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OBU—Oklahoma Baptist University

SIFE Team Serves Others through Wal-Mart Grant

April 18, 2011

OBU's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team recently partnered with Wal-Mart Corporation to conduct employability workshops with the women of the Project SAFE shelter in March and April.

The project was made possible by a $2,000 grant given by Wal-Mart for the project. OBU's SIFE team, representing the Paul Dickinson School of Business, was one of 50 teams to receive the grant.

The Project SAFE Workplace Readiness Workshop trained women on the topics of how to properly fill out an employment application, how to act in an employment interview and how to prepare a resume and cover letter. The SIFE team also conducted a workshop on the Strengths Finder 2.0 assessment, widely used by employers and also a feature in OBU's Learning Communities program for incoming freshmen.

The trainings were offered during a two-day workshop on March 2-3 and a one-day workshop on April 6. In the workshops, OBU students presented the material and then worked one-on-one to create a professional resume for each participant.

At the regional SIFE competition, the OBU SIFE team came in contact with a Wal-Mart employee who suggested they do the Strengths Finder curriculum with the Project SAFE women to help build their confidence. Team members said they especially liked the idea because they previously learned that the women needed to build their confidence to present themselves to future employers. The team contacted Monica Mullins, director of student success at OBU who has taught numerous workshops over the Strengths Finder assessment. Mullins said she was happy to teach the workshop for the women of the shelter.

The OBU SIFE team has built a relationship with the Project SAFE shelter so women who live there can contact OBU students for help with resumes, employment applications and professional attire as those needs arise. The project was led by OBU students Chelsea Jordan, a freshman from McLoud, Okla., and Katie Smith, a junior from Shawnee, Okla.

SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) is an international non-profit organization that brings together the leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business. Founded in 1975, SIFE has active programs on more than 1500 college and university campuses in more than 39 countries.

Through projects that improve the lives of people worldwide, the university students, academic professionals and industry leaders who participate in SIFE are demonstrating that individuals with a knowledge and passion for business can be a powerful force for change.

For information about Project SAFE, click here.