Posts by KellySteffen
Spotlight: Live To Give
Who’s in the Spotlight? An awesome group of young, social entrepreneurs. I just recently met up with Adrian de Novato, a social media coordinator, who let me know about a unique and innovative non-profit organization that he is a part of, Live to Give Foundation (http://livetogivefoundation.org/) that is run by a team with an average age of 23. As Michigan faces harsh economic turmoil, these social entrepreneurs are stepping up to highlight Michigan non-profits and “do good” businesses as they provide tangible and sustainable aid to the state of Michigan. Their goal is to make the charitable experience more personal by showing the path of each donation from an initial fundraiser to the final recipient it actually benefits—therefore bringing donors and recipients closer together. They do this by marketing charities through social media and video documentaries that follow where the donations go and who they impact. Not to mention, they do all of this out of pocket; 100% of the proceeds directly benefit Michigan!
Many times we forget how critical social entrepreneurs are in the development of an entrepreneurial community and in the creation a perception change in the region. Non-profits are catalysts for economic growth and change, just as are private companies. L2G takes the talents of 10 generation Y’s and uses them to fill a critical need in Michigan. Check out the website to recommend/nominate a charity or to see some of the great work they are up to!
You can email Live to Give Foundation at info@livetogivefoundation.org, fan them on Facebook or follow them at @LiveToGive
Read MoreWho’s in the Spotlight? Winner of Eve- Theresa Gasinski
So who’s in the Spotlight today? This is obvious and we apologize for being behind the times… Theresa Gasinski. There’s a couple of reasons we think Theresa is awesome.
1) She has a good idea for a bike-share program in Lansing.
2) She has been actively working on it all year, so we know she’s passionate and driven to really see this idea out.
3) She takes risks like whoah.
Theresa believes that a bike sharing program is just one of the many solutions to making Lansing “sexy” and more livable. Her idea would strategically place bikes throughout the MSU campus and surrounding greater Lansing area so that individuals can “rent” the bike for an hourly, monthly or even annual fee. The program creates a more flexible option for visitors, temporary residents or those who cannot afford a high-quality bike such as the ones the program would afford. Cities across the country, such as Theresa’s hometown Chicago, have implemented the program with raging success.
Students have great ideas like these all the time. What makes Theresa so special and unique is that she is following through with hers. She first had this idea in the Fall and has been busy writing a business plan and meeting with individuals and organizations that can help make it happen. You can check out her business plan here and give her feedback!
She has clearly put a lot of time and energy into creating something this thorough and well thought-out.
Lastly, Theresa has impressed even the bravest of us with the way she stepped up and stormed the IgniteLansing stage after only 48 hour notice of her presentation. She quickly formatted her presentation to fit the fast-pace, high energy format of the event. Before the event, I’m pretty sure us Spotlighters were more nervous than she was! Confident risk-taking is crucial for building a spirit of entrepreneurship in a region.
Want more information on Theresa and her Eve of Ignition/Ignite presentation? Check out these LSJ article-1 and article 2.
Bravo to Theresa and her bike-sharing idea!
Read MoreSounds of Relief: Connecting Lansing to Haiti
What’s in the spotlight today? An awesome and ambitious group of individuals who have decided to actively work to help the disaster in Haiti. Passionate individuals like these that work to solve the world’s biggest problems keep society moving forward.They are proving that Lansing can and should play a role in a global society Keep up the great work!
Want details on the event? Check out their website or their facebook here.
The purpose of this event is to help Haiti in this time of need, to build local connections here in Michigan, and to work to promote a sustainable economy both here on the local level, and globally.
Sounds like a pretty awesome thing to me!
Read MoreEntrepreneurial Podcast Discussion- What are the necessary and sufficient conditions for an Entrepreneurial Community?
RSVP Here to participate! Space is limited!
Will take place in the engineering building- room 1220
There will be two portions of this conversation. From 2 PM- 3PM on March 19th, we will discuss the definition of an entrepreneurial community, as well as the necessary and sufficient conditions for building one. We will discuss various components that include but are not limited to the role of universities, public and private partnerships, the governmental and institutional environment, the creation of enterprising businesses and lastly, the role of culture.
From 3-4 PM, the discussion is ONLY for students and recent alumni (’09 or ’08 graduates). This portion of the discussion will focus on what students are looking for from universities, their city and region and their state to best aid in the transition from college to a post graduate career. Included in this discussion will also be what students are looking for post graduation. This discussion will include defining talent retention and what keeps a student in a region.
The podcast will be recorded and posted on the website: spotlightcampus.org, the host organization for this discussion. All participants will have free access to post and distribute the podcast as they wish as well. Other potential channels for distribution include YouTube and to city officials and university administrators.
Please RSVP if you are interested in participating in this podcast discussion. We look forward to hearing your thoughts! Space is limited so RSVP ASAP.
Read MoreCheck out Eve of Ignition and Spotlight Campus in the GenYMI blog!
I had a really exciting opportunity to write for a great blog called GenerationYMichigan, which looks at the reasons young adults are or are not staying in Michigan.
You can check out my article on all the great things happening in Michigan here.
I am really excited about all the resources here in Lansing for young adults. To quote the essay, “My life is booming with innovative ideas, entrepreneurial resources, incredible mentors and impressive friends in Lansing; yours could be too.”
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