MILWAUKEE -- Community leaders looking for a way to give back have a chance through PAVE, a non-profit working to create good leadership at Charter and Choice schools in Milwaukee.

Right now, PAVE is recruiting new Board Corps members to serve on a board for one of the schools

"When really good things happen, people don't tend to know where to look for what started all that good work and it's the board," said Dan McKinley, PAVE President.  "They put together the plans, they try to reach the vision, they get resources together and they look at results every year and say how do we do better."

PAVE works with more than 40 independent schools in Milwaukee including the Hmong American Peace Academy. School founder and president, Chris Her-Xiong says 98 percent of her students qualify for free or reduced lunch.  Her-Xiong says PAVE is helping change their future.

"They are planting the seed and that that are giving the children the best education possible so that they can pull themselves out of poverty and contribute to society mainly in the city of Milwaukee," said Her-Xiong. "So they can come back to be productive citizens-not takers of society, but givers of society."

Her-Xiong recently attended a training on how to accept new Board Corps members.  Both school presidents and current Board Corps members attended, like Nakia Gordon.

"We've learned to be more efficient which allows us to think more broadly. We have more time in our board meetings, more space and energy to think about the big picture," said Gordon.

Not only does Gordon see the benefits of working with PAVE from a Board Corps perspective, she also sees it from a parents point of view.  She sits on the Highland Community School board, one of the only parent run boards connected with PAVE.

She says the training that PAVE provides is the reason her son's school and Board Corps are so successful.

The next training for new PAVE Board Corps members is on March 8 and 9.  Those interested have until March 1 to apply.

For more information, log onto http://www.pave.org/BoardCorps.htm.