January 24, 2020

Thanks to support from local and national donors, Enactus MHC has received $11,500 to develop new projects and grow existing entrepreneurial initiatives in the coming months.

With $5,000 from RBC Foundation and Community Foundations Canada, a partnership between the Enactus student club and the college’s environmental reclamation technology program looks to address declining bee populations. This new venture, called Project To-Bee-Continued, will have students research optimal living environments and develop habitats for bee species that are critical to local agriculture, like the alfalfa leafcutter.

“The sustainability of bees has been a topical issue for a long time and we’re excited to be involved with this collaborative effort to find solutions that are relevant to our region,” says Anushka Sharma, business student and project lead.

“We’re currently in the initial planning stages with experiments underway in our biology lab and hope to move our work outdoors in the spring.”

Also new to the Enactus project list this year is the Square Roots Token Program, which was given a $500 boost from the Sunrise Rotary Club. Originally developed by Enactus St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this program helps to reduce waste while addressing food insecurity in the community.

“There is enough food in our city to feed everyone, yet many still go hungry. This project brings together all parts of our community including businesses, individuals, support centers, and students to help fight hunger and deal with the growing issue of food waste,” explains project coordinator Sydney Campbell.

“Restaurants can partner with us by offering a quality meal that would likely go to waste, despite being perfectly good to eat. People can purchase these meals for $5 using one of our tokens. The cost of the token is split 50/50 between the restaurant and Enactus, which provides our team with revenue to keep the project running.”

Restaurant partners are expected to be announced before the end of the winter semester.

Existing Enactus projects – the Young Entrepreneur Program (YEP) and Project My Generation – also received funding this fall.

RBC Future Launch for Young Entrepreneurship invested $3,000 in YEP which teaches elementary, middle, and high-school students the value of entrepreneurship. Students learn about product design, market research, how to build a business plan, budgeting and marketing, and have the opportunity to be approved for a loan by pitching their products at our version of Dragon’s Den. At the end of the program, students sell their manufactured products at a trade show, allowing them to repay their loan, learn to give back by donating a small percentage to charity, and keeping the profits.

Similar to Project To-Bee-Continued, Project My Generation also addresses an environmental concern. This initiative focuses on awareness and prevention of white-nose syndrome in the little brown bat population through the construction of bat houses. These habitats provide bats a safe place to hibernate, which slows the spread of the disease. With $3,000 from the REDI Endowment Fund Grant Application, Enactus will continue to work with REDI clients to manufacture additional bat boxes and develop a marketing campaign through social media.

“We’re grateful for our donors and their continued support of social entrepreneurship,” says Darren Howes, faculty advisor for Enactus MHC. “Their commitment to Enactus and to education creates new opportunities for our students to learn and grow their skills which in turn benefits our community.”