Evangel, Drury Enactus teams advance to nationals

The Evangel University and Drury University Enactus teams cemented their place in the upcoming national competition with a regional win April 18.

Evangel’s seven-person presentation team and Drury’s five-person team were appointed regional champions at the Enactus Regional Competition in Rogers, Ark., against 25 universities and community colleges from 11 states. The teams move on to the final USA competition, the Enactus National Exposition on May 15-17 in St. Louis.

The teams presented before a panel of 23 corporate judges.

Evangel outlined their involvement in eight projects that fulfill the Enactus mission to use entrepreneurial action to improve the livelihoods of people. Projects included working with Harmony House to enhance promotions and marketing; helping raise sustainable funding for Weller Elementary’s Cents of Pride store; and creating a plan to implement recycling on the Evangel campus, according to a news release.

The highlight of Drury’s presentation was its effort at The Fairbanks, where students are creating business opportunities for residents in the Grant Beach neighborhood. These include a bike rental service, a neighborhood market and several microbusinesses intended to provide supplementary income to individuals in poverty, said faculty adviser John Taylor.

The team generates project support by selling survival kits to parents, which are delivered to their students during midterms and final exams. Entrepreneurial action this year increased the survival kit business profits by 231 percent to more than $10,000.

“I could not be more proud of our team of 45 students who have worked so diligently this year on projects that are having a meaningful impact on our community,” said Bernie Dana, chairman of the Evangel Business Department and an Enactus Sam Walton Fellow, in the release.

Drury’s work is funded through the university and donors, Taylor said.

Enactus holds six regional competitions throughout the U.S. to determine teams for its national competition. There are 443 active teams in the U.S. engaging 16,800 college students in 1,000 community projects.

Founded in 1975 in the U.S., Enactus groups are active on over 1,700 college and university campuses in 36 countries. According to the organization, there are more than 70,500 students participating in Enactus programs, impacting nearly 2 million people a year.