All Hands on Deck!
Part-time MBA Students Need Your
Help Supporting Disabled and
At-risk Youth Programs at Baltimore
Sailing Center
MBA students in Dr. Rhonda Reger's
class on Strategic Project
Management: A Service Learning Course
(BUMO 758P) encourage you to come to
All Hands on Deck, a sailing and
fundraising event benefiting the
outreach programs offered by the
Downtown Sailing Center in
Baltimore, MD. The event will be held
Sunday, April 29; 12:00 5:00 p.m. Folks
interested in contributing to the center
can do so through donations or by buying
a $25 ticket. Tickets are good for an
open sail, free food and drink, and free
admission to a charity auction.
The
Downtown Sailing Center is a
nonprofit organization in the Baltimore
Inner Harbor that enriches the lives of
inner-city youths and disabled
individuals by providing access to
sailing programs. A disabled sailor can
be put on the water for one day for
$100. For $250, 10 at-risk children can
go on the water for one day. With only
$500, a crew of at-risk children can be
on the water for a week.
Three part-time students are
coordinating the service project: Amanda
Buchanan, Michelle Cojocaru and America
Vallecillo. The purpose of the course is
to help students learn how to better
manage projects. This is accomplished
through a service learning component.
All Hands on Deck is one of four
service-learning projects being
undertaken by students this semester.
Each student team must design and
implement a meaningful project for a
nonprofit and involve at least 15 other
students in the endeavor.
Team members chose the Downtown
Sailing Center for a variety of reasons.
As a teacher, Cojocaru has worked with
inner-city and at-risk youth for eight
years. She supports initiative that help
children develop a sense of community,
build leadership and provide motivation
to succeed in life. Vallecillo chose the
project because the centers programs
provide children and the disabled
community with a way to build their
confidence, and foster teamwork and
camaraderie.
I worked with the Downtown Sailing
Centers Access Ability program and
initiated contact between the DSC and a
program for adults with disabilities,
says Buchanan. I have always been drawn
to working with people with
disabilities. The ability to combine
that with the fact that I sailed for
eight years was just a perfect match.
Assisting them in their project is
the Part-time MBA Association, including
VP of Community Development Christine
Agbuya. Several staff members from the
center also are involved, including
Deputy Director of Operations Andreas
Steinhoff and Deputy Director of
Community Peter Hegel.
The three-member team is currently
looking for volunteers to help with the
project. In addition to buying tickets
and donating items to the charity
auction, volunteers can collect food and
beer from area restaurants, planning and
logistics and promotion.
Money raised through donations and
the auction will go directly to the
Downtown Sailing Centers Outreach
Program. Contributions to All Hands
on Deck have come from a variety of
sources. The Part-time MBA Association
already has contributed $1,000 toward
the cause. If you are interested in
donating, please contact Amanda Buchanan
at
amandab132@gmail.com. For more
information in general, visit the groups
Web site at
www.deckhands.org.
▓ Susannah Campbell, MBA Candidate
2007, Smith Media Group
