Audience determines outcome of first ETSU Elevates Pitch Competition

JOHNSON CITY (Nov. 19, 2019) – Three teams were successful in convincing spectators that their service projects were worthy of $5,000 service grants from East Tennessee State University to fund projects aimed at improving the lives of people across the region.

Now it is time to get to work.

Five teams were randomly chosen from a pool of applicants to present their service project ideas at the first ETSU Elevates Pitch Competition Monday night at the Millennium Center. Teams had seven minutes to present and then answered questions from the audience. At the conclusion of the pitches, each audience member physically present was eligible to vote and determine the three winners.

Leadership Kingsport: Working for a Fresh Start  (pictured above) earned the most points and will receive an ETSU Elevates service grant. The first place team is comprised of members from Leadership Kingsport Class of 2020, along with Roosevelt Elementary School, ETSU’s Student Social Work Association, Roan Scholars Leadership Program, and other community partners. The team aims to improve an existing program at Roosevelt Elementary called “Fresh Start Morning Club” for students who often arrive at school underprepared for the day. The program provides students with basic hygiene supplies, a quiet place for breakfast, homework assistance, and a clean set of clothes while theirs get washed. The team will use the grant to establish a permanent room for the Fresh Start Morning Club, supply it with hygiene products and enlist volunteers to provide homework tutoring.

The second recipient of $5,000 is Johnson City Public Library Teens. The Johnson City Public Library plans to use the service grant to expand the existing “Stories to Service” project into a “De-Stress Week” to host programs teaching various relaxation methods and providing materials for mental health awareness. The culminating event will be a community expo with activities and information for all ages to teach people strategies for better care such as yoga, healthy recipe demonstrations, art therapy, pet therapy and guided meditation. These programs will offer opportunities for several collaborations with community organizations and ETSU Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement.

ETSU Elevates Housing placed third and is represented by Appalachia Service Project (ASP), ETSU College of Public Health and Ballad Health Department of Population Health. The groups will work together to launch  “Healthy Homes: Tri-Cities” to provide critical home repairs for families in the Tri-Cities region in need of warmer, safer and drier housing. The majority of these repairs will be made by volunteers from the region to elevate one family at a time out of substandard housing. In an effort to select the projects with the greatest potential return on investment for the patient and stakeholders, projects may be referred by Ballad Health or ASP will select applicants with stated health concerns.

The two teams that did not receive ETSU Elevates service grants, Women’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration Coalition and Appalachian Outdoors RecPreneurs, remain eligible. These teams, as well as the applicants not selected to participate in the pitch competition, and any new applications submitted, will be in the running for the next competition. Three service grants will be awarded each month from January-April 2020. The next ETSU Elevates application deadline is Jan. 10.  

President Brian Noland announced this new major initiative last month on the anniversary of the East Tennessee State Normal School dedication, Oct. 10, 1911. Through ETSU Elevates, $90,000 will be awarded to fund service projects across the region. Teams consisting of at least one member of the ETSU community (faculty, staff, students, organizations, departments, colleges) and surrounding community (individuals, non-profits, faith-based organizations, schools, civic groups etc.) are eligible to submit applications outlining how they would use ETSU Elevates service grants to elevate their projects and the region.

To learn more about ETSU Elevates, including updates on the winners, application information, deadlines and event dates, visit www.etsu.edu/ETSUelevates. For additional information, contact ETSUelevates@etsu.edu or 423-439-4317.