A group of UWindsor business students raised $1,915 for the Sandwich Teen Action Group by keeping their eye on the ball.

The five students—Laura Deschaine, Walid Abdelghany, Nathan Savage, Danyao Ye and Luo Wenyi—were tasked with taking on a community development project for their class “Management and Organizational Life.” They sought to address the themes of health, family and active living, says Deschaine.

The answer was Soccer Skills Day, held March 13 in the Novelletto Rosati Sports and Recreation Complex on the city’s west side.

“The idea was generated by a few of our group members who play soccer, which supports active living and increases health,” Deschaine says. “As well, soccer helps teach family values, due to it being a team sport and working together.”

Besides providing a jam-packed day, the students also arranged for each participant to leave with a soccer ball to keep, encouraging them to stay with the sport. Sponsorships produced the $1,915 profit donated to the Sandwich Teen Action Group, which provides programming for at-risk and low-income youth.