Grow the Good Gala
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Mission
The Mendoza College of Business works to inspire virtuous individuals with diverse interests and
uncommon potential to become purpose-driven leaders. It is no longer sufficient, in our personal lives, our workplaces, and our communities, to continue with business as usual. Our class hopes to Grow the Good in Business through personal achievement, business innovation, and societal growth. The Grow the Good Gala was seeded and developed by Mendoza MBAs who recognized the unique ability of every Mendoza graduate student to act on that mission while in school. The gala unites and activates the entire Mendoza graduate student population around the mission of a local South Bend nonprofit. Additionally, the gala connects students, faculty, and staff across the Mendoza Graduate Business programs for a night of philanthropy, community, and fun.
Mendoza graduate students held the first annual Grow the Good Gala in December 2022. We partnered with Cultivate Food Rescue, a leader in perishable food rescue, procurement, redistribution, and education that seeks to meet the nutritional needs of the South Bend community. Cultivate Food Rescue has rescued nearly 3,000,000 pounds of food and served over 600,000 meals to our local community. Over the next year, they hope to raise funds to build a community cold storage facility that will increase storage capacity and will be made available free of charge to the community pantries and agencies to further support those in need. Funds from the gala helped Cultivate advance this goal.
The Gala in Numbers
The first annual Grow the Good Gala was spearheaded by 27 volunteers, including 17 MBAs and 10 Specialized Masters students representing most masters programs. It was attended by 280 members of the Mendoza community, including 28 faculty and staff, 152 MBAs, and 100 Specialized Masters students.
The gala raised $11,670 from the silent auction and generous donations made by benefactors. Additionally, we were able to donate $4,000 in catered meals to Cultivate Food Rescue for distribution to the local community. In total, we gave $15,670 to Cultivate Food Rescue.
Vision for the Future
The success of the first year inspired students to make the gala an annual event for the entire Mendoza community. We hope that the gala will become a treasured tradition for every Mendoza graduate student, faculty, and staff.
In the future, the Grow the Good Gala will benefit a different South Bend nonprofit every year. By championing a wide variety of community organizations, we hope to provide support to all facets of our local community. The gala will also seek corporate sponsorships to maximize the funds to be given to the benefiting charity by minimizing costs. We also plan to extend leadership to EMBAs to be truly reflective of the entire graduate student population, and to involve alumni to participate in the gala.