and work effectively with all personality types; networking; and increased understanding of community resources, assets, etc.”

A graduation will be held Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Green Acres building located at 3500 N. Village Dr.  An alumni of the program will also be named as the 2014 United Way Leadership St. Joseph Distinguished Leader of the year during the event.