April 3, 1998

Bridging the gap: MBA students form partnership with inner city agency

MBA volunteers are fund-raising for Boyle St. Co-op.

It's no secret Edmonton's inner city can be a tough place to live. Many in the community don't have the money to get by, or find themselves shut out of mainstream culture for a variety of reasons.

When things get particularly dire, the Boyle Street Community Services Co-operative at 105 Ave. and 101 St. is one of the few refuges. The "store-front agency" houses a drop-in centre for those who need a hot meal or a bed immediately. But it also offers a full range of services to help people get back on their feet more permanently, everything from employment and substance abuse resources, to parenting workshops to a housing registry that helps negotiate with prospective landlords. The co-op even has a charter school for 85 students who don't respond well in the regular school system.

Yet despite an impressive effort by its staff, often volunteers, funding often falls short at Boyle St. There are many days, says acting director Michael Cairns, when there isn't even enough food for those who drop by for dinner.

To ease that strain, the U of A MBA Students' Association has jumped to the co-op's aid, forming a partnership to help raise funds. While the association has always done a variety of charity work, this year it has chosen to target the Co-op exclusively.

Money is raised primarily through bingos, casinos, and a successful recent raffle which brought in about $2,200, mainly from company mentors. The total for the year, says Bethel, should reach $2,700.

On one occasion, the students even tried taking advantage of their own financial acumen to turn a profit for a good cause.

"We had an investors club where we all bought shares, but it actually didn't do very well," says Bethel. "At the end of it there was about $100, and that went to Boyle St."

The association's assistance has not gone unnoticed, or unappreciated, at least at the Co-op. Cairns says the inner city community isn't one that receives a lot of attention, nor is it one towards which the more affluent always feel sympathy. To see business students lending support is "different," but encouraging, he says. Bringing the two communities together "creates an interesting dialogue" and helps break down stereotypes associated with both poverty and affluence.

Bethel is personally well acquainted with Boyle St., having spent a summer working there, but says he's pleasantly surprised by his fellow students' commitment. About 110 MBA students currently participate in charity events, and he intends soon to involve undergraduates as well, since one purpose of the partnership is to raise student awareness of social issues.

"It's not just a financial thing -- it has been so far, but the plans are that we build an understanding among business students of some of the social conditions in the city. It's our responsibility as an association to give them that access."

"It's not that students aren't interested in contributing to these charitable organizations. A lot of times, when given the opportunity, they respond."

One reason the association became involved in charity work in the first place, says MBA student Travis Braithwaite, is to recognize that putting something back into the community is "an ethic of doing business." If Bethel has his way, that commitment will only increase over time.

"One of the things about Boyle St. is that the programs they've got are absolutely phenomenal, but their fund-raising infrastructure isn't all that sophisticated," he says. "So part of our future plan is for MBA students to get involved in marketing and planning, and that kind of stuff."

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