After Patrick Force suffered a spinal cord injury (SCI), he and his wife, Caitlin, began to develop resources for others with SCIs.
Harnessing student innovation to support emerging nonprofit
Graduate students equally impressed and inspired their audience when they recently presented detailed business proposals as their MBA capstone project for an emerging, local nonprofit: The Force Recovery Foundation.
Moira Tolan, professor of Business, and Lawrence Force, professor of Psychology and director of the Mount's Center on Aging and Disability Policy, partnered to provide Tolan's MBA students with a unique and multifaceted capstone project experience, rooted in the Mount's mission to provide service-based learning.
Force's son, Patrick, suffered a spinal cord injury (SCI) in 2019. The Force family, led by Patrick and his wife Caitlin, decided to create resources that promoted physical, emotional, and psychological healing for those with SCIs, founding the nonprofit organization Force Recovery.
With special gratitude for the support of Fr. Greg Fluet, campus chaplain; Joan Kaplan and the Kaplan Family Foundation; Elizabeth Rowley and staff from the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan County; and family and friends, Force Recovery was established to be an advocacy voice and to develop a presence for individuals and families addressing spinal cord recovery (SCR).
"That's the passion you need to make starting a nonprofit organization successful," noted Lauren Giacalone, one of Tolan's students. "So, we're so incredibly inspired by that mission and the Force family's passion for becoming this vital and much needed resource."
That inspiration fueled the projects. From budgeting strategies to creative social media approaches, each group proposed their plan for a solid foundation that Force Recovery can begin building on immediately.
And according to Tolan, the foundation has done just that.
"Some of the strategies are already being pursued by the foundation, including a possible alliance with Habitat for Humanity," she said.
Tolan added that there will be elements of each project put into place as the foundation moves forward.
It's an unsurprising decision, based on Force's reaction to the projects: "The students did a speculator job under the guidance and leadership of Dr. Moira Tolan. This is like going up to a dessert bar and somebody saying, 'pick one.' There's no chance. You have to choose them all. Everyone of these projects is based upon creativity coupled with good marketing and guided by strong business practices."
With only eight weeks to come up with their strategic business plans, the MBA students were fully committed to being a source of knowledge and innovation for the foundation with each idea they contributed.
Patrick Force offered his hopes for the future of the Force Recovery Foundation.
"My goal is to create something that is long-lasting for people, and create sustainable inspiration, and I think it can be programs and assets like you guys have presented here tonight," he said.
For more information about the Force Recovery Foundation or to donate, visit www.theforcerecovery.com