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Finance 199

To educate students lacking basic financial literacy skills, SIFE partnered with Coker’s students and professors to create the Finance 199 course. Finance 199 teaches personal financial concepts to students using Coker’s interactive round table learning model.

Finance 199 teaches students about:

• Credit cards
• Credit score
• Paying off debt
• Financing major purchases
• Investments
• Retirement savings

Teaching Professionalism

To further prepare students for life after graduation, SIFE organized and developed a series of seminars to teach skills and strategies for gaining and retaining employment. With the help of Sonoco, SIFE recruited speakers from local businesses to discuss professionalism in the workforce.

Speakers discussed:

• Business attire
• Business etiquette
• Interviewing
• Resume building

Kalmia Gardens Projects

SIFE also organized several projects to provide unique ways for Kalmia Gardens of Coker College to raise funds for its operating budget while attracting more foot traffic to the grounds.

• Duck Cup Race - provided $1,500 through sales of ducks for the race
• Oyster Roast - with SIFE’s participation, there was a 50% increase in ticket sales, totaling $5,500
• Scavenger Hunt - 100 young students attended, learned about environmental sustainability and how their actions affect the environment

Business Incubator

Working with downtown business associates, SIFE improved local business operations in Hartsville by generating customers, improving sales and establishing an online presence.

SIFE targeted four local businesses:

• Burry Bookstore
• Carla's Hair Place
• Hartsville Furniture
• Rambo's Shoes

Students met with business owners to determine what the businesses needed most to improve operations and increase revenue. SIFE students received a $50,000 grant to meet the local businesses needs.

$10,000 of the grant is committed to:

• Equipment/asset acquisition
• Structural improvements
• Web development costs

Habitat for Humanity

SIFE is planning a benefit for Habitat home owners to educate them on important concepts for their financial success. The home owners will be provided with information about their credit score and other crucial financial literacy concepts to help them become financially secure.

SAT Prep

SIFE partnered with St. Bartholomew’s Church, Coker Professor John Foster, Burry Bookstore and Darlington High School to organize an SAT review program for local high school students. Burry Bookstore provided popular commercial study materials for 25 students who attended the program. At the end of the program, students showed a 35% improvement in their test scores.

Get Fit

To promote a healthy lifestyle, SIFE organized the “Get Fit” program to teach young children the benefits of proper nutrition and exercise. SIFE used a reward-point system to motivate the elementary students to adopt healthier habits. Students were awarded points based on the quality of their nutrition and exercise. These points were spent for prizes and rewards. SIFE used this system to teach responsible spending.