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Posted: 6/05/13

TAMIU Enactus Group Gets Special Award

 

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A team of Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) students recently received a special award from the Campbell Corporation for its work in gathering more than 5,000 pounds of food donations for Laredo.

The award to TAMIU ENACTUS was given at the ENACTUS National Exposition and Competition in Kansas City, Mo. last month.

ENACTUS is a community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to enable human progress.

TAMIU ENACTUS was one of 156 teams that competed in the ENACTUS National Competition. The presentation team consisted of Yesinia Macías, Danny Jiménez, Jessica García, Jesús Reyes, Gustavo Martínez, David Canseco, with Ana Kristel Gamboa in charge of the audio and video operation of the presentation.

Dr. Robert Evans, ENACTUS advisor, said that Nancy Reagan, vice president of Global Walmart at Campbell Sales Company, said that TAMIU ENACTUS had “done a wonderful job of serving the community locally and representing TAMIU Nationally.”

Through one of its projects, TAMIU ENACTUS assisted a local non-profit organization, Volunteers Serving the Need (VSTN), by collecting food donations for hungry veterans. The team’s contribution, which also included assisting VSTN in creating a database to record financial transactions, helped increase veterans being served in the community from 130 to 580.

VSTN provides eligible families with supplemental groceries, frozen foods and personal hygiene products every month.

While TAMIU ENACTUS failed to advance to the final day of the competition, students were proud of their accomplishments, Dr. Evans said.

“Although the students were disappointed with the results of the competition, they were proud of what they had accomplished in Laredo and the surrounding communities, and most of all, they were extremely proud to have represented TAMIU on a national stage in front of senior executives from companies such as Walmart, Bimbo Bakeries, Hersey Corporation, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and many other Fortune 500 companies.”

Aside from collecting food donations, TAMIU ENACTUS has worked on planting a community vegetable garden in El Cenizo for low-income families. The group also completed 110 tax returns primarily for fellow students, successfully securing $120,000 in refunds and saving student clients $21,000 in preparation fees. With accurate returns in hand, many students were able to more effectively secure financial aid.

The organization has also been involved in “the Bazaar,” a weekend market where local artists gather to showcase and sell their work at the French Quarter in North Laredo.

For more information, please contact Dr. Evans at 326.2846, e-mail robert.evans@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in Western Hemispheric Trade Center, 217C.

Summer University office hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Friday.


Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu