Interviews for Annual SPARK Entrepreneurial Program, Monday, Aug. 31

Interested in learning more about SPARK and the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI)? Please contact Joan McClendon, associate project director of WEI at wei@saintmarys.edu or jmcclendon@saintmarys.edu.

August 27, 2015 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Saint Mary’s College Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI) is proud to announce the annual session of the SPARK entrepreneurship training program. SPARK is intended to assist local under-resourced, high-potential female entrepreneurs and artists to “spark” or launch successful businesses.

Candidates must apply in person at a mandatory 2-hour orientation and screening session at 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, August 31 in classroom 134 of Spes Unica Hall. Applicants must be there by 6 p.m. to be considered. Twenty-eight people will be selected for the program. Click for a campus map.

SPARK is an 11-week session that offers a morning or evening track. Classes are scheduled to meet from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting on Tuesday, September 22 and ending on December 8. The cost of the session is $200, plus supplies.

SPARK is focused on helping women create a corporate identity and a business plan, implement marketing strategies and promotional materials, and learn skills in time management, bookkeeping, attaining a business loan, and general success strategies. Since the first SPARK program began in 2011, more than 100 women have graduated, and 38 have launched and sustained businesses. Those who participate are fondly called “SPARKlers.”

Modeled after a San Francisco non-profit called the Women’s Initiative, SPARK’s mission is “to cultivate an entrepreneurial capacity in women... to advance them beyond socio-economic boundaries and achieve self-sufficiency.” This happens through education, business training, and ongoing professional mentoring. Established business owners in the region lead the SPARK classes and, as mentors, teach best practices to the budding entrepreneurs. South Bend SCORE Chapter 0266 offers ongoing professional mentoring.

Those interested in more information about being involved in SPARK as a participant, facilitator, mentor, or volunteer can email Joan McClendon, WEI’s associate program director, at wei@saintmarys.edu or jmcclendon@saintmarys.edu. No calls please.

About the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI): The Department of Business Administration and Economics and the Center for Women’s Intercultural Leadership at Saint Mary’s College launched WEI in 2010 after the College received a $245,000 Small Business Administration grant to support women’s entrepreneurship in the region. Though the grant has expired, WEI is sustained through the generosity of Jack Ruhe, professor emeritus of business, alumnae, NIPSCO, The Pokagon Fund, and local banks including 1st Source, and PNC. WEI partners with community businesses, non-profits, and other organizations to provide financial and business education services to women entrepreneurs. WEI is pronounced "we."

About Saint Mary's College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. In the fall of 2015 Saint Mary’s College will offer two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College seeks, according to its mission statement, to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2015 published by U.S. News & World Report. Follow Saint Mary's College on Twitter @saintmarys and @saintmarysnews.

Contact for News Media: Gwen O’Brien, director of media relations, Saint Mary’s College, gobrien@saintmarys.edu (574) 284-4579