marcus taylor: giving back in a big way
Marcus Taylor
Business Administration '09
The young mother was new to Springfield, on her own with young children. Needing a little assistance, she turned to Springfield Contact Ministries for some help with food and rent.
One of her little boys was named Marcus. He was only four years old at the time, but years later, as a student at UIS, he remembered the people at Contact Ministries.
Looking Back, Giving Back
Like many students at UIS, Marcus needed to complete an Applied Study Term. He says that when he was looking at the list of possible placements, he recognized Contact because his family had gone there when he was four.
Marcus decided to do his internship at Contact even though it was unpaid.
“This was something I could give back,” he says.
Two Challenging Projects
During his time at Contact, Marcus completed two projects.
First, as part of a marketing committee, he publicized a Lincoln Brewster concert to the area colleges and universities.
He was then given the task of raising money for Contact’s Christmas Assistance Program which gives away food baskets at Christmas.
Tangible Results
Marcus's work definitely made a difference at Contact.
- His ideas and energy helped enormously to marketing the concert. Over 1100 people attended the concert which he helped to publicize.
- For the Christmas Assistance Program, in addition to securing donations for the baskets, he also initiated a canned food drive in Springfield’s elementary schools.
“I called every elementary school in the district to see if we could have a little competition,” he says. “Out of 24 elementary schools, we were able to get nine to donate canned goods. I think they will probably double that number in 2010.”
The Value of Experience
Like many other UIS students who choose to do unpaid internships, in addition to knowing that he helped meet real needs in the community, Marcus values the knowledge and experience he received from the internship.
He especially appreciates the close contact with the Contact’s Executive Director Bill Kienzle. “Bill exhibited a lot of the lessons we learned about in class,” says Marcus. “I was able to watch how he interacted with the different staff, how he dealt with conflicts and with the new people he hired. The internship gelled everything together that I learned in class and helped me to apply it.”
A New Award for Unpaid Interns
Months after completing his internship, Marcus received a surprising call from Dianne Ferk, Associate Dean of the College of Business and Management. He had been nominated for a new award, the C. Wayne and Margie Fox AST Award for an Exceptional CBM Student. Through their annual award, the Foxes honor a business student who has provided extraordinary service in an unpaid internship.
In early March, Marcus became the first ever recipient of this generous award.
He was disappointed that bad winter weather kept the Foxes from attending the award reception, but he hopes to see them at graduation.
“What Mr. and Mrs. Fox did through their award was so impactful on me,” says Marcus. “It made me appreciate everything I had done even more. Anytime you are recognized for doing something good, that is a positive thing.”
Ready to Contribute in a New Way
Marcus completed his work at the end of the fall semester in 2009 and is currently looking for a job. He’s glad for the experience he received at Contact and looks forward to using his skills, creative thinking, and strong problem solving in a marketing position.