GROVE CITY, Pa. – Grove City College students recently passed a milestone in their ongoing effort to raise money for charity as part of an entrepreneurship class that teaches students how to create, market and sell products online.

The donations are the proceeds of businesses that students started in an e-commerce course taught by Yvonne J. English, professor of practice and executive director of the college’s Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation. In the class, students learn about the essential components of a successful online enterprise, in part through working in teams to design and operate their own digital businesses during the semester.

Over the past eight years, the annual effort has raised thousands of dollars for charities in the region and around the world. This fall’s efforts brought the total over the $30,000 mark, reaching $30,893.42.

“It is amazing that our industrious students have donated over $30,000 to serve our local community while learning about e-commerce in my class,” English said. It truly has been a win-win scenario, and I’m incredibly proud of what this class has achieved over the past eight years.”

Each team raised an average of $1,111.89 for their charities this year, breaking the previous record of $1,072 set in fall 2022.

The recent student e-commerce businesses and their charity partners were:

  • The Little Things: Josh Elverson (COO), Robert Hershey (CFO), Tobias Leithart (CMO) and Mason Nichols (CEO). Curated jewelry of subtle beauty and meaningful impact. Partnered with Living in Liberty, a nonprofit organization fighting against human trafficking and exploitation.
  • Victory & Truth Co.: Bella Costa (CMO), Kaitlyn Kuscevic (CEO), Aidan Nosal (COO) and Antonio Sanguigni (CFO). Handmade banners with Bible verses and phrases that inspire faith and provide uplifting messages for homes, dorm rooms, churches and ministries. Partnered with Shared Hope for Orphans Worldwide, a nonprofit that helps orphans around the world by providing them with food, shelter and education.
  • LICKD Energy Strips: Julia Fisher (CMO), Owen Gasser (COO), Caleb Kuechly (CEO) and Craig Nyguist (CFO). Oral caffeine strips that are a healthy, quick and effective alternative to sugary, over-caffeinated energy drinks. Partnered with the Shepherd’s Crook Orphan Ministry, a nonprofit that helps with the adoption process of children in foreign countries, specifically children with disabilities.
  • Simple Slurps: Andrew Coy (CFO), Ella Medairy (CMO), Emma Rossi (COO) and Christian Royer (CEO). Drinkware that allows the customer to show support for what they are passionate about. Partnered with the Ugandan Water Project, a nonprofit that is providing safe, accessible drinking water to communities in Uganda.

More information about the college’s entrepreneurship program is available HERE.