BUFFALO, NY ― Canisius Enactus was selected league champion at the Regional Enactus Competition on March 31 in Washington, D.C. The team now advances to the National Exposition which takes place May 21-23 in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Canisius Enactus presentation team includes the following students:
- Jerry Daigler ’17
- Sarah DiMayo ’17
- Matthew Tanchick ’17
- Marissa Watroba ’17
- Patrick Murray ’18
- Teddy Benz ’20
The presentation team showcased the impact of the community outreach efforts of its 20 plus member team at the regional competition with a presentation that included a 17-minute video, an annual report, and five-minute Q&A period. Business leaders rank teams on their ability to see and seize opportunities, take action, and have impact.
“Enactus students live the Canisius educational mission,” says Patricia A. Hutton, PhD, professor of economics. Hutton founded and advises the Canisius Enactus chapter. “Using entrepreneurial action to create a better world for all of us, they are transformed into professionals, leaders, and men and women for others.”
Enactus presented its work on three of its current projects - GrocerySmart, YES, and Sew REDI Buffalo. GrocerySmart (http://grocerysmart.org/) is an online ordering and delivery service provided to students living on and around the Canisius campus, which provides healthy food choices and reduces students’ carbon footprint. YES, or Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase, teaches inner-city youth how to produce and sell their own screen-printed items, using the Enactus on-campus screen-printing business, QuadGear. The program is supported by grants from Erie County. Sew REDI Buffalo (http://www.sewredibuffalo.com/) educates, includes and economically empowers refugees resettled in Buffalo. Currently serving refugees from 8 different countries, Sew REDI Buffalo teaches sewing skills, provides a new sewing machine for home use, develops fabrics and products, and assists in branding, marketing and sales of client-produced bags, purses, key fobs and other products. The program is supported by numerous community volunteers, who contribute time and talent, and Catholic Charities which provides rent-free space for sewing lessons on Buffalo’s West Side. Sew REDI Buffalo is being recognized by the Buffalo-Niagara Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, the international professional educators’ organization, with its 2017 Service Organization of Excellence Award.
Canisius Enactus represents the Richard J. Wehle School of Business, but has members from a wide variety of majors, including from the School of Arts and Sciences. This diversity of disciplines provides a breadth and depth of knowledge and skills acquired through coursework and extracurricular activities that are essential to Enactus economic development initiatives.
Enactus is an international non-profit organization that brings together student, academic and business leaders who are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need and a better, more sustainable world for all of us. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, the student leaders of Enactus create and implement community empowerment projects around the globe.
Canisius is one of 28 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private university in Western New York.
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