PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Newsletter
Plea for Scholarships
The difficult economy has taken a real toll on nonprofit organizations nationally and the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education, PFEW's parent organization, is no exception. When we put our plans and budget together early last fall for the 2008 program, the economy was still quite strong. Of course, the precipitous downturn began in the fourth quarter of 2007 and really accelerated after the first of the year.
Like any company experiencing an economic downturn, the Foundation has taken steps to curtail its costs. Said Foundation President John Trombetta, "We've cut back on all nonessential travel, etc. and our focus now is on raising the scholarships necessary to get all of our eager applicants to the program. Many are juniors and this is their last year of eligibility. We are even to the point that, this week, we're sending a letter to all of this year's donors asking if they might have just a little bit left for a "supplemental" gift to PFEW. I haven't had to do that in more than a decade but we just have so many eager and qualified students waiting."
PFEW creates memories; shapes attitudes.
With just four weeks until the first session of PFEW 2008 begins, the Foundation still needs more than 250 scholarships to fund the 1,800 students planned for this summer's five sessions.
If you or your company would like to help, simply click here to make your pledge to PFEW 2008. Every gift is precious (even partial scholarships are welcome!) and the funds are not needed until mid to late August when the large program bills come due. For tax purposes, we will be happy to send you a Complimentary Contributions Invoice on the date of your choosing.
Thanks to everyone who has made a gift to the young men and women in Pennsylvania who have applied to PFEW, and who wish to learn more about our wonderful free enterprise system and the issues facing all American companies, particularly those in Pennsylvania.
Applications Abound!
The really great news for the Foundation is the incredible number of students (high school sophomores and juniors) who have applied to be part of the five sessions of Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week this summer. At this writing, we have received 2,370 applications since the school year began last September! Of that number, 1,769 have confirmed their participation and we fully expect to reach our planned number of 1,800 by the time Week I begins on July 6th.
Kudos to Manager of Schools Michelle Warofka (pictured with fistfuls of applications) and her "corps" of volunteer school "presenters" for the spectacular job they have done during the 2007 - 2008 school year, marketing PFEW throughout Pennsylvania. Michelle and her troops visited nearly 200 schools and gave almost 700 individual presentations to classes and assemblies, describing the PFEW experience to potential applicants.
Students all over the state are now preparing to take part in what will, unquestionably, be the largest summer presentation of PFEW ever. The timing could not be better as we will also be launching, for the first time, a fifth session at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, in addition to our usual four weeks at Lycoming College. Both schools are in Williamsport, PA.
Company Advisors and Judges Needed!
With PFEW's first session just four weeks away, we are still in need of a number of volunteers to fill those all-important roles of Company Advisors and Judges for the five sessions.
The Advisors, of course, are the men and women who will each steward and mentor a team of their own through the activities of a particular week. Originally needing 105 Advisors to staff the five sessions this summer, we are now down to the final handful required to adequately staff the individual weeks. Accurately termed the "heart and soul" of the PFEW experience, it is under the guiding hands of each Advisor that the "PFEW journey" comes alive for the students on his or her team. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that creates an indescribable bond between you and the young men and women who you will guide through their time at the program. If you are interested, or know someone else who might be, simply click here for additional information. Please contact us as soon as possible!
The role of the individual Judges is to observe, and then score, the oral presentations that each team must prepare over the course of their week together at PFEW. Every "company" will present an "Annual Meeting" to an imaginary group of stockholders, doing a comparative analysis of two years of operations, just as any company would. The teams will also present an entire "Marketing/Advertising Presentation" to yet a separate panel of Judges during which they will display TV and radio commercials, as well as, a webpage design and advertisements and logos that would be suitable for real-world trade journals, newspapers, magazines, etc.
Team Marketing/Advertising Presentation.
No advance preparation is needed to be a Judge and, besides being an Advisor, it really is the single best way to experience what our students have learned and how PFEW shapes their understanding of our free enterprise system and the world of business. We still need Judges for each of the weeks and, if you are interested, simply click here to learn more about the Judges' responsibilities, as well as, dates for participation.
Thank you!
