In recognition of having given more than 200 hours of volunteer time to the National Park Service this year, Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business MBA program earned a 2017 National Park Service Award. The awards ceremony was held during a volunteer appreciation luncheon at the Women in Military Service Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.
In total, 150 full-time and evening MBA students in the McDonough MBA program collectively logged more than 426 hours of volunteer service. These volunteer efforts were part of a partnership with the National Parks that began three years ago after the MBA program built community service into orientation. Now, during MBA orientation, students spend a half-day dedicated to a service project followed by a social networking hour. Each year, more than 100 students participate and give their time to the National Parks Service.
“The National Parks is a great partner, as students who are new to D.C. also get a chance to see the National Mall and other iconic scenery shortly after their move and prior to classes starting,” Chelsea Thies, director of operations and student service for the McDonough MBA program, said as part of a news story on the school website. The award “really showcases the integrity of the individuals being admitted and entering into Georgetown’s MBA program—willing to wake up early on a Saturday before classes even start to give back to our community and to our nation’s capital.”
This year, full-time and evening MBA students who participated in the half-day service project spent time painting fences and benches along the National Mall. In prior years, students have spent time weeding and beautifying the grounds around the Martin Luther King Jr. and Thomas Jefferson memorials. They’ve also helped clean up Lady Bird Johnson Park.
For participating students, there’s the additional opportunity to use their service hours to count toward the MBA Community Fellows Program, which recognizes students who give more than 100 hours of community service by April of their graduating year.
