Community

Elmcrest

Strange as it may sound, some of the most impactful growth can be found by giving back.

In 2018, I started a non-profit organization to support underprivileged children as they enter the working world. As President of the Syracuse University Entrepreneurship Club, we partnered with a local group in Syracuse, NY called Elmcrest, which offers housing and guidance to families who come from extreme circumstances.

Before we met the children, I got to spend time with the directors of Elmcrest. In our initial meetings, I learned about the difficult, fragile situations some of their children have to contend with on a daily basis. Later on, we met with the group as a whole. Story after story, the thing that stuck out most was the fact that people in this program were not only undeterred by their challenges — they were highly motivated.

Some people in the group were interested in our careers, and it was fun to be able to share our experiences. In one case, a child expressed an interest in accounting — at the age of 9! Luckily, several members of our group were able to provide a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to enter that world.

After these initial meetings, the Syracuse University Entrepreneurship Club formally partnered with Elmcrest. In the following months, we developed an instructive calendar in which we planned routine meetings and events to help boost the development of the children at Elmcrest.

When I spoke with the Dean of Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Business, he was so excited that he even gave us the latitude to offer community service credit to any Syracuse University students who wanted to join our efforts. Since we could accept only a few helpers in the beginning, we soon found ourselves putting together a waiting list filled with SU students who wanted to get involved.

For the duration of this program, our organization met once a week with Elmcrest. During these meetings, we had the pleasure of interacting with the children and teaching them skills they can use to succeed in life, regardless of the path they might choose.

Perhaps the most redeeming takeaway was the fact that many of the children at Elmcrest were curious about the college experience. Based on our conversations, I have no doubt that some of the kids at Elmcrest will be the first people in their families to graduate from college. Research suggests that literacy is strongly correlated with GDP, and the thought of being able to promote the idea of formal education was unexpected, yet highly thrilling.

I’m grateful for this experience, and to the directors of Elmcrest, who allowed us to enter their space and contribute to their program without any sort of predetermined game plan. And I’m inspired by the children, who will, without a doubt, leave a positive impact on the world. If you are thinking of engaging in community service but don’t know where to start, feel free to reach out.

If you are wondering if community service is worth the effort — it absolutely is! It’s also a great place to innovate. If you want to look back and know that you’ve made a difference, community service is a great way to start. Moving forward, I hope to be able to participate in many more programs like this.

(And maybe even find a way to scale them up!)