DEEP Service Magazine Spring/Summer 2014 | Page 16

UNDERGRADUATENEWS Undergraduates Prepare to Launch Connect4Change, a Program Designed to Bridge the Needs of the Community with Local Businesses By Travis Brodbeck ’17, C4C Project Leader, and Pamela Skripak, Assistant Director of ACE A small but dedicated group of students has worked hard this past year to prepare ACE’s newest program, Connect4Change, for launch. Known around the office as simply “C4C,” the team has designed a program that bridges the needs of community partners with local businesses and manages all aspects of corporate service days.   After two semesters of business development for the program that included defining the mission and vision, creating marketing materials, recruiting and training new team members, developing scoping forms and contracts, working with community partners to identify projects, and meeting with local business leaders to assess interest, the team is ready for take off.    C4C Project Leaders are clear that everyone will benefit from their work. Travis Brodbeck ‘17 explains it this way, “Community organizations benefit by engaging more volunteers to fulfill their mission and receive assistance with managing all aspects of corporate service days; businesses benefit from increased visibility in the community, ACE’s connections to over 50 community partners, start to finish project management, tax write offs, perks of sponsorship, and the satisfaction of serving our community; and ACE benefits by creating a program that supports its full range of programs and services. ACE programs benefit our whole community!” Connect4Change’s next step is to find business sponsors and pilot the program. C4C currently has eight projects “on the shelf ” waiting for a cadre of enthusiastic corporate volunteers. Those projects include preparing and serving meals, playground maintenance, painting picnic benches, assisting in a thrift shop, and helping to move an organization into a new space. C4C is ready to manage these projects and many others for local businesses, including matching the needs and interests of businesses and community partners, all communications, supply purchases, volunteer food and drink, t-shirts for day of service, and on-site volunteer management to ensure a meaningful, satisfying, and beneficial day for all.