Blog Archive Beyond the MBA Classroom Building Goodness at UVA Darden

Blog Archive Beyond the MBA Classroom Building Goodness at UVA Darden When you select an MBA program, you are not just choosing your learning environment but are also committing to becoming part of a community. Each Thursday, we offer a window into life “beyond the MBA classroom” at a top business school. Every spring, students at the University of Virginia (UVA) Darden School of Business take a day to partner with area contractors and builders to rehabilitate houses in the Charlottesville area for low-income, disabled, and elderly homeowners. The preparations for “build day” take much of the school year. Students involved with the Building Goodness Foundation select the projects, coordinate the suppliers and volunteers, collect the necessary funds, and apply for permits. Since the program’s inception in 1991, Darden students have volunteered thousands of hours of their time, in addition to investing more than $1M in improvements in the area. In December, the organization sponsors a formal ball as a fundraiser for the event. The ball features a live auction that takes place between a cocktail hour and a sit-down dinner and dancing. A first-year blogger raved about the ball in a February 2012 post, saying it “has been hands-down one of my favorite events to date. Not only was i t an incredible social event, but it was a friendly reminder that it’s not all about ‘increasing shareholder value.’” In April 2014, several hundred Darden students made improvements to a dozen homes in the Charlottesville area. A first year commented in a Charlottesville Newsplex article that month, “A day like today, we all come out in force and do as much as we can to help out [with] little projects around the house,” adding, “To meet some of the people in the community and do something for someone else, it’s a good feeling.” For in-depth descriptions of social and community activities at UVA Darden and 15 other top MBA programs, check out the  mbaMission Insider’s Guides. Share ThisTweet Beyond the MBA Classroom University of Virginia (Darden) Blog Archive Beyond the MBA Classroom Building Goodness at UVA Darden When you select an MBA program, you are not just choosing your learning environment, but are also committing to becoming part of a community. Each Thursday, we offer a window into life “beyond the MBA classroom” at a top business school. Every spring, students at the University of Virginias Darden School of Business participate in Building Goodness in April, taking a day to partner with area contractors and builders to rehabilitate houses in the Charlottesville area for low-income, disabled and elderly homeowners. The preparations for “build day” take much of the school year. Students involved with the Building Goodness Foundation select the projects, coordinate the suppliers and volunteers, collect the necessary funds and apply for permits. In December, the organization sponsors a formal ball as a fundraiser for the event. The event features a live auction between a cocktail hour and a sit-down dinner and dancing. A first-year student described Building Goodness in April in a February 2012 blog post as “a yearlong philanthropic undertaking aimed at strengthening the local community,” adding that the 2011 auction and ball raised $65,000. Past items up for auction have included an airplane ride for two over Charlottesville; vacation home stays in such places as Marcos Island (Florida), Lake Tahoe, Spain, and Puerto Rico; Dean Robert Bruner’s annual Monopoly game for four; and various other offers and services, such as guitar lessons, baked goods for a month, and designated driver responsibilities for a night. One student even offered to eat a dozen powdered donuts and then let the auction winner punch him in the stomach. That same student blogger raved about the holiday ball, saying, “The Holiday Ball for BGiA [Building Goodness in April] has been hands-down one of my favorite events to date. Not only was it an incredible social event, but it was a friendly reminder that it’s not all about ‘increasing shareholder value.’” For in-depth descriptions of social and community activities at UVA Darden and 15 other top MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides. Share ThisTweet Beyond the MBA Classroom University of Virginia (Darden) Blog Archive Beyond the MBA Classroom Building Goodness at UVA Darden When you select an MBA program, you are not just choosing your learning environment but are also  committing to becoming part  of  a community. Each Thursday, we offer a window into life “beyond the MBA classroom” at a top business school. Every spring and fall, students at the University of Virginia (UVA) Darden School of Business take a day to partner with area contractors and builders to help people in the community. Each April, 250â€"300 volunteers take part in the project and rehabilitate a dozen or more houses in the Charlottesville area for low-income, disabled, and elderly homeowners. And in the fall, 50â€"80 volunteers help area organizations such as children’s camps and learning centers. The preparations for “build days” take months. Students involved with the Building Goodness Foundation select the projects, coordinate the suppliers and volunteers, collect the necessary funds, and apply for permits. Since the program’s inception in 1991, Darden students have volunteered thousands of hours of their time, in addition to investing more than $1M in improvements in the area. Each year,  the organization hosts a fundraiser auction for the event,  where students offer such items up for grabs as a home-cooked meal and a private plane ride to Oktoberfest. A first year commented in an April 2014 Charlottesville Newsplex article, “A day like today, we all come out in force and do as much as we can to help out [with] little projects around the house,” adding, “To meet some of the people in the community and do something for someone else, it’s a good feeling.” For in-depth descriptions of social and community activities at UVA Darden and 15 other top MBA programs, check out the  mbaMission Insider’s Guides. Share ThisTweet Beyond the MBA Classroom University of Virginia (Darden) Blog Archive Beyond the MBA Classroom Building Goodness at UVA Darden When you select an MBA program, you are not just choosing your learning environment but are also making a commitment to a community. Each Thursday, we offer a window into life “beyond the MBA classroom” at a top business school. Every spring, UVA Darden students take a day to partner with area contractors and builders to rehabilitate houses in the Charlottesville area for low-income, disabled, and elderly homeowners. The preparations for “build day” take much of the school year. Students involved with the Building Goodness Foundation select the projects, coordinate the suppliers and volunteers, collect the necessary funds, and apply for permits. In December, the organization sponsors a formal ball as a fundraiser for the event. The ball features a live auction that takes place between a cocktail hour and a sit-down dinner and dancing. A first-year blogger raved about the ball in a February 2012 post, saying it “has been hands-down one of my favorite events to date. Not only was it an incredible social event, but it was a friendly reminder that it’s not all about ‘increasing shareholder value.’” In April 2014, several hundred Darden students made improvements to a dozen homes in the Charlottesville area. A first year commented in a Charlottesville Newsplex article that month, “A day like today, we all come out in force and do as much as we can to help out [with] little projects around the house,” adding, “To meet some of the people in the community and do something for someone else, it’s a good feeling.” For in-depth descriptions of social and community activities at UVA Darden and 15 other top MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides. Share ThisTweet Beyond the MBA Classroom University of Virginia (Darden)