The Liberty County Chamber of Commerce 2017-18 Young Adult Liberty Leaders class kicked off the year with orientation at the Hinesville branch of Live Oak Public Library on Sept. 28.

In the first session, class participants were introduced to the program and completed leadership and team building activities led by members of the YALL Committee. Chick-fil-A Hinesville sponsored lunch and the owner/operator Nick Westbrook, was the guest speaker.

Students accepted into the 12th year of the class are:

Seniors: Alec Sutton, Amanda Powell, Anthony Roman, Burnette Braun, Cecilia Taylor, Dayle McCallar, Eternity Cliett-Briggs, Kerstin Norby, Keyana Howard, Khloe Villafane, Madison Buckley and Yash Patel.

Juniors: Marquis Young, Michael Hagerty, Patrick Underwood and Yashira Perez.

"We are always proud to say that we bring this program to the youth of Liberty County," Chamber CEO Leah Poole said. "The value that the students receive is immeasurable, as is the experience and understanding of how a great community works together."

Participants meet at least once a month for nine months to learn about various functions of the community, including county and city government, public health, education, tourism, economic development and more. Different local civic, business and government entities host the class each month. The course is part of a statewide collaborative sponsored by the Georgia Rural Development Council in partnership with The Fanning Institute for Leadership at the University of Georgia.

For more information, call the chamber at 912-368-4445 or visit its website at www.libertycounty.org.