Seven business students attempt Red Cross project
Seven Utah State University seniors have been working all semester on a project to provide the Logan Red Cross with a disaster relief vehicle only to fall short of funds and community support in the end.
The seven students are part of the Senior Leadership Project class, MHR 4710, taught by Adam Berry in which the class is divided into groups and work on business projects that will not only benefit the group but the community as well. One of the class groups decided to take on the project of getting a 15-passenger van for the local Red Cross.
Paul Burghardt, a senior majoring in business and Russian, is one of the students that has been involved in the Red Cross project. After preparing a marketing plan and presentations, the group went out into the community to try to gather donations, Burghardt said. The group was successful in finding a local car dealership to offer a van for purchase at half the normal cost making the price around $15,000, but ran into problems gathering sufficient donations.
“We’ve been disappointed in the setbacks,” Burghardt said.
The students found that not only had many companies and individuals in the area given out as many donations this year as they had planned for, but that many companies and individuals also gave them the run-around and wouldn’t even meet with them.
“We are still waiting to hear from people,” Burghardt said. “We even had one student’s mom offer to donate $1,000 to the cause if we raised the rest of the money because she realizes how important this is.”
Roxanna King, executive director of the Logan Red Cross chapter agrees the importance of the project is obvious.
“It is very important because at this point we are the only Red Cross in Utah that doesn’t have a vehicle,” King said.
A disaster relief vehicle would enable the Red Cross to transport volunteers, equipment and supplies more quickly and efficiently to areas and people in crisis, a situation King calls “not if, but when.”
Burghardt said although it is likely the student group will not reach their goal by the end of the semester, the experience has been worthwhile for all involved.
“It was definitely a real-world experience which we don’t always get. There were real benefits and real draw-backs,” Burghardt said.
King said, “What’s wonderful about this is that these are young people that are having a hands-on experience on what it takes to work with local businesses. We are happy that we could work with them.”
By the end of the fiscal year the Logan Red Cross will have partnered with about 1,000 USU students. The partnership and possible success of the project King calls a win-win situation.
“The students win, the Red Cross wins and the community wins,” King said.
Burghardt said the students intend on handing over all their research and work thus far to the Red Cross after the semester so the Red Cross can hopefully and eventually get the funds needed for a vehicle.
Regardless of the outcome, Berry is proud of his students and said the students are graded on their work and presentations and not on the success of the project.
“The groups have worked really well and they’ve been very diligent,” Berry said. “This has been my favorite class of the semester.”