8:53 a.m., April 15, 2010----Based on a collaborative proposal submitted by senior Department of Accounting students Judith Harbuzinski and Keisha Price, the University of Delaware has been selected as one of 19 winners from around the country in the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Project Make [it] count program.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

Bridget Grandieri, the PwC recruiter at UD, was responsible for launching the program on campus by hosting a table in the Purnell Hall lobby and a classroom meeting on Feb. 22.

“The program offers a unique opportunity to focus on an issue, cause or project that is important to students where they can bring their great energy and ideas to make a difference,” Grandieri said. “We all know that bringing together people with innovative ideas can create great change. Thus, this is a chance for business school organizations to team together toward a common plan. It can be two organizations teaming together or ten; that is up to the organizations and the interest at each school.”

Through Project Make [it] count, PwC provides up to $5,000 in seed money for students to carry out plans intended to make a difference for their school or local community. The program provides a unique opportunity for students to partner with PwC and for fellow students and organizations to develop a project that positively impacts their school as well as the people and environment surrounding their school.

Harbuzinski and Price worked with Grandieri throughout a three-week proposal preparation stage, and held meetings as student mentors to plan for the project.

“We had a number of sophomores and even some freshmen involved in the planning,” said Harbuzinski. “It's a great opportunity for younger students in the business school to get involved, get their name out to the company and get to know PwC.

“Community service events also look great for students when they are looking to add to their resumes, especially when they need something extra to stand out.”

According to Harbuzinski, members from the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), particularly senior accounting major Dionna Tyson, also became involved and made the initial suggestion for the group to collaborate with the Emmaus House for their service project.

The Emmaus House is a local community division of Homeward Bound, Inc. that provides families the opportunity, direction and encouragement to deal with the underlying causes of homelessness while working to obtain housing.

In their proposal, students highlighted two goals with respect to volunteering at the Newark, Del.-based facility: give residents a fresh start by cleaning rooms within the shelter and donate time and money to set up much-needed bedding items, including new mattresses, sheets and blankets; and raise awareness among UD students about the existence of the Emmaus House and the volunteer opportunities available.

“On average, people spend one-third of their life sleeping, so it would be beneficial to invest in a good bed,” students wrote in their proposal. “Although many take beds for granted, the families who live in the Emmaus House have to deal with deteriorating beds every night.

“When most people think of community service, they think of helping children, painting a mural or serving food at a homeless shelter. Our goal is to provide something that is more fulfilling and lasting than one day's worth of help. No one should have to go without a bed, because sleep is so essential to a healthy life.”

With the $3,600 in funding from PwC, the students can now move forward with their proposal to donate these goods and services to the Emmaus House.

With the assistance of Grandieri, students have until Monday, May 31, to implement their project plans.

Harbuzinski, Price and Tyson all have full time positions arranged with PwC post-graduation. The students will graduate this spring and plan to begin working in the Philadelphia office by the fall.

PwC instated Project Make [it] count program to reinforce the importance of corporate responsibility and to focus on providing lasting value to communities. The company offers a similar opportunity to PwC staff, and implemented Project Make [it] count as a way to expand the program to college communities throughout the country.

The complete list of winning schools includes: Babson College, Baruch College, Brigham Young University, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo, Indiana University, Marquette University, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Rutgers University, University of Buffalo, University of Connecticut, University of Delaware, University of Houston, University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign, University of Maryland - College Park, University of Puerto Rico - Rio Padras, University of Texas, University of Washington and University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Article by Kathryn A. Marrone