[business] 205 service SIFE reaches out to community Row 1: F. Cruz, I. Chambers, L. Walker. Row 2: K. Meiners, G. Oliver [sponsor], Y. Jia. [society of human resource management] Harding’s students often felt the need to apply their specific field of study in a way to aid the community. For the business department, that need created the group known as Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). SIFE was a non-profit organization with a vision “to create economic opportunity and understanding that empowers people to achieve and succeed,” according to their 2006-07 annual report. For the past 30 years, a team of students met for the planning and execution of projects that allowed them to encourage their five criterion: market economics, success skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and business ethics. “We do projects educating people on those principles,” junior Chris Jordan said. “We’re very diverse because we all have different backgrounds; we have different dreams and ambitions and come with the will to help people.” Senior Elisa Garcia was elected co-captain in 2007, as was senior Stewart Riggs. They had the responsibility of organizing meetings, keeping the team on schedule, approving projects and serving as a medium between the team and their sponsor, Director of the Economics Department, Dr. Don Diffine. The group had been judged as one of the top 20 teams nationwide by successful business professionals at national competitions. At the end of every year, the team prepared a script and annual report that they presented to a board of managers, CEOs and CFOs of top companies around the nation. Before the competition, the script with every one of their timed words was rehearsed until all of the members knew their parts to perfection. The team expanded their efforts to the Searcy community by helping small businesses compete in the market and teaching children and adults about real-life business. Last year, the team was involved in 16 new projects and 15 legacy projects — those that had been at work for a long time.These legacy projects were one factor that made Harding’s SIFE team stand out, according to Garcia. Most other universities had a greater number of members in their team,but Harding’s group of 10 students were able to keep many projects active for long periods of time, while creating new small projects throughout the year. The hard work did not stop there. In 2007, the team started a project in Togo, Africa. SIFE’s mission was to teach more members in the community how wells were built and helped them start their own business without doing all the work for them. “I’ve seen what SIFE can do for others,” Garcia said.“Through SIFE, you are helping people’s wishes come true.” This group of students at Harding had spent its time working diligently to serve the community by educating people on thriving business strategies and being a part of an organization whose mission expanded worldwide. [Karol Figueroa]
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