In an effort to promote academic and community collaboration, BBA Healthcare and Logistics students are teaming up with Will2Way foundation for a service learning project to help combat homelessness this holiday season. Will2Way foundation is a local non-profit organization with a mission to serve our community. The non-profit organization provides for our local and long distance homeless, organizes disaster relief efforts across the United States, and provides mentoring services for at risk youth. The organization has served over 40,000 individuals since 2014 and continues to increase its numbers each day.    

The goal of the service learning project is to meet the educational needs of students while also teaching students the importance of becoming an active member of their community which can have a lasting, positive impact and allow students to provide a service to those who need it most. Students will organize donation drives to collect items such as gloves, gently used blankets, T-shirts, socks, and travel sized toiletry items. Because this is an Operations Management course, students will be graded based on how well they manage the operations of the project. Students will also be graded on their attempt to create the highest level of efficiency possible during the planning, coordinating, and execution stages of the service learning project.

Both HCM and LSCM students will participate, perform, and document all operations such as:

• appointing a liaison as a go between for each group and the organization itself
• appointing a chairman to collect and track non-monetary donations
• advertising/promotions
• coordination and placement of collection boxes
• sorting and packing 
• donation delivery to non-profit organization 
• photography, and more

Following the project completion, a final report from each group is required for grading purposes. The report describes the project and each step taken in the planning, coordinating, & execution phases of the operations. Students will also complete peer evaluations for each member of their group in an effort to promote teamwork.

If you are in the giving spirit, there is still time to donate. Donation drives are currently being held at both the Cartersville (HUB) and Rome (Student Center) locations from November 6th – November 28th, 2017. Items will not be delivered to Will2Way until December 2^nd, 2017. Feel free to drop any last-minute items off up until Friday, December 1^st, 2017.

Thanks to all who played a huge role in assisting our students with this project.

Happy Holidays from BBA students, faculty, staff and Division Dean!