“Taking on Disability Together!” · visual impairments, cancer, cerebral palsy, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, hearing or speech impairments, heart disease, migraine headaches,

Shaw High School ● Partnership with Business Project ● The Trey Project

“Taking on Disability Together”

Shaw High School Georgia Chapter

Chapter 8352 2016 – 2017

Partnership with Business Project

“Taking on Disability Together!”



Development Description of the partnership goals .................................................................................................................. 3

Description of the planning activities used to build a partnership .......................................................... 3

Roles of business leaders and chapter members in developing the partnership .................................. 4

Implementation Description of the activities implemented to learn concepts of business operations ....................... 7

Roles of business leaders and chapter members in implementing the project ................................... 10

Results, concepts learned, and the impact of the project provided ....................................................... 11

Degree of involvement ........................................................................................................................................... 11

Examples of publicity and recognition received as a result of the partnership ................................ 15

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I

Christmas Crawl the Hall Event



Of the 53.9 million school-aged children in the United

States, about 2.8 million (6 percent) were reported to

have a disability as stated by the U.S. Census Bureau.

For many of these children, the kinds of disabilities

they experience may require special approaches to

providing education or other accommodations for

hearing, vision, or cognitive difficulties. The

Partnership with Business Project (PWB) team sought

to address the need for education and awareness of

people with disabilities. The PWB project combines

The Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), The Children’s

Hospital at Midtown Medical Center, The Ronald

McDonald House, the March of Dimes, and Shaw

High School Best Buddies with the West Central

Georgia Cancer Coalition and West Georgia Easter

Seals to “Take on Disability Together” for

individuals with disabilities within the community.

Below is a brief historical overview of each of the

organizations included in the partnership.

THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AT MIDTOWN

MEDICAL CENTER NICU—A Neonatal Intensive

Care Unit is also known as NICU. This care unit

specializes in the care of ill or premature newborn

infants. The Columbus Regional NICU is the only

Level III Perinatal Service in the area that provides

subspecialty care and comprehensive services for the

Southwest region’s babies. Research says that about

10 to 15 percent of all newborn babies require care in

NICU.

THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AT MIDTOWN

MEDICAL CENTER PEDIATRIC UNIT—The

Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center has

impacted the lives of many children and adults in our

region through its comprehensive network of services.

It is also the region’s leading provider of healthcare.

The Children’s Hospital at Columbus Regional Health

specializes in birthing services, inpatient and

outpatient surgery, breast care, maternal and fetal

medicine, inpatient newborn, Neonatal ICU, education

programs, and support groups.

MARCH OF DIMES ORGANIZATION—The March of

Dimes is a charitable organization committed to

preventing birth defects and infant death. The

organization works toward its mission through

education, advocacy and research aimed at prenatal

health, genetics and birth defects. The MOD

Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization

that works to improve the health of mothers and

babies and was founded by President Franklin D.

Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for

Infantile Paralysis, to combat polio.

WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA CANCER COALITION

(WCGCC) —The West Central Georgia Cancer

Coalition is a community made up of hospitals,

physicians, public health departments, community

organizations, businesses, and concerned citizens.

Many lives have been affected by cancer over the past

years in West Central Georgia so WCGCC is

committed to reducing the terrible effects of cancer in

West Central Georgia by providing outreach to clients

who live in Muscogee and surrounding counties in

Georgia.

THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE—Ronald

McDonald House is said to be “home-away-from-

home” for families with an ill child to stay close by

their child while they are hospitalized. The RMH

allows families to access specialized medical

treatment by providing a place to stay at little or

sometimes no cost. At every House, families can

enjoy home-cooked meals, private bedrooms, and

playrooms for children.

WEST GEORGIA EASTER SEALS—Easter Seals has

been helping individuals with disabilities and special

needs and their families live better lives for nearly 100

years. Easter Seals offers a variety of services to help

people with disabilities address life's challenges and

achieve personal goals. The lily - a symbol of spring -

was officially incorporated as Easter Seals' logo in

1952 for its association with resurrection and new life

and has appeared on each seal since.

BEST BUDDIES—Best Buddies is a social club for

Shaw High School students who may be mentally ill,

socially awkward, hearing impaired or who are

suffering from development disabilities such as autism

DEVELOPMENT

2



or Asperger’s. These students are partnered with a

buddy to attend school functions and special activities

planned for the club each month.

Goals of the Partnership The goals that the Shaw FBLA chapter set for the

project are as follows:

Show an understanding of the Americans with

Disabilities Act and related legislation and

regulations

Explore accessibility issues for members with

physical and mental disabilities

Demonstrate the ability to speak on behalf of

special populations

Demonstrate the ability to organize ideas

Explore ways to make everyday life more

accessible to all members

Create innovative ways to include members

with disabilities in FBLA programs, events, and

activities

Increase the community’s awareness of Future

Business Leaders of America

Planning Activities Used to Build a

Partnership

This project was developed from the contacts and

relationships our chapter developed through our

Georgia State Project entitled “The Trey Project –

Through Reaching Every Youth”. The purpose of the

Georgia State Project was to help members understand

the accessibility issues and opportunities for inclusion

for students with special challenges and needs.

Members explored legal requirements and assistive

technology practices, and designed innovative ways

FBLA members with special challenges can have their

time to shine.

A disability under the ADA is classified as having a

physical or mental impairment. A physical impairment

is any medical disorder, condition, disfigurement or

loss affecting one of the body systems, such as

neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs,

respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular,

reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, immune,

circulatory, hemic, lymphatic, skin, and endocrine. A

mental impairment is any mental or psychological

disorder such as intellectual disability, the formerly

mentally ill, organic brain syndrome, emotional or

mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.

Examples of impairments that are covered by the

American Disabilities Act include AIDS and its

symptoms, alcoholism, asthma, blindness or other

visual impairments, cancer, cerebral palsy, depression,

diabetes, epilepsy, hearing or speech impairments,

heart disease, migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis,

muscular dystrophy, orthopedic impairments,

paralysis, complications from pregnancy, thyroid

gland disorders, tuberculosis, and loss of body parts.

The Partnership with Business team and the FBLA

members decided to focus on the following physical

impairments: cancer, hearing impairments, and birth

defects from complications of pregnancy. They would

also concentrate on persons with mental and physical

developmental disabilities.

The following activities were planned to incorporate

into the partnership:

Complete The Trey Project to earn at least 600

points for state recognition

Conduct a Breast Cancer Awareness and

Fundraising campaign

Provide the Children’s Hospital Pediatric Unit

with wish list items

Provide volunteers for the Pediatric Unit for

activities

Arrange informative guest speakers to speak

about disabilities, cancer, and birth defects

Partner with the Shaw Best Buddies

organization to serve as mentors

Involve the Best Buddies students in our FBLA

chapter and activities

Conduct March of Dimes Awareness and

Fundraising campaigns

Deliver the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit items

from their Wish List

Provide volunteers for West Georgia Easter

Seals

DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT

3



Make donations to The Ronald McDonald

House

Because Shaw FBLA has an ongoing relationship with

the The Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical

Center, contact was made to Ms. Martha (Mailey)

Wright, Child Life Specialist. The project idea

concept was briefly explained and the project chair,

Tianna George, asked if it would be possible to form a

partnership with the Pediatric Unit and the NICU in

order to meet the project’s requirements. Ms. Wright

responded within a week with plans to form the

partnership. Also, The Ronald McDonald House was

contacted because of the families they work with

through the Pediatric Unit and the NICU. Additional

contacts were made through other organizations in the

Columbus area that deal directly with individuals

affected with disabilities. These organizations include

West Georgia Easter Seals, West Georgia Cancer

Coalition, and the March of Dimes.

Ms. Wright contacted Dr. Nichols by email for the

specific goals, objectives, and requirements of the

project and Shaw FBLA’s participation with the unit.

Ms. Wright expressed that communication by email is

more efficient than telephone calls. Therefore, to

ensure effective and timely business communication,

the teacher’s email address was used rather than a

student’s email addresses. The goals, objectives and

requirements were emailed to Ms. Wright.

The businesses, FBLA officers, Partnership with

Business team, and the Community Service Project

committees met to plan for chapter FBLA meetings,

guest speaker opportunities, service opportunities, and

project activities. A specific list of activities was

developed and forwarded to Ms. Wright at The

Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center.

During the planning phase, FBLA asked that the

partners provide the following:

1. An official partnership with The Children’s

Hospital at Midtown Medical Center Pediatric

Unit, NICU, Ronald McDonald House, the

March of Dimes, West Georgia Cancer

Coalition, and West Georgia Easter Seals

2. Guest speakers as resources on disabilities,

cancer and premature babies from West Georgia

Easter Seals, Columbus Regional NICU Social

Worker, and March of Dimes

3. Volunteer opportunities for FBLA members with

West Georgia Easter Seals

4. Service opportunities for FBLA members with

The Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical

Center and NICU

5. Social interaction opportunities for FBLA and

Best Buddies

Upon receipt of our requested provisions, Ms. Wright

sent Dr. Nichols a list of additional contact individuals

for particular activities. Mariah Pritchard was the key

contact for guest speaker events. Ms. Wright and Ms.

Kelsey Walker were designated as the point contacts

for volunteer and service opportunities. Dr. Nichols

gave the contact list to the PWB chair. Committee

meetings were scheduled to assign responsibilities of

the project. Committee members contacted partners

for guest speakers and arranged dates of availability.

Each partner was asked to provide a list of volunteer

and service opportunities that FBLA members could

participate in for the project.

Roles in Developing the Partnership Project Team: The Executive Committee took the

project from the concept phase to reality when they

presented their idea to the chapter advisers. The

project was accepted and approved. The planning

committee moved forward with the support of the

chapter members to establish a concrete plan of how

the organization of the event would be developed.

The five students began to organize chapter members

to create a leadership team that consisted of FBLA

DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT

4

Our Best Buddies Students



members and others from the student body. The first

step was to organize the Executive Project Committee.

This committee consisted of the five students who had

campaigned for the project. The committee met to

move toward a common goal. The committee formed

two sub-committees as the next step in the

organizational process. Four areas were identified.

Those included were awareness, monetary

contributions, service learning, and civic

consciousness. After being assigned these basic areas,

the Executive Committee divided the areas into

specialized tasks for the individual committee

members.

The Project Chair contacted Ms. Wright, Child Life

Specialist, by email to ask her to compose a letter

from The Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical

Center Children’s Hospital that described the

involvement between Shaw’s FBLA chapter, the

pediatric unit and NICU, and the hospital’s

willingness to serve as community resources for

Shaw’s Partnership with Business project. This letter

would permit us to meet our goal of establishing a

partnership with a hospital that serves patients in three

focus areas--women, children, and babies. The

committee also discussed the possibility of partnering

with several other businesses in the community that

would help to accomplish the goals of the Partnership

with Business and the Community Service Project

activities. Committee members contacted The

American Cancer Society and West Central Georgia

Cancer Coalition. They also contacted West Georgia

Easter Seals because they have a facility in Columbus.

Sharon Borger, West Georgia East Seals President,

was delighted to form a partnership with our PWB

team to work with the toddlers, preschoolers, and

adult classes.

Guest Speaker: The PWB team was emailed by

Valerie Ward, Easter Seals program coordinator. She

called the PWB Chair and wanted to come and speak

with our members and students at Shaw High School.

Ms. Ward felt our project was an excellent partnership

and spoke to the PWB chair about speaking to

students in a meeting. to our chapter about limitations

of individuals that are blind, deaf, and wheelchair

bound. Students had to learn about various disabilities

through an interactive workshop with activities and

role playing.

FBLA Members: The “Taking on Disability

Together” Partnership with Business project began

with educational and awareness lessons as part of the

Georgia State Project--TREY. Business students and

FBLA members participated in activities to learn

about the American Disabilities Act and how to apply

their knowledge to serve as volunteers for the

organizations in the project partnership. The lessons

were held biweekly and included interactive activities

to strengthen members’ knowledge of communication

about the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Topics

covered in the lessons ranged from guest speakers,

presentations, posters, bulletin boards, and flyers to

promote a topic of the ADA. After several weeks of

learning, the students were deeply enriched in the

“Taking on Disability Together” project. The

chapter members were tasked with providing

volunteer and service opportunities for the March of

Dimes, The Childrens’ Hospital at Midtown Medical

Center along with the NICU, and West Georgia Easter

Seals.

Business Partners: Each business partner played a

role in educating FBLA members and business

students about disabilities. The Children’s Hospital at

Midtown Medical Center Child Life Specialist spoke

to classes about childhood illnesses and the statistics

of patients served within the pediatric unit. The

Social Worker of the NICU spoke to the FBLA

membership about the purpose of the NICU and the

size of babies in the unit. Members learned that things

for these babies are so much smaller than normal

babies. She showed examples of diapers, clothing,

and pacifiers. The Volunteer Coordinator of the West

Georgia Easter Seals spoke to the FBLA members

about the programs and services offered by Easter

Seals to developmentally disabled individuals within

the Columbus community. Each of these

organizations, along with The Ronald McDonald

House, provided volunteer and service opportunities

for FBLA members to promote servant leadership

with the community. The West Georgia Cancer

Coalition provided educational materials and

promotional materials about cancer facts and myths.

5

IMPLEMENTATION



They also provided students with community service

opportunities to promote healthy living and to support

breast cancer survivors. Students made pink tutus for

survivors to wear in the annual Flash Night Pink Out

run. Lastly, the March of Dimes liaison, Shannon

Pittman, spoke to classes about the purpose of the

March of Dimes organization and how fundraising

locally helps the local hospital NICU. She also

provided a service opportunity for members to help

with incentives for the annual kickoff celebration on

February 3, 2017, at The Children’s Hospital at

Midtown Medical Center. Shaw students partnered

with Best Buddy members to serve as mentors.

Chapter Members: The role of the chapter members

during the development phase is crucial. Along with

the Partnership with Business chair and team

members, FBLA members are vital to the successful

planning and development of the overall project.

Tianna George, PWB Chair, contacted Ms. Wright,

Child Life Specialist, by email to ask her to compose a

list of needed supplies and activities that our chapter

could implement for The Children’s Hospital at

Midtown Medical Center. Other committee members,

Bryonna Burga and Josephine Embola, contacted

West Georgia Easter Seals personnel for available

volunteer opportunities at their facility. The PWB

Executive Committee organized chapter members to

create leadership teams for each of the activities and

events that would be planned. Chapter members

would form sub-committees to identify specific areas

of interest for each group: Guest Speakers, Breast

Cancer Awareness, World Prematurity Month, Linus

Fleece Security Blankets, West Georgia Easter Seals,

the Ronald McDonald House, The March of Dimes,

The Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center,

and Best Buddies. The sub-committees would assign

specialized tasks for each individual committee

member.

Organization is the most essential component needed

for success in any project. Keeping this in mind, each

committee chair met with the individual committee

members every two weeks. Each Executive

Committee member would also meet with all the

committee chairs once a month to make sure the focus

of each goal was being maintained. The Partnership

with Business Committee met every other week to

discuss ideas and progress. Committee members met

independently after school and on weekends to

participate in activities for the project. The

Partnership with Business and Community Service

Project teams adopted the use of technology to

facilitate communication between the groups.

Important information was distributed via email while

informal messages were posted on Facebook or

through text messaging. During the planning phase,

the Partnership with Business Committee developed a

theme and design for the report. Committee members

designed a timeline and outlined objectives that

corresponded to the project goals. Both project teams,

Partnership with Business and Community Service,

began coordinating efforts to identify local business

leaders in the community that could be targeted for the

project. Throughout the course of our project, the

FBLA chapter was presented with opportunities and

lessons beyond the scope of our original partnership

plans.

The following table outlines a timeline of activities for chapter participation.

Time Frame Planned Activity

AUGUST Introduced the Partnership with Business project at a monthly meeting; Developed

committees, timeline, and project activities

SEPTEMBER Contacted partners for commitment to the project; Developed contacts and activities for

partnership; Planned Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities and TREY lesson activities

OCTOBER

Conducted Breast Cancer Awareness Activities; Conducted the March of Dimes WebQuest

and Paper Pumpkins March of Dimes fundraiser; Developed activities for World Prematurity

Day (November 17); Conducted TREY lesson plans, Best Buddy activities, cancer lessons;

Listened to guest speaker

NOVEMBER Participated in the following activities: NICU Speaker, NICU donations collection, Nurse

Appreciation, TREY lesson plans, Best Buddies, Launch Trampoline Visit

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IMPLEMENTATION



DECEMBER

Visited pediatric unit – crafts with patients and patient treat bags; Visited Easter Seals to play

with toddler and preschooler classes; Brought gifts and treat bags to Easter Seals children;

Met Adult class and played UNO cards with them; Made donations to The Ronald McDonald

House; Conducted Best Buddy activities--Bowling and Christmas Shopping

JANUARY Collected donations of coloring books, crafts, personal hygiene items, travel-sized toiletries

for pediatric unit; Conducted Best Buddy activities

FEBRUARY Participated in Best Buddies Prom, FBLA Week March of Dimes Activity, and March of

Dimes Luncheon Kickoff

MARCH Prepared and planned for the Impact project with Easter Seals and the Best Buddies Special

Olympics

Conducted Character Tea Party for Easter Seals – Super Heroes and Fairy Princesses

Activities Implemented to Learn Concepts of Business Operations

THE TREY PROJECT ACTIVITIES – EDUCATIONAL TRAINING—The purpose of this partnership was to help

businesses with their mission and to bring awareness to the American Disabilities Act and the issues and

opportunities for inclusion for students with special challenges and needs. A meeting was held with the chapter

members and the Partnership with Business team to decide on the goals and activities of the project. It was

decided that activities would be conducted with patients at The Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center

and with students at West Georgia Easter Seals. FBLA Students conducted research about the American

Disabilities Act and participated in activities to explore legal requirements, assistive technology practices and

awareness of developmental disabilities. The students completed activities to earn 630 points out of 1000 points

to complete the project requirements to earn a State Project ribbon for the Georgia State Leadership Conference.

The table below gives a list of educational tasks completed by members.

Georgia State Project – Trey Project – Educational Activities Give a presentation on a topic related to ADA Prepare brochure on topic related to ADA

Research a leader or entrepreneur with a disability and

prepare presentation Create infographic about statistics or facts of ADA

Create a poster about self-driving car Create a tri-board about social and political impact of ADA

and struggles to pass legislation

Create a newsletter about respectability, tolerance, and

inclusion

Research ten different apps designed for persons with

disabilities and list in a table

Have a guest speaker speak on ADA accommodations in

business

Invite a guest speaker – Special Needs Teacher - Discussion

of struggles of people with disabilities

Create a flyer about Museum of Disability Read and summarize an article on ADA legislation

Give an oral presentation on people with disabilities

through history and impact on American culture

Present skit that teaches respectability, tolerance, and

inclusion

Conduct a workshop that discusses how businesses

accommodate persons with disabilities

Research and present career opportunities for those with

disabilities

Give a blog post discussing research on Section 503

Rehabilitation Act Amendments Prepare a PSA for National Council on Disability

Prepare a bulletin board about National Disability

Employment Awareness Month

Conduct an activity to help special needs teacher with career

planning activities

Prepare a spreadsheet to show medical expense costs

related to a disability

Research a case study dealing with special needs

accommodations in the workplace

Learn ABCs, how to count to 10, and 30 words in

American Sign Language Submit entry to Fall Motivation Rally – ADA Poster

IMPLEMENTATION

7



The Partnership with Business committee and FBLA

members narrowed the focus of their project to

include the following activities and events: Guest

Speakers, Breast Cancer Awareness, World

Prematurity Month, Linus Fleece Security Blankets,

West Georgia Easter Seals, the Ronald McDonald

House, The March of Dimes, The Children’s Hospital

at Midtown Medical Center, and Best Buddies. All

these entities serve a population that is directly

affected by the American Disabilities Act or a form of

disability.

GUEST SPEAKERS—The PWB Chair was contacted

by Ms. Valerie Ward, Program Development

Coordinator at West Georgia Easter Seals. Ms. Ward

wanted our partnership to help bring awareness to the

purpose of the Easter Seals organization and how

much assistance they need. At the October chapter

meeting, Mrs. Ward explained how developmental

disabilities affect people and each FBLA member had

to act as if they were blind, deaf, or confined to a

wheelchair. Students had a fun but enlightening

experience with the activity. Through this activity,

they were able to empathize with students at Shaw

that are wheelchair bound and hearing impaired.

Committee members also discussed the possibility of

partnering with several other businesses within the

community that would help the chapter reach the

goals for the Partnership with Business and

Community Service Project. Committee members

contacted West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition

(Paint the Town Pink) sponsors and the March of

Dimes to help Shaw’s FBLA chapter.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS—Because of our

continued partnership with The Paint the Town Pink

committee, Shaw FBLA members were enlisted to

promote the Flash Night Run community event to

support breast cancer awareness and cancer survivors.

FBLA members were asked to sell pink paper breast

cancer ribbons. The donations from these pink paper

ribbons support breast cancer research. Members sold

the paper ribbons and created a bulletin board display

in the cafeteria. Members sold ribbons and various

breast cancer awareness items during lunch periods.

The Partnership with Business Committee, along with

the Community Service Project Committee, provided

the student body with fliers and bookmarks about

cancer facts, risks, and ways of prevention. Shaw’s

students, faculty, and staff observed Pink Out Day by

wearing as much pink as possible on October 21,

2016. A donation for $133.00 was given to the West

Georgia Cancer Coalition Center.

In addition, FBLA chapter members served as

volunteers to help fill Flash Night Run participant

bags with neon lighted items for the community event.

The event was after school but 15 members

volunteered and helped other community helpers

prepare over 4,000 participant bags. Members helped

make pink tutus for the cancer survivors to wear as

they participated in the Flash Night Run or Walk

event. Members also gave water to the walkers and

runners participating in the Flash Night Run event.

This event inspired the chapter members to be

thankful for good health. Members helped with the

annual Relay for Life event. This is another

community event to support the fight against cancer

and also celebrate survivors and their battle with the

horrible disease. Members blew up balloons and

distributed them to the cancer survivors for the

Survivor Walk at the beginning of the program.

WORLD PREMATURITY MONTH—Members of

Shaw’s FBLA chapter helped to raise awareness of

premature births by supporting the NICU and March

of Dimes. After hearing the NICU social worker,

Mariah Pritchard, discuss the risks and trials that

parents face with premature babies, the project

committees presented a challenge to the chapter

membership. The committee wanted to donate

receiving blankets to the NICU. Ms. Pritchard stated

that the receiving blankets were the most needed item

for babies. The committee also wanted to donate

clothing and other products to the babies in the unit.

Students had to use decision-making skills and money

management skills to decide what items were the most

important to purchase or donate. Students had to

budget for the items and shop around for the most

economical prices to get the most benefit for the

babies. The project was a success with over 100 items

donated to the NICU. The students used desktop

IMPLEMENTATION

8



publishing skills to create nurse appreciation cards for

the staff at the NICU and the pediatric unit. FBLA

members wanted to show support and appreciation to

all the staff for the dedication shown to parents and

patients at The Children’s Hospital.

LINUS FLEECE SECURITY BLANKETS—Members

were tasked with the duty of acquiring donations of

fleece material or cash donations to purchase fleece

for the security blanket project. Students had to use

initiative, networking skills, communication skills,

and tactical skills to make tie blankets for patients at

the pediatric unit. Chapter members provided hand-

made tie blankets to 25 sick children during the

Christmas season. Students had to decide how many

blankets the unit needed, go to the fabric store, select

all the patterns for the fleece material, have the fleece

measured and cut properly, and calculate the cost so

that the allocated budget for the blanket project would

not be exceeded.

WEST GEORGIA EASTER SEALS—Members

showed love and support to individuals with

disabilities by volunteering at West Georgia Easter

Seals. Students visited the preschool and toddler

classes to play and read to the children. They also

brought them treat bags as gifts while visiting.

Volunteers also visited the Adult High Achieving

class to interact with them, form friendships, and play

UNO cards. This class teacher invited the FBLA

members back in the spring to help with the class

garden. She mentioned that the “Garden Club”

organization is always in need of donations of potting

soil, mulch, and pine straw to help maintain the

garden area. The volunteers presented the needs list

to the membership at a chapter meeting and the

donations were delivered in April when the members

returned to help the Club with the outside garden. A

spring impact project was planned which provided all

age groups with a Character Tea Party. The Easter

Seals classes dressed as a Super Hero or a Fairy

Princess and participated in a tea party and tea party

games.

FBLA members also helped the construction class

with the design and creation of the Shaw High School

entry of the West Georgia Playhouse. Each year

Shaw enters a playhouse in the auction for the West

Georgia Easter Seals fundraiser. FBLA members

assisted with painting the playhouse. They also

helped with the ticket sales at school and within the

community at various preassigned ticket locations.

THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE—Members

contacted the Ronald McDonald House to assess the

needs of the facility. Collection drives were

announced and items were collected during November

and December. Items collected included laundry

detergent, trial-size toiletries, personal hygiene items,

paper products, and cash donations. The cash

donations were used to purchase food items such as

milk, orange juice, eggs, and bread. Six members

delivered the items and took a tour of the facility to

learn more about how the Ronald McDonald House

serves families in the Columbus area. During

February, a “pop tab” campaign was conducted to

collect tabs in support of The Ronald McDonald

House and in honor of a former Shaw Raider student

that committed suicide because of mental depression.

Shaw students collected 17 pounds of tabs and

donated them to the Columbus Ronald McDonald

House. These tabs are used to combat the price of the

electricity bill at the House. Credit is given on the bill

based on how many pounds of tabs are collected and

donated.

THE MARCH OF DIMES—FBLA members and

business students learned the mission and purpose of

the March of Dimes (MOD) through the completion

of a WebQuest. Students learned how the March of

Dimes was started and the benefits and programs

offered through the March of Dimes. They learned

about the effects of birth defects or complications in

pregnancy on mothers and babies and about

opportunities that members have to serve within the

community to support the March of Dimes. Members

helped the March of Dimes coordinator stuff and

package over 200 incentive bags for businesses and

sponsors of the Walk America program and the

national donation campaign for the March of Dimes.

In October, 115 chapter members purchased paper

pumpkins and decorated them to display on a prepared

MOD bulletin board. Student decorated their

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IMPLEMENTATION



pumpkins, placed their pumpkins on the bulletin

board, and took a picture with the pumpkin display.

Shaw donated $115 from the paper pumpkin

fundraiser. Another $350 was donated from other

fundraising efforts for a $465.00 MOD donation.

THE CHILDREN’ HOSPITAL AT MIDTOWN

MEDICAL CENTER – CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL—

Many activities were completed and conducted with

the pediatric unit. Members volunteered to visit

patients in the unit to provide the sick patients with

activities while in the hospital. Members collected

coloring books, craft activity kits, crayons, and baby

onesies and pajamas that were expressed as needs of

the unit by the Child Life Specialist, Mailey Wright.

Donations were collected and 75 coloring books, 75

boxes of crayons, and 75 craft kits were delivered to

the pediatric unit. In addition, 50 onesies and 60 pairs

of pajamas were given to the temporary residents of

the unit. During the Christmas season, members

visited the unit to complete gingerbread men crafts

with patients and to play with the children. Members

and patients had a good time interacting. Treat bags

were distributed to each patient room on the pediatric

floor.

BEST BUDDIES—FBLA members were big brother

and big sister “Best Buddies” for members in the

special needs classes and those diagnosed with

development disabilities such as autism. Members of

the best buddies group also include the hearing-

impaired students at Shaw High School. FBLA

members partner with a best buddy student to make

sure they make friends and interact with the “regular”

students at school. Because the best buddy students

are typically handicapped, they don’t always

participate in school activities. The Best Buddies

group organized activities each month for the group to

participate in during field trips away from school.

Trips to Launch Trampoline, Stars and Strikes

Bowling Alley, and a shopping trip to Wal-Mart are

among the events sponsored during the first semester.

During the second semester, activities included the

Special Needs Prom in February, the Special

Olympics contest in March, and the Character Tea

Party in March.

Roles of Business Leaders in

Implementing the Project

Business Partners: Area business leaders were

involved in every aspect of our partnership and state

project participation with The Children’s Hospital at

Midtown Medical Center, the NICU, West Georgia

Easter Seals, West Georgia Cancer Coalition, The

Ronald McDonald House, and the March of Dimes.

The business leaders served as guest speakers for

chapter meetings and to individual business classes.

Primary contacts for the project were Ms. Mailey

Wright, Child Life Specialist for The Children’s

Hospital and Valerie Ward of West Georgia Easter

Seals. Speakers came from area businesses including

The Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center

NICU; Valerie Ward, West Georgia Easter Seals; and

Gloria Weston, West Central Georgia Cancer

Coalition. Other supporters included the Children’s

Miracle Network and the March of Dimes. Other

businesses that indirectly support the NICU and The

Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center as

National Sponsors of Children’s Miracle Network

include New Horizons Behavioral Health Services,

Carmike Cinemas, Circle K, Marriott, McDonald’s,

Publix, Sam’s Club, and Wal-Mart. The Paint the

Town Pink/Flash Night Run Committee recruited

students to help with activities that focused on breast

cancer awareness and prevention. Members also

participated in fundraising and community service

activities to benefit the Flash Night Run community

event.

Chapter Members: The role of the chapter members

in this partnership project was to learn an awareness

of prematurity, breast cancer, childhood illnesses, and

development disabilities. Members attended

workshops, listened to guest speakers, served as

volunteers, attended field trips to the hospital,

participated in community events, and donated to the

pediatric unit, NICU, and The Ronald McDonald

House. Chapter members participated in community

service and state project activities to include using

time management skills, linking with business

contacts, Breast Cancer Awareness, World

Prematurity Month, March of Dimes events, Linus Tie

I0

IMPLEMENTATION



Blankets project, West Georgia Easter Seals

Christmas Party, and the Columbus Regional

Pediatrics Holiday craft event. FBLA members and

advisers participated in projects that accumulated over

1700 contact hours of community service with more

than 100 members involved.

Our partnership was with The Children’s Hospital at

Midtown Medical Center Pediatric Unit and West

Georgia Easter Seals but we also used contacts within

those companies to branch out with some of their

partners—The Children’s Hospital and NICU, The

Ronald McDonald House, March of Dimes — to

participate in related activities to The Trey State

Project and our formal partnership with The


Through this partnership, project committee members,

along with other chapter members, learned the

importance of how individuals can impact and change

lives within the community. Partnering with The

Children’s Hospital and West Central Georgia Cancer

Coalition, West Georgia Easter Seals and Best

Buddies truly advanced the goals and aims of the

Shaw High School Chapter of Future Business

Leaders of America through “Taking on Disability

Together” and by turning the members’ talents into

blessings for others. This established a partnership of

awareness and compassion that will last for a lifetime.

Description of Concepts Learned

from Project & Impact of the

Project

FBLA students and business education students

gained valuable knowledge and numerous networking

contacts from the many guest speakers they

encountered through this partnership. Twenty-five

business professionals shared their expertise with

FBLA members. They talked about breast cancer

awareness, risks and prevention of breast cancer,

premature births, healthy lifestyles, development

disabilities, mental health awareness, risks, and

prevention. Through this partnership, project

committee members, along with chapter members,

learned the importance of how individuals can impact

and change lives within the community. Partnering

with The Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical

Center, West Georgia Cancer Coalition, West Georgia

Easter Seals, and Best Buddies truly advanced the

goals and aims of the FBLA Chapter by turning the

member’s talents into blessings for others. This in-

turn established a partnership of awareness and

compassion that will last for a lifetime between the

FBLA members and the children they served.

FBLA Members and the PWB chair and team

members learned valuable qualities through working

on the project. Members refined their leadership skills

by leading discussions, planning agendas and

meetings, and delegating tasks to committee members.

FBLA members learned to stay actively committed as

they dedicated many hours to completing assigned

duties and responsibilities. In addition, members

learned effective teamwork through coordinating

events and lessons with students, guest speakers, and

business partners. Members also gained a sense of

professionalism from many tasks associated with the

PWB project. By writing emails to business contacts,

members learned how to communicate in an

appropriate business style. Members also practiced

punctuality while attending meetings and events.

FBLA members learned the importance of

teambuilding while conducing this project. Each

activity or event required the members to work in

groups to accomplish specific tasks that in turn would

prove success or failure of the project. FBLA

members had to rely on each other through the

planning, development, and implementation of the

project to ensure a successful outcome. They

mastered the teamwork skills to conduct a project that

gave back to children within the community.

Degree of Involvement and

Member Impact The number of contacts made during this project was

immeasurable. We dealt primarily with The

Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center and

West Georgia Easter Seals facilities but numerous

other partnerships extended from this formal

partnership. We gained valuable community

resources from the guest speakers who spoke to our

FBLA members and our business education students.

IMPLEMENTATION

II

IMPLEMENTATION



Our students learned about risks of premature births

and children born with cancer and devastating

illnesses. Committee members took a field trip to the

hospital for the annual Crawl the Hall Christmas

Party. Students interacted with patients and parents to

help the children participate in a Christmas craft party

in the playroom in the pediatric unit. FBLA members

also played games with the patients while helping

those who were interested in making crafts. The

knowledge the students gained from this partnership is

endless. They will be able to build on this knowledge

and compassion as they prepare for real life. At some

point in time, everyone will be touched by a sick

relative, friend, parent, sibling, or colleague.

Members were also able to capture the true meaning

and importance of “Taking on Disability Together”

through participating in the partnership with The

Children’s Hospital (pediatric unit and NICU) and

West Georgia Easter Seals along with the Best

Buddies group from Shaw High School.

Rarely has one main venture been used to complete

four different major project reports, each having a

separate emphasis. We used the partnership with The

Children’s Hospital at Midtown Medical Center and

West Central Easter Seals to achieve our chapter’s

goals of completing the Community Service Project,

the Partnership with Business Project, the Chapter of

the Year activities, and the Georgia State Trey Project.

By incorporating one main undertaking into four

separate endeavors, we involved more of our FBLA

members in the whole project working together with

businesses and the community. Because of our large

chapter membership, it is sometimes difficult for a

large number to participate in chapter activities. This

business partnership helped us accomplish a chapter

goal of increasing the number of member participation

in chapter projects.

Roles of Chapter Members in

Implementing the Project

The role of the chapter members in this partnership

project was to learn an awareness of prematurity,

breast cancer, childhood illnesses, and development

disabilities. Members attended workshops, listened to

guest speakers, served as volunteers, attended field

trips to the hospital and Easter Seals, participated in

community events, and donated to the pediatric unit,

NICU, and The Ronald McDonald House. Chapter

members participated in community service and state

project activities to include using time management

skills, linking with business contacts, Crawl the Hall,

World Prematurity Month, March of Dimes events,

Linus Tie Blankets project, West Georgia Easter Seals

Christmas Party, the Columbus Regional Pediatrics

Holiday craft event, Best Buddies monthly activities,

and the West Georgia Spring Character Tea Party.

FBLA members and advisers participated in projects

that accumulated over 1700 contact hours of

community service with more than 100 members

involved.

Our partnership was with The Children’s Hospital at

Midtown Medical Center but we also used contacts

within that company to branch out with some of their

partners—The Children’s Hospital and NICU, The

Ronald McDonald House, March of Dimes — to

participate in related activities to the TREY State

Project and our formal partnership with The


Through this partnership, project committee members

and chapter members, learned the importance of

servant leadership. Partnering with The Children’s

Hospital and West Georgia Easter Seals advanced the

goals and aims of the Shaw High School Chapter of

Future Business Leaders of America by “Taking on

Disability Together” where chapter members’ tut into

practice servant leadership by putting the needs of others

first, and helping people develop and perform to the best

of their ability. This was evidenced by the publicity and

positive feedback our team received from West Georgia

Easter Seals staff and board members as well as the

feature story that aired on WTVM News Channel 9

about the Character Tea Party for Easter Seals students.

The FBLA members developed unique and caring

relationships with the students that have them going back

week after week and during the summer to volunteer and

meet the needs of the students at the Easter Seals facility.

This established a connection of volunteering and

servant leadership that will last for a lifetime.

I2

IMPLEMENTATION



Before the implementation stage could continue, a

letter was developed between the chapter members

and the organizations and mailed to each business.

Tianna George asked each business to draft a letter

describing the involvement they needed from Shaw’s

FBLA members. The letters spelled out the roles and

requirements of Shaw FBLA and each of the

organizations so that the members could be successful

in implementing various partnerships for this

partnership project.

Description of Concepts Learned from the Project and the Impact of the Project

Project Hours Month/

Date

Number

Involved

Total

Hours Setup of Partnership with Business and Community Service Project

Committees

• Executive Committee Chair Meetings

• Individual Committee Development

• Individual Committee Project Activities Development

August

September 24 138

Developed partnership with Child Life Specialist at The Childrens’ Hospital

at Midtown Medical Center—Children’s Hospital

• Emailed Child Life Specialist about needs and volunteer opportunities at

the hospital

• Held after school meetings to decide scope of project for activities

• Collected donations of craft supplies and coloring books

• Talked with fabric stores about purchasing fleece

• Decided on fleece fabric from Hancock Fabrics—Project Linus facility

• Accepted fleece donations for 25 sets of blankets for pediatric unit

• Collected donations from Wish List of The Children’s Hospital

• Sent thank you cards and candy treats for pediatric nurses and staff

• Made donation of baby onesies and pajamas to the pediatric unit

• Visited pediatric unit and completed crafts with patients/gave treat bags

• Began making blankets for pediatric unit

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

60 605

Developed and organized activities for Breast Cancer Awareness/West GA

Cancer Coalition

• Held bi-weekly and monthly committee meetings

• Conducted Think Pink Activities—fundraising, Pink Out Day—entire

student body

• Served as volunteers for Paint the Town Pink/Flash Night Run event

• Made donations to West Georgia Cancer Coalition

September

October 141 184

Developed and organized activities for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit—

Columbus Regional

• Emailed NICU Social Worker: speaking event, donations and needs for

NICU


• Met with Social Worker Mariah Pritchard

• Accepted donations for unit of receiving blankets and other needed items

• Created cards and received candy donations for NICU staff and nurses

October

November

December 88 344

I3

IMPLEMENTATION



FBLA students and business education students gained valuable knowledge and numerous networking contacts

from the many guest speakers they encountered through this partnership. Forty-five business professionals

shared their expertise with the FBLA members. They talked about breast cancer awareness, risks and

prevention of breast cancer, premature births, and healthy lifestyles.

Developed and organized activities for The Ronald McDonald House

• Emailed Ronald McDonald House volunteer coordinator


• Collected donations from Wish List of The Ronald McDonald House

website

• Delivered donations and toured the facility; learned purpose and mission

of the house

• Made donation of baby onesies and pajamas to the pediatric unit

October

November

December 31 87

Developed and organized activities West Georgia Easter Seals

• Emailed CEO of Easter Seals to get permission to participate for project

• Contacted by Valerie Ward, Volunteer Coordinator for scope of

involvement; She spoke at September meeting.

• Assessed needs of members to Easter Seals

• Planned, developed, and implemented activities with Easter Seals classes

August

September

October

November

December

January

108 379

Developed and organized activities in support of March of Dimes in

Columbus

• Sold Paper Pumpkins

• Observed World Prematurity Day

• Collected Oh, Baby Paper Heart Donations

• Packaged incentive bags for local March of Dimes coordinator for kick-

off

October

November

February 115 125

Developed and organized activities as mentors for Best Buddies at Shaw High

• Held Launch Trampoline Event

• Held Stars and Strikes Bowling/Christmas Shopping Trip

• Held Special Needs Prom

• Held Special Olympics Event

November

December

February

March

131 148

Total Members and Hours Involved for Partnership with Business Project 698 2,010

I4

IMPLEMENTATION

Partnership with Business Activities



The Shaw High School Future Business Leaders of America chapter was featured in the local newspaper several

times. Below is an article from The Columbus Times Newspaper December 12, 2016. Also, FBLA members

were featured on WTVM news. The West Georgia Easter Seals Character Tea Party was featured on the

WTVM news and website on April 25, 2017.

PUBLICITY

I5

The Columbus Times December 12, 2016

WTVM News Channel 9 April 25, 2017

Documents

“Taking on Disability Together!” · visual impairments, cancer, cerebral palsy, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, hearing or speech impairments, heart disease, migraine headaches,