Evangel University Enactus team advances to National Competition, again

DALLAS, TX — The Evangel University Enactus team was judged a Regional Champion at the Enactus Regional Competition in Dallas, Texas, on April 10, 2017. The event involved 34 universities and community colleges from 9 states.

Evangel will now advance to the Enactus National Exposition in Kansas City, Mo., on May 21-23 to compete with 120 other universities. Enactus USA holds six regional competitions scattered throughout the United States to determine which teams will advance to the National competition.

At these competitions, corporate leaders judge who best fulfills the Enactus mission to use entrepreneurial action to improve the livelihoods people.

Evangel’s 6-member presentation team shared a 17-minute presentation, five-minute question and answer period, and printed annual report with a judging panel of 17 business leaders.

“I could not be more proud of our team of 62 students who have worked so diligently this year on nine projects that are having a meaningful impact on our community,” said Bernie Dana, Enactus faculty advisor and Sam Walton Fellow.

Team projects

The Evangel Enactus team worked on nine student-led projects this year, including:

• A campaign to increase awareness and support, from the Greene County faith community, for Harmony House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

• The team also developed a program to involve businesses in the Weller Neighborhood to annually fund dynamic learning experiences for children at Weller Elementary School.

• A third major project involved securing a $13,000 grant to fully implement recycling on the Evangel campus in the fall of 2017.

Evangel’s team generates support for its activities and projects by engaging parents to purchase Survival Kits for their students during mid-term and final exams. The Enactus team delivers the box of 20 comfort foods to the students along with a personal note from the parents. Entrepreneurial action this year increased the Survival Kit business profits by 12.5%, to over $11,000.

Evangel alumni enhance trip

Thirty-one of Evangel’s 62 Enactus team members attended the regional exposition in Dallas.

“Regional competition is one of the most exhilarating and important aspects of what we do,” said Josh Clark, executive director of Evangel University Enactus. “We not only have the chance to showcase what we’ve accomplished in our community, but also explore internship and job opportunities with the corporate sponsors.”

The three-day trip included a company visit and dinner hosted by Denbury Resources, Inc. Denbury is a publicly-traded oil company based in Plano, TX. The chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and chief information officer are all Evangel University graduates.

“The briefing we received from the Denbury company executives helped us to understand how the oil business works and the economic impact of oil prices,” said Daniel Philpot, a sophomore finance major from Owasso, Okla.

Many large and small corporations provide financial support and actively recruit Enactus members.

Founded in 1975 in the U.S., there are active Enactus groups on more than 1,700 college and university campuses in 36 countries around the world. According to their research, there are more than 70,500 students participating in Enactus programs that impact nearly two-million people a year.

For more information, visit the Evangel University Department of Business, or contact Bernie Dana at (417) 865-2811, ext. 8116.

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PHOTO: Evangel University students involved in presentation are (left-to-right) Brooke Hove, sophomore elementary education major from Victoria, Minn.; Eden Janeway, junior nonprofit business major from Henderson, Nev.; Terran Tipps, junior management major from Castle Rock, Colo.; Katie Renner, sophomore marketing major from Perrysburg, Ohio; Emily Brown, sophomore accounting major from Painesville, Ohio; Shane Puente, junior biblical studies major from Huntsville, Ark.; Meredith Kyle, junior marketing major from Loveland, Colo.; and Joshua Clark, junior accounting major from Willard, Mo.