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Volunteer Profile David Boone |
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Click on any image to see a larger version of the image. |
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David helping a student with his
business plan |
I'm a
fan of E CITY because…
…I'm impressed with the staff, the program and the participants.”
He first heard of E CITY in the spring of 2002 at a dinner party,
where he met someone who was affiliated with the fledgling
o rganization. He was intrigued by their need for volunteer
judges for the program’s business plan competition, and he stepped up
to help.
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Since that time,
David has volunteered at nearly every one of the E CITY’s subsequent
programs, giving more than 80 hours. "I was
immediately impressed with the students and the program. I had never
seen anything like it, and I felt it was a valuable asset to our
community," he says, as he explains his extraordinary gift of time to
E CITY’s mission.
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David’s favorite volunteer role is
that of business plan coach. Near the end of E CITY’s program,
he and other coaches work one-on-one with each student, to help them
formulate their own business ideas, and create a presentation for the
culminating business plan competition.
"To
conceptualize, develop and present a business idea is a challenging
thing for middle school students," he says. "Yet each of these
students is interested and puts forth the effort to complete the
program."
With his own vast
background in business creation and acquisition, David knows the level
of commitment and acumen that is required by these young
entrepreneurial students. David spent many years working in a
management consulting firm that he founded in New York City, which
grew to have seven additional offices along the east coast.
Interestingly enough, much of the service they provided was to
minority business owners, in the form of business plan development.
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Letters of support from parents, students and volunteers |
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David Boone watching a business plan competition |
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Is previous business expertise
needed to be a business plan coach for E CITY students? Not at all,
according to David. "There is a camaraderie among all of the
coaches- we help those volunteers who are new and there is an open
idea exchange. The adult guidance is what is valuable to the
students."
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David helping another student with his
business plan |
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"The
kids are like sponges, absorbing everything. We don’t realize
how vast our own experience is and when you relate it to the kids,
they like that. And the teaching becomes very fulfilling for
you."
"Whether these students become entrepreneurs or not,
this program opens up new horizons for them,” he explains. “They
get a great deal out of it. I sometimes think about how valuable
it would have been to me as a kid. The program is a gem."
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