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News Release

Last modified: Friday, July 23, 2010

IU to host second-annual speed matching event for IU offices, nonprofits

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2010

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University campus groups, departments and offices will have the opportunity to connect with Bloomington-area nonprofits at the second-annual "speed matching" event at the IU Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center Thursday, July 29, from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

The event was created by the IU Civic Engagement Campus and Community Stakeholder's Collaborative, a group of IU staff members, community representatives and students from a variety of programs and departments who facilitate curricular and/or co-curricular service programming at IU.

Barry Lessow, executive director for United Way of Monroe County, will provide opening remarks and Steve Veldkamp, director of IU's Student Activities Organization and assistant dean of students, will provide closing remarks.

"It was very successful for both communities, and unique in that it serves a town-gown audience," said Darrell Ann Stone, associate director of IU's Student Activities Office, of last year's inaugural speed-matching event.

Last year's pairings resulted in new relationships that included a partnership between Kelley Civic Leadership Development and Global Gifts. "After meeting (IU lecturer and Fair Trade Bloomington founder) Mary Embry at the Speed Matching Event and learning about Fair Trade Bloomington and the opening of the new fair trade shop, Global Gifts, CLD members worked with Mary and the managers of Global Gifts to create a case competition to challenge business students and benefit Global Gifts and Fair Trade Bloomington," said Molly Barwick, director of the Civic Leadership Development Program at the Kelley School of Business. "Five teams used background information provided by Global Gifts to come up with ideas to increase sales and boost marketing."

In February, the ideas were presented to a panel of judges composed of Kelley professors and Global Gifts staff and board members. The winning team received prize money, and Global Gifts received a stipend to implement the students' ideas. "The CLD case competition allowed students to apply their business knowledge to a great cause -- and heightened awareness of the concept of fair trade," Barwick said.

Meghan Janotka, a management and marketing major at Kelley who is a member of Civic Leadership Development, worked the "community side" of the Speed Matching Event for My Sister's Closet at last year's event. "Barry Lessow, the event's first speaker, invited Meghan to join him on his radio show later that day to speak on her unique perspective as a student and community representative," Barwick said.

"The speed matching event was a great opportunity for My Sister's Closet because it was during a time when we were branching out to the on-campus community," Janotka said. "The event allowed My Sister's Closet reps to either network with future sponsors, or just gain insight from other non-profit organizations about their success stories. The fast-paced style of the event also kept it lively and fun."

Participating in this year's event are 10 registered IU programs that work with students and 10 registered nonprofits representing agencies that address such issues as hunger, literacy and youth programming. Individuals from the nonprofits will be stationed at 10 tables in the IU DeVault Alumni Center, while representatives for the IU programs, departments or projects will rotate from table-to-table in five-minute intervals. Both sides will have the opportunity to learn about programs that might complement their own before forming partnerships.

Each participant will also have the opportunity to record a podcast that explains their organization and the ways in which students or agencies can become involved.

Participating IU offices

• Office of First Year Experiences
• Office of Service-Learning
• Residential Programs and Services
• Hudson and Holland Scholars Program
• Office of Sustainability
• 21st Century Scholar Corps
• Center for Student Leadership Development
• Civic Leadership Development in the Kelley School of Business
• Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) Certificate
• Groups program

Participating community agencies

• American Red Cross Monroe County Chapter
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana
• Bloomington Parks and Recreation
• Girls Incorporated of Monroe County
• Interfaith Winter Shelter
• Mother Hubbard's Cupboard
• Options
• Petsalive Indiana, Inc.
• Shalom Community Center
• WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology

For more information on IU Civic Engagement Campus Community Stakeholders, a program of the IU Office of Student Organizations and Leadership Development, see https://sao.indiana.edu/CE_resources.html.

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