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