Fourth-year Business Administration students at Trent University organized a successful golf tournament at Keystone Links Golf and Country Club in Peterborough on Saturday, August 2, 2014 to raise awareness and funds for the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre (KTTC). As part of Trent’s Legacy Project – a unique tradition in the Business Administration program -- the students generated more than $3,400 in support of this community organization while showcasing knowledge in business excellence.
To create various revenue streams within the tournament, the students put their networking skills to the test as they secured sponsorship opportunities and prize donations from local businesses. Students sold tickets, organized a silent auction and a 50/50 draw, demonstrating the values of reciprocity and collaborative learning.
Through their dedicated efforts to raise funds to purchase medical equipment for the KTTC, Trent students shone a spotlight on the Centre itself, a charitable turtle hospital that treats, rehabilitates, and releases injured turtles. The Centre promotes conservation and operates an education and outreach program.
Business Administration students Braden Naughton and Sarah Logan were key organizers of the event. The Legacy Project within the Business Administration program gives students an opportunity to put into practice many of the theories learned while studying at Trent. “It is an excellent way for students to help the community and make important connections,” Ms. Logan said.
Mr. Naughton said the Legacy Project is in keeping with the Trent tradition of giving back to the community. “Since my first year, Trent has emphasized that businesses should be both successful and socially responsible,” he said. “This project is a perfect example of how to accomplish this task. It challenged us in ways that no other project had before. We were working in the real world where actual organizations were affected by the outcome of this event. This project was so real, I had to remind myself it was a school assignment.”
Professor Stephen Horner assigned the Legacy Project to Mr. Naughton and Ms. Logan as part of Trent’s Management Thought class. He believes that the Legacy Project enables students to reflect on the knowledge they have gained through real-world experiences. “The guiding principal is that students are knowledgeable and capable people,” Prof. Horner said. “Studying at Trent is not just a transaction where you pay money and get an education. You are a part of a community and benefit from those who went above and beyond to build and sustain it.”
In addition to the funds raised for the KTTC through the Legacy Project, Trent’s Departments of Biology and Environmental and Life Sciences have assisted the Centre in a hands-on scientific capacity. “Trent’s knowledge within a multiple of fields can help [community] organizations succeed as a whole,” Mr. Naughton said.
Pleased by the success of this year’s event, the Centre decided to turn the golf tournament into an annual event, continuing the legacy created by Trent students.
For more information about the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, please visit http://kawarthaturtle.org/blog/.
Posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2014.