Restaurant Week helping local students become leaders

Dining makes a difference when you eat out at one of 39 participating establishments during Restaurant Week.

The week acts as the biggest fundraiser of the year for Leadership Toledo, which, "connects individuals with the community, engaging and involving them with initiatives that make the Toledo region a great place to live, work, and enjoy," according to its website.

That includes Toledo's youth, a group of whom get together on a monthly basis.

"We have a program day focused on real world skills, and our goal with our youth program is to expose them to what's happening in our community and the resources that we have," Leadership Toledo executive director Anna Toney said.

On Friday, more than 50 high school sophomores from 30 local schools visited Dana Incorporated to learn about resume building, business practices, and networking.

"I think some people have a very closed perspective of what Toledo is like, but definitely this program has opened my eyes to all that it offers and all of the amazing things that are just hidden gems throughout Toledo," Youth Leadership Toledo member Cordelia Vanderveer said, "so it's pretty cool."

Fellow Youth Leadership Toledo member Anthony Syeh said, "I've never seen myself as a leader, but once they chose me I guess it gave me the insight that I can lead and I can make a change."