The ETSU Elevates Pitch Event took place Monday, Oct. 5. Seven teams presented the projects they have been working on and the progress they’ve made, along with their future goals. Each team received initial funding of $2,000 to go toward their project, and the winners of the pitch received extra funding to continue their efforts.
In first place was Play it Forward by Emily Jenkins and Sophie Greear in partnership with Coalition for Kids. They focused on making music education more accessible for children who lack access to music programming in their communities or at school.
“I think we learned that this project was never about the two of us. It was always about our students. Our original curriculum was so beyond what the students needed, so we had to go back and refine, but that also meant that we were able to spend more intentional time on the activities that we did do,” Greear said.
Coalition for Kids works to provide access to after-school programs for students who otherwise wouldn’t have these opportunities. Over the summer, Jenkins and Greear implemented music education workshops into the Coalition’s available programming opportunities.
“ETSU Elevates has helped me learn how to share my passion about something, to be able to look at a problem and identify ways that I can help serve and ways I can find partnerships and teamwork and be able to use tools that are available to make the project the most impactful that it can be, and then to be able to share that passion and help inspire others to do the same thing,” Jenkins said.
“Learning how to take what we cared about and make it into a tangible, actionable plan has been incredibly beneficial for this project but also in other areas of my life where I want to make a difference and places that need more action instead of just thought,” Greear said.
Going forward with their increased funding from the award, Jenkins and Greear plan to focus on purchasing more instruments for the children to use as they continue growing in their music education. They also plan to continue implementing their curriculum further out into the region as Coalition for Kids continues to expand through the Tri-Cities area. They’re hoping to begin training more volunteers to help with the growth of Play it Forward to provide these opportunities for as many young students as possible.
“As much as we want the kids to take pride in what we’re teaching them and what they’re learning, it’s also important for us to take pride in the difference that we’re making in our communities because like Emily said, this is where we’re from, this is what shaped us, this is the culture that built us. So that’s why we love it so much,” Greear said.
Connecting Beyond Barriers by Sarah Joseph and Zara Rashid in partnership with The River was awarded second place. Their project worked with women facing housing instability and homelessness by hosting events to provide connections and community to help build support systems for the women.
You Decide by Hunter Mehaffey and Corey Ray in partnership with East Tennessee Artscapes was awarded third place. Their project focused on challenging misinformation and the literacy crisis through a card game that teaches people to hone their media literacy and recognize misinformation in real situations.
Healthy Together by Lauren Yobst, in partnership with Good Samaritan Ministries, won the People’s Choice award. Her project was focused on connecting the homeless community in the region to health care access for both people and their pets.
ETSU Elevates began in 2019 to provide an opportunity for students to get involved in ETSU’s mission of promoting and improving the quality of life in the region and has continued to grow since then.
Applications for the next year of ETSU Elevates will be opening by the end of the week for anyone interested in starting their own project to help make a difference in the region.
