Once a year, a check signed, dated and with the amount of $300 was given to a group of six Creighton students.

They have one job: to decide which charity’s name would fill the “Pay to the Order of ” blank. Tim Bastian, instructor in economics &

finance, came up with the idea for the project, Bastian started the project in 2009 when he received a bonus for $200. He decided to donate the bonus to charity and saw an opportunity for

a learning experience.

“I wanted them to experience working with

people who viewed the world from different perspectives,” Bastian said.

Ever since then the project has been growing. Not only did Bastian write a check this year, Professor John Wingender, chairman of the Economics & Finance Department, Tony Hendrickson, dean of the College of Business and Greg McDermott, head coach of the men’s basketball team, each handed over blank checks for $300. Bastian said all three donors were supportive and trusting in the students’ decisions.

“[This year,] I chose the six students based on their passion for learning and volunteerism, their differing fields of study and most importantly, I chose them based on their varying political views,” Bastian said. “I trusted them completely to choose a great charity, and they did.”

This year’s comittee, Arts & Sciences seniors Sylvia Bartell and Jocelyn Wu, Business sophomores Brandon Choquette and Molly Meek, Business junior Andre Zachariahs and Business senior Marie Dreyer, chose the Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership.

ENCAP’s mission is to eliminate the causes of poverty by strengthening individuals, families and communities through self-sufficiency initiatives in Douglas and Sarpy Counties. One of their outreach programs involves helping the formerly incarcerated learn skills that allow them to become productive members of society.

After some discussion, the committee all agreed that ENCAP was the right decision for this year’s donation.

“We did initially have different viewpoints, which provided healthy discussion, but the multiple programs that ENCAP offers struck a chord with us because of their emphasis on self-sufficiency and a sense of ‘teaching to fish’ rather than simply ‘giving fish’ and an overall mission of strengthening the individual and community,” Dreyer said.

Last year, the committee chose Educate Uganda, a charity whose mission is to help girls in Uganda receive the education they need to help improve their lives.

Next fall, Bastian said he will be working to make the amount larger with greater faculty, staff and administration participation.