Leadership Toolbox Project Benefits Alpha Women’s Center
May 17, 2021
By Jon Crossman
While most students at Faith Baptist Bible College were mentally preparing themselves for final exams the first week of May, students of the Leadership Toolbox course, taught by Mr. Jared Baldwin, were tasked with a class project. This year’s final project involved brainstorming ideas on various forms of fundraising for a local charitable organization and then using that project blueprint to make a real-world difference. The organization that benefited from this project was a Christian ministry called the Alpha Women’s Center.
Executive Director Jeanie Thomas describes the Alpha Women’s Center as a gospel-focused organization that is dedicated to saving lives—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—by offering help for today and hope for tomorrow. With centers in both Des Moines and Ankeny, their community goal is to serve as a pregnancy resource center which helps women who find themselves unexpectedly expecting. The Alpha Women’s Center is pro-life, pro-eternal life, and pro-abundant life–meaning they want women to see the healing that comes from God. Everything offered by the organization is free, so the chance to come alongside and offer donations and support to the centers was a perfect opportunity for the students in the Leadership Toolbox course.
Through the combined efforts of two student-led teams, the class was able to raise over $1,500 for the centers, along with other commodities like diapers and children’s toys. Many of the donations came from baby bottles filled with change that were distributed in the dorms, along with special offerings from local churches. Jared Baldwin, chair of the Organizational Leadership program, describes the students’ efforts:
“Our Leadership Toolbox course is designed for applying basic project management skills within a small team setting. I wanted two of the teams to work on a project to benefit the Alpha Women’s Center because Jeanie Thomas came and inspired the entire class earlier in the semester. Alpha is a worthy recipient, and this was a great first attempt at making a meaningful difference in our Ankeny community.”
The Organizational Leadership program is built around integrating Biblical principles into various facets of business management, so projects like this are a perfect testimony to the understanding of the students.
As students head into the summer, this effort stands as a good reminder of what our goal is—to take the “Word to the World” and show Christlike love in all our interactions as servants. Whether in an internship, at our workplaces, or in the line at our favorite coffee shop, there is always a good opportunity to share the love of Christ.