Almost 200 people filled the Millenium Center on Nov. 18 for the first ETSU Elevates pitch competition for service projects benefitting the community.

“Leadership Kingsport: Working for a Fresh Start” won first place; “Johnson City Public Library Teens” took second; and “ETSU Elevates Housing” won third place.

  • (Photograph by Raina Wiseman / East Tennessean)
  • (Photograph by Raina Wiseman / East Tennessean)

“It was a fun process,” said Sam Garcia, competition presenter and ETSU student. “I sat in the meeting whenever this was in the process, and I knew this was going to be a great program. I’m very service-oriented, and once I saw that this was going to happen, I knew that I wanted to get in because I knew that I wanted to help my community.”

Garcia presented with the Leadership Kingsport team and was part of a student committee that gave feedback on ETSU Elevates plans before the initiative was officially announced.

ETSU Elevates is a service grant competition similar to “Shark Tank.” At each pitch competition, five teams present their service idea, and audience members vote for their favorites. First, second and third place winning teams each receive $5,000 for their project.

“As we sat down this summer and talked through, for me, what is a grand challenge, I never could have envisioned all of this would come together,” said ETSU President Brian Noland.

Noland spoke to the audience at the pitch competition about the university goal to contribute to the community.

“That’s why we’re all here,” he said. “And as I stood in the back tonight and had an opportunity to listen to each of the groups, it really was rewarding to see the depth, the breadth, the diversity … to focus on a mission. Not a campus mission but our collective mission: How do we improve the quality of life for people in this region?”

First place Leadership Kingsport: Working for a Fresh Start’s initiative is to enhance the “Fresh Start Morning Club” at Roosevelt Elementary by creating a permanent space for the club and volunteers as well as provide extra hygiene items needed. Fresh Start Morning Club is a program that assists children who need extra assistance and support before starting the school day.

In second place, Johnson City Public Library Teens aims to provide a week-long program about mental health awareness and coping with stress, which expands upon the already existing “Stories to Service” at the library.

ETSU Elevates Housing took third for their idea to create “Healthy Homes: Tri-Cities.” This project would provide local families with needed home repairs to ensure their safety and comfort.

A total of 176 votes were cast for the pitch competition, according to Stacey Miller, ETSU special events coordinator. The votes were counted by ETSU Internal Audit.

“For the first time event, I thought we had a very good crowd,” Miller said. “We had amazing applications; wonderful pitches.”

The competition is funded by a $90,000 grant. Competing teams are randomly drawn about a week before the pitch competition. Four more pitch competitions will be held during this academic year. To apply for ETSU Elevates, visit https://www.etsu.edu/etsuelevates/.