- 303 Haggar College Center
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 284-4579 - Director of Media Relations
Gwen O'Brien
gobrien@saintmarys.edu
SPARK Screening for Women Entrepreneurs, Feb. 7
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579
January 18, 2012 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Saint Mary's College Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI), the go-to place for Michiana’s female entrepreneurs, is proud to announce it will once again offer the SPARK entrepreneurship training program. The eleven-week program, which will take place from February 14-April 26 at the College, is aimed at under-resourced, high-potential women entrepreneurs. The intent of the program is to assist women in “sparking” or launching successful businesses.
Those interested in taking part in SPARK must apply in person at the screening on Tuesday, February 7 from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the media center collaboratory (room B11) on the lower level of the Cushwa-Leighton Library. Twelve to 14 women will be selected to join the program. They must commit to meeting every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a fee of $150 is due on the first day of class. Classes will take place in the media center collaboratory. Click for a campus map.
WEI is a joint endeavor between the Department of Business Administration and Economics and the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership (CWIL) at Saint Mary's College. SPARK is a community-driven effort facilitated by WEI. SPARK is modeled after a successful program in San Francisco called the Women’s Initiative.
Martha Smith, WEI’s project director, has led entrepreneurial outreach in the South Bend community, which includes the initiation of SPARK and offering assistance to minority women business owners, among other local efforts. Smith is a local entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in small business management.
“Through its comprehensive entrepreneurship training program and subsequent follow up support, the community action group behind SPARK hopes to assist low-income, high-potential women with the opportunity to create jobs for themselves and others and ultimately increase their economic self-sufficiency,” said Smith.
This is the second time WEI has offered this program. The first SPARK program, held in the summer of 2011, helped 13 women with their entrepreneurial business plans, with four entrepreneurs launching businesses so far.
To contact Smith, email her at wei@saintmarys.edu or call (574) 284-5262.
About the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI): In 2009, the College received a $245,000 Small Business Administration grant to support women’s entrepreneurship programming in the South Bend community, which led to the creation of WEI. The initiative was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Department of Business Administration and Economics (BUEC) and the staff of the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership (CWIL). Through WEI, which got underway in the spring of 2010, the College is partnering with community businesses, non-profits and organizations to provide a number of financial and business education services to women entrepreneurs. WEI is pronounced "we."
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” for 2012 published by U.S.News and World Report. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
