Thanks to a $1,200 Lowe's Community Improvement Challenge Grant, the UNC Charlotte Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team improved the classroom security and provided essential classroom supplies for one teacher’s classroom at West Charlotte High School.
In November of 2010, a science classroom was robbed of a projector valued at over $1,000 and some basic classroom supplies. At that time, UNC Charlotte SIFE was working with the science teacher, Mr. Greg Schermbeck, on a character education project sponsored by the Success Foundation and Choice Translating. SIFE students worked with the West Charlotte students on issues such as decision making, goal setting, and personal responsibility. The Lowe's Community Improvement Challenge Grant afforded SIFE the opportunity to help Mr. Schermbeck make his classroom a little more secure and to add some classroom supplies that will help him engage his students.
Matt Murrow, Co-Project Leader of the character education project, said, "It's heartbreaking to see these students deprived of essential supplies. They face many challenges in their lives so we were determined to reduce the chance of future theft."
The UNC Charlotte SIFE team won the Lowe's grant to purchase a Gladiator storage cabinet, 20 personal dry erase boards, materials for science experiments and paint to repaint some of the school mascot lion paws around the campus. The Gladiator cabinet will help to protect items against theft while the dry erase boards help with make the classroom more interactive.
“The Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation and the UNC Charlotte SIFE team have graciously donated their time, money and energy to help my students”, said Greg Schermbeck. Schermbeck continued, “All students deserve to have a safe and engaging educational environment. Lowe’s and SIFE have helped me to accomplish this goal.”
UNC Charlotte SIFE students, Greg Schermbeck, about a dozen West Charlotte students, and two Lowe’s employees teamed up on a Saturday morning in late March to make the improvements to the Schermbeck’s classroom. Matt Murrow remarked “We are astonished that we had such a great turnout on a Saturday morning. It shows that these students not only want to better themselves but to help their classmates as well. We are grateful to Lowe’s for giving us this opportunity to change lives for years to come.”
According to Lowe’s, 147 SIFE teams from across the nation applied for the Lowe’s Community Improvement Challenge Grant. 50 teams were selected to receive the grants to pay for structural improvement of community, educational, municipal, or residential facilities or operations. Applications were due in December and the winners were announced in early January. Projects are designed to be completed by early June. Twenty-five out of the fifty SIFE teams are eligible to receive an extra $2,000 dollar grant from Lowe’s upon submission of an impact report.
Greg Schermbeck originally joined West Charlotte High School in the 2008 – 2009 school year as a Teach for America volunteer. That year he won the First Year Teacher of the Year award at West Charlotte High School.
SIFE Profile
Students in Free Enterprise is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills needed to become socially responsible business leaders. There are approximately 1,500 active SIFE teams in about 40 different countries around the world. The UNC Charlotte SIFE team’s mission is toleverage our business skills and entrepreneurial spirit to empower people in need to succeed – personally, professionally, or financially – by implementing sustainable projects developed with our community and business partners.
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