College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Tracy Dunn
Geoff Gewehr
Maria Y. Serratos
John Walker

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Our team was challenged with the task of developing, planning, and implementing a social change project. From our initial discussion it was clear that the members of our team had a desire to help less privileged kids. After brainstorming several ideas, we were able to narrow the scope of our project and the potential beneficiaries. It was determined that with Tracy’s cheerleading experience and connections, we would conduct an interactive cheerleading clinic that would give kids an opportunity to participate in an activity that would not usually be available to them. We spent a great deal of time talking with select non-profit groups to find out more about their organizations and the impact that such a project might have on their young participants.

We selected the Boys & Girls Club of East County (BGCEC) after visiting their facility and talking with Shelly Hopkins, Clubhouse Director. It wasn’t just the appropriateness of the facility or their willingness to work with us on our project, but the organization’s values and core purpose that inspired us. At the Boys & Girls Club, it is their mission “to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.” Having selected the beneficiary and knowing the specific boundaries in which we would be working, we began to develop the structure of the clinic.

Grossmont Community College (GCC), in the initial stages of our brainstorming, had agreed to help us conduct a cheerleading clinic if we decided to go in that direction. After talking with BGCEC, we worked with the GCC cheerleading coach, Michelle McKee, to design the specifics of clinic.

The clinic was determined to be a two-hour workshop that would encompass learning five cheers, a thirty-second dance routine, and basic stunting techniques. The GCC cheerleaders would serve as assistants to Michelle McKee, who would be conducting the actual workshop in conjunction with our group. After working with both parties, we selected November 7, 2003 as the date of the event. BGCEC estimated the attendance would be somewhere between twenty and forty kids. A final headcount would not be available until the actual day of the event, so we planned for the maximum number of kids.

In addition to the clinic itself, we wanted to provide some type of participation award. Locating potential donors was difficult given the devastating wildfires that swept through San Diego County and the ongoing grocery store strikes. We knew we had to be creative and use the resources that were available to us. Tracy works for Jack in the Box Corporate Offices and was able to obtain two hundred kids meal toys and activity bags to hand them out in. John called on friends who own T C Truss, a company outside of San Diego County, to make a monetary donation that would be used to purchase refreshments for the clinic. T C Truss donated fifty dollars and we were able to purchase refreshments for all the participants.

The day of the event finally came. We were introduced to the kids and gave them their nametags. There were a total of twenty-three kids and seventeen instructors, including our group members, who since the point of inception, learned a thing or two about cheerleading. Going in, we felt very strongly about our individual contribution to the clinic. We tasked ourselves with connecting with each and every kid by encouraging them and giving them positive feedback. We also knew there would be a few kids with disabilities that would require special attention and we wanted to make sure that we provided plenty of one-on-one time.

In summary, the clinic was a hit! The flow of the clinic was perfectly orchestrated and the kids stayed tuned the entire two hours. It was non-stop, power-packed. Moving from one skill-set to another, the kids anxiously awaited the next activity. The smiles were endless and the comments priceless. “Hey, I did it. I didn’t think I could.” “Look at what I just learned.” “I want to cheer when I go to college.” Why don’t we try this move, I just made it up on my own.” When the workshop concluded, there were moans of disappointment and kids asking when we were going to come back. We were able to bring smiles back to their faces as we revealed the participation bags and begun handing them out. We were bombarded with a rash of hugs and many thanks for taking the time to put on the clinic. The feeling we all experienced was amazing. The four of us looked at each other and said, “it doesn’t get much better than that.”

Our goal was to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged kids and we did. We felt it. For some kids, it was simply a two-hour fun activity. And that’s ok. For others, it was two hours of positive encouragement and self-esteem building. It was an opportunity to prove to these young kids that they can achieve whatever they set out to do and that there are people in the community willing to invest in them. We were able to offer them an activity that would typically not be available to them and if only for a moment make them forget they were underprivileged. The workshop was not only entertaining, but also enhanced developmental skills such as socialization, coordination, and motor skills.

The dynamics of our project crossed over the fundamental thinking of several ethical theories. The Ethics of Care Theory, which asks us to recognize and take seriously the moral worth of relationships, particularly those characterized by caring, was really the cornerstone of our project. We hoped that by reaching out to these kids and creating a safe, caring environment that they may engage in an activity they normally wouldn’t have. The agreement between the beneficiaries and the contributors was clearly a social contract between the parties. Both parties agreed to accept the rules as proposed by the team for the mutual benefit of those that participated and followed the rules. The contributors benefited by being able to make a difference in their community, gaining brand recognition, and potentially a tax write off. The beneficiaries gain is explicit, in that the kids, as well as those of us that worked with them, felt the synergy created by those caring relationships. The justice theory plays into the framework of our project as we provided an activity that would not typically be available to these underprivileged kids. We attempted to give each person his or her “due.” Cheer clinics are extremely expensive and often outside of the means of most families. And finally, in our cost/benefit analysis we employed the utilitarian perspective by calculating the net value of this project. According to this theory, the action was right given that the clinic created greater benefits than cost.