Volunteering is something that everyone can take part in as a way to give back to the community and to engage with your peers. One part of the Bradley community recently got to take part.
On Feb. 19, Bradley’s chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) hosted an hour-long volunteering event, “Encouraging the 309,” in a classroom in the Business and Engineering Convergence Center.
AMA members gathered to make encouraging cards for a charity called Dream Center Peoria. A not-for-profit organization located in downtown Peoria, the goal of the Dream Center, as stated on their website, is to “impact families living in poverty, starting with kids and youth.”
Jalen Craglione, a junior marketing major, came up with the volunteering idea as he had previous knowledge of the charity.
“I liked [the Dream Center’s] reach in the community,” Craglione said. “I like how they help a large amount of people and I thought this event would be a good way to give back, provide encouragement and offer … a little creativity.”
This event was in connection with Dream Center Peoria’s current “Shower Shelter Guests With Cards” volunteer program.
The cards were crafted on colorful construction paper with messages including “Acknowledge your greatness,” “You matter” and “Everyday is a chance to be better.”
“Encouraging the 309” is not the first of AMA’s events that strived to encourage community engagement. Their annual toy drive benefits the Peoria Children’s Home. Last semester, AMA members and other Bradley students collectively donated $455 and a bin full of toys.
AMA is composed of both marketing and non-marketing majors, and their goals include teaching a variety of skills, helping their members network and providing resources to grow members’ personal brands.
“We do a lot of not only group development … but we also believe a lot in personal and professional development,” Matthew Klein, senior management and leadership major, said. “We try to have different speakers from around the community or even sometimes from the region [discuss] a variety of topics.”
Bradley’s chapter of AMA is a part of a national network, giving them access to another level of resources.
“In addition to our chapter resources, there’s a lot of national resources,” Klein said. “[For example] there’s a national job board so they have a lot of jobs posted specifically for AMA, exclusive opportunities.”
More information about AMA’s upcoming events and opportunities can be found on the chapter’s Instagram.
