Saint Mary's Young Executives Club will use its business expertise in a humanitarian effort, teaming up with the Children's Dispensary - a local service organization - to provide the charity with a new business plan.
Young Executives hopes to help the Children's Dispensary develop new marketing and fundraising strategies, spread the charity's name in the community and help the organization recruit new volunteers, said Lindsay Niemiec, the Young Executives vice president of marketing. Niemiec is heading the marketing management committee for the Children's Dispensary project.
The Children's Dispensary was founded in 1909 and originally handed out medication to children, but in 1920 it switched to helping children and families with special needs, she said.
"It falls between the cracks," Niemiec said. "We found it was a really great organization. They do such great things for kids with special needs around here and [for] the community."
The organization has since instituted different programs to cater to the different needs of its community, which range from autism to Down's syndrome to learning disabilities and emotional impairments, the organization's Web site said.
Besides Niemiec's committee, Young Executives also created a finance and accounting committee to work on the project, she said.
Some of the Saint Mary's participants will investigate ways in which the organization can expand and receive more grants and funding, Niemiec said. The students will also propose methods to cut down costs at the Dispensary.
Young Executives has talked with different Saint Mary's clubs, and the group is planning to contact some Notre Dame clubs as well to recruit volunteers for the Dispensary, Niemiec said.
Niemiec said the project could give students the opportunity to volunteer at a lesser-known, yet admirable organization.
