Assistant Business Professor Dr. Monica Law is teaching her students a lesson in giving back in this semester’s Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility class.

Law split the class of 35 students into six groups. Each group was required to brainstorm service project ideas to complete throughout the semester.

According to Law, the inspiration to do these projects came from her experience with last year’s Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility class.

“We did this same assignment last year and it worked out so well that I had to bring it back for this semester,” said Law.

Two projects will center around repurposing materials. One group will work on a bench and table made out of deflated tennis balls while another group will use flowers from weddings and funerals and donate them to local businesses.

Joni Host, a sophomore business management major, said that doing the project has taught her more about the responsibilities of businesses.

“In class, we discussed the need for economic, social and environmental responsibility when operating a business,” said Host. “By repurposing tennis balls, we hope to decrease waste going into landfills and by donating the benches and table to the university, we hope to benefit Marywood’s students, faculty and staff.”

Three other projects will each hold donation drives for The Boys and Girls club, the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter and Dress for Success. Another group will be working with the United Neighborhood Centers to help distribute information on preparing for college.

Law said she believes the projects are helping to foster the student’s creativity while helping the surrounding community.

“I think this project has really helped the students to think outside of the box and really get imaginative about ways to help others,” said Law.

Kaitlyn White, a senior business management and marketing major, said she believed her experience doing the project has helped her to apply the lessons being learned in the classroom.

“There’s only so much you can learn from listening to a lecture or reading a textbook,” said White. “However, when you apply those concepts into real-world happenings, it just makes them stick even more.”

Law said that she hopes the end result of these projects will help to enforce Marywood’s core values into the students’ daily lives.

“My main goals are really to have the students live the values of Marywood and to foster community engagement in order to meet the real needs of others,” said Law.

Each group will present their respective projects to the class on May 6.

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