Until Educators Begin To Teach Self-esteem, We Will Have Drunk Drivers 
There's Been A Lot Of Controversy Regarding Caroline Petrini And The Accident 
Which Took The Lives Of Two Men.

13c 12-17-94 Cougars Trying Despite Lack Of Numbers

By MONTANETTE C. ROCKER; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, December 18, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





WILKES-BARRE -- The experience of starting a business can be rewarding, yet
difficult. Just ask Kathy Avino and Ed McGinnis. They're enrolled in a
graduate course at Wilkes University that was established to provide students
with practical experience about the rigors of free enterprise. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The course, called Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, is designed to
educate students about the steps involved in starting a business. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The students are not paid and do not turn a profit for the class project
but they learn the process of turning a business venture into reality. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They wrote the business plan, and they wrote the marketing plans," said
Arlen Lessin, director of the Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and
Entrepreneurship at Wilkes University. Lessin also instructs the course. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He said the students made their own decisions and received a minimal amount
of help. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Avino and McGinnis came up with Contribution Connection. They created the
"mock" business to help non-profit charitable organizations raise money. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They chose the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, an
organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening
illnesses. The goal of Contribution Connection was to set up ways to net
greater cash donations for Make-A-Wish. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the outset, McGinnis said he and Avino encountered logistical problems.
They had difficulty finding people who would volunteer to help sell raffle
tickets, and soliciting businesses to donate prizes for the raffle was
difficult too. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That was the goal of the project, said Lessin. "I wanted them to have some
hands-on experience to what happens in the real world instead of reading about
it," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lessin said he got the idea to begin the project from a national
organization, called SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise), which holds annual
competitions to familiarize students with the process of starting a business.
During the competition, students strategize how to design workable business
plans and marketing ideas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We benefit because we learn how to set up projects from scratch," said
Avino, a candidate for a master's degree in business administration at Wilkes.
"The community benefits because they learn what free enterprise is about
through our project." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Avino and McGinnis decided on the project in September, hoping to raise
$20,000, about what it would cost to grant the wishes of three children. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Lessin doesn't emphasize the bottom line and instead encourages his
students to pay close attention to the process of business. His course is
teaching students how to create an enterprise, not necessarily how to make a
dollar. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, students hope the project will give them hands-on experience, and at
the same time reach a goal for Make-A-Wish. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Avino and McGinnis got businesses to donate prizes for the raffle tickets
they're selling for $5 apiece. The response from the raffle-buying public has
been overwhelming, McGinnis said. One volunteer was approached by a student
who couldn't afford to purchase a raffle ticket but donated a dollar instead,
McGinnis said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's important to develop that spirit in our citizens," McGinnis said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lessin said the project also will encourage students to work for
themselves. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some students already have embarked upon an entrepreneurial career, and
Lessin is hopeful others will also. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They need not be dependent on other people to provide them with
employment." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lessin said the project has been popular and is one that will probably
continue through next semester and may even be entered in a national college
competition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I am very pleased that students with no previous experience were able to
actually involve themselves in the creation," Lessin said. "It's a surprise to
them and very gratifying to me." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Avino

Students Make A Difference 
Mutually Beneficial Free-enterprise Project Helps Scholars, Charity 
The Make-a-wish Foundation Of Northeastern 
Pennsylvania Is First To Reap Rewards Of Graduate 
Students' Efforts

Students Make A Difference Mutually Beneficial Free-enterprise Project Helps Scholars, Charity The Make-a-wish Foundation Of Northeastern Pennsylvania Is First To Reap Rewards Of Graduate Students' Efforts