The Ivey mission statement is “to develop business leaders who … contribute to the societies in which they operate.” This last phrase is arguably the most important. As future business leaders, we have an obligation to give back to the communities that helped shape our success. The first step is to develop a mindset of serving others in whatever way we can, throughout our careers.
This week, my classmates and I participated in Ivey Impact Day — a day dedicated to giving back to the London community through a series of activities such as tree care, organ donor sign-up, and consulting projects for various non-profits. Student teams spread across London spent the entire day volunteering for fantastic organizations such as ReForest London, beadonor.ca, SoJo, Verge Capital, and Klink Coffee. We learned to apply our business knowledge to the non-profit sector but, more importantly, we started internalizing our duty to give back.
My team volunteered for ReForest London and we helped with “tree aftercare,” which entails removing weeds and invasive species, adding mulch, and covering the tree trunks with plastic guards. It was a great learning experience (my landscaping abilities have definitely improved!) and a fun opportunity to bond with our peers outside of the classroom.
A special thank you to the Ivey Social Impact Club, specifically Andrea Huitron, Owen Chung, and Anthony Sage who organized the event and made it a success!