The UNL Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) group were awarded a $3,000 grant from True Hero Inc., a nonprofit organization that awards grants to youth and student groups. True Hero awards grant money to student sponsored community projects that garner enough support. Their goal is to raise money and awareness for heroic efforts in a fun way by using social networking, cash awards, and popular voting. The SIFE team was awarded first place in the college project category with 1,234 votes, mainly due to support from the UNL College of Business Administration and the Lincoln community.
"The True Hero grant awarded to the UNL SIFE team highlights the talents and abilities of our students," Dr. Sam Nelson, SIFE Advisor said. "The UNL SIFE team consists of a diverse group of very bright individuals from multiple colleges within UNL, yet they all share a passion to improve the world around them."
With the grant money, SIFE plans to help promote self-sufficiency among residents in the Pine Ridge community by providing opportunities to succeed. Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is located in southwest South Dakota and has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the entire United States.
The focus of this grant money will help establish grant writing education in Reservation high school classrooms and entrepreneurial programs encouraging the growth of small businesses. This is also a way of hope for the Pine Ridge students that they can influence their community with their ideas by utilizing their writing skills.
"This type of partnership was beneficial for both our students and the Pine Ridge reservation," Nelson added. "We are very proud of our SIFE team."
Students of all majors interested in making a difference can email unlsife@yahoo.com to see how to get involved with SIFE.
Published: October 14, 2011