July 3, 2013 - 5:09am
It’s game on for students in Vancouver Island University’s master of business administration (MBA) program – all to raise funds for a worthwhile seniors charity in the community.
Three teams of MBA students will compete Saturday (July 6) for the coveted Mike Mann MBA Business Challenge Trophy to see which team has the best business smarts. The trophy is named after VIU’s retired Dean of Management.
Each team is organizing a series of events open to the public, including a beer and burger night and benefit concert, to raise funds for the Dream On Seniors Wish Foundation, a private charitable organization founded by Nanaimo business Nurse Next Door Home Care Services.
“Sponsoring VIU’s MBA business challenge is a perfect fit for our company,” said owner Chris Wilkinson. “It’s a chance to work with students in the program and support seniors at the same time.”
MBA student Benjamin Oduroye of Nigeria says fundraising for the Dream On Seniors Wish Foundation “is a great opportunity to give something back” to the seniors who have made lifelong sacrifices for younger generations.
Oduroye and other MBA students are hard at work organizing final details for their fundraising events on Saturday. His team, calling themselves the VIPs, will host a benefit concert on Saturday at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 256 in Nanaimo. “Sing for the Legends” begins at 6 pm and features a performance by David Essig, a Canadian jazz/blues musician. Tickets are $10 at the door.
A second MBA team called the VIU Diamonds is hosting “Saturday at the Movies” in the Nanaimo campus Student Services building (B200), Room 203 on Saturday, July 6, starting at 3 pm. The first film The Secret will be followed by Babel at 5 pm. General admission (cash only) is $6. Admission plus a ticket for a door prize is $8. Popcorn and a drink is an additional $2. Door prizes are generously provided by local businesses and organizations.
The public is also invited to the third MBA team’s beer and burger fundraiser at the Foundry Pub in Nanaimo on Saturday, July 6 from 1 to 5 pm. Tickets are $15 each. The same team will also raise funds at a Shred Your Documents event at Country Club Mall from 10 am to 2 pm where businesses and individuals can shred and recycle sensitive documents in a secure and environmentally friendly manner, and by selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts ($5 dozen) at Country Club Mall, Woodgrove Mall and outside of the Foundry Pub all day.
Proceeds from all team events will be donated to the Dream On Seniors Wish Foundation.
“The competition is an important part of our curriculum because it gives MBA students real world experience developing, managing and executing a major business project,” explained MBA internship coordinator David Woodward. “It allows students to develop their organizational and event planning skills, network with the local business community and raise awareness and funds for a charitable cause at the same time. As future employees and future managers, they need to learn how to multi-task and manage several projects at once.”
Other MBA team coaches are internship coordinators John Woychuk and Nattalle Tessier. VIU’s 14-month MBA program was established 10 years ago. It is a unique Canadian/British partnership between VIU and the University of Hertfordshire (UH) in the United Kingdom. Last year, the program attracted 150-plus students from 23 countries. For more information, visit www.viu.ca/mba/
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ABOUT VIU: Vancouver Island University is Canada’s west coast university. Known as a centre of excellence for teaching, learning and applied research, VIU offers a diverse range of certificate, diploma and undergraduate and master degree programs to more than 18,000 students on campuses in Nanaimo, Powell River and Cowichan, and at the Parksville-Qualicum Centre. For more information visit www.viu.ca
ABOUT NURSE NEXT DOOR: Nurse Next Door provides award-winning home support, personal care, palliative care, dementia care, Live In care, 24/7 support and more. The company’s stated mission is to ‘make lives better.’ Nurse Next Door recently launched the Dream On Seniors Wish Foundation, which celebrates aging. Anyone can submit a dream, or donate funds, to support the dreams of local seniors. The Dream On Seniors Wish Foundation aims to celebrate aging and make the dreams of seniors come true. For more information visit www.NurseNextDoor.com or www.dreamonseniorswish.org.
Tags: In the Community
