BY ANNA BELMONTE
Staff Writer
McKendree junior Jack MacLean is starting a new student organization, “Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations,” or SCNO. MacLean wanted a student organization dedicated to building experience and résumés for students, freshman through senior. To accomplish this, SCNO will work with nonprofit organizations in the Metro East.
Each student will collaborate with these organizations, either individually or as a group, to find projects that could use their skills gained through knowledge and through classwork, whether general education courses or major-specific ones. The experience of contributing professionally to these nonprofits will benefit the organizations as well as the students, by building their résumés and professionalism.
Operating under the McKendree Community Action Team, the Lyn Huxford Center for Community Service (LHCCS) leadership group, MacLean has researched community needs and strategized on how students can come together to meet those needs. MacLean is working under the advice of Jessica Trout, Program Coordinator for LHCCS. Trout says, “I am very proud of Jack MacLean and the effort he has put into SCNO.”
MacLean and a group of potential members met for the first time on Thursday, Feb. 25, to discuss group goals and time commitments. They met again on Monday, Feb. 29, with Executive Director Gerry Hasenstab of the nonprofit organization, Catholic Urban Programs (CUP). Located in East St. Louis, CUP has five longstanding community outreach programs, such as human services, a care shelter and outreach to children. Students introduced themselves to Hasenstab and plan to give him their résumés so that he and the board at CUP can decide what projects would fit the abilities of individual students. Currently, the nonprofit needs assistance in fundraising, marketing and other areas. Already affiliated with CUP, the university knows this organization could benefit professionally from the contributions of McKendree students, as SCNO will create another connection between the organization and campus.
SCNO will continue to collaborate with the board members at CUP to set projects in place. Planning to begin work the Monday after spring break, the group projected to complete their work with CUP in a six-week timeframe, ending in middle to late April. SCNO’s members are diverse in academic level and major, which will potentially bring a lot to the table. MacLean is optimistic there will be a task for everyone, so that all involved with benefit from the experience. Ultimately, students hope to serve any nonprofits that need their work. As MacLean told Hasenstab in their meeting, “We’re helping the organization out in the best way possible.”
If you would like to support this effort and contribute your talents to the group and the nonprofit organizations they will serve, please email MacLean at jsmaclean@mckendree.edu. He is eager for more McKendree students to bring their skills to this cause, which will benefit the students and the community.
