“Our first Culverhouse LIFT class had 10 people at Tuscaloosa’s McDonald Hughes Community Center. Today it’s now the largest student service organization at The University of Alabama, teaching over 600 people and utilizing over 350 student volunteers per semester.” –– David Hose, Culverhouse LIFT Co-Founder
What does it mean to make a difference, one true and impactful?
Culverhouse LIFT offers an answer to that question. Since 2014, Culverhouse LIFT (Learning Initiative and Financial Training) has leveraged University of Alabama student talent to improve job skills of adults and teens in Tuscaloosa and elsewhere throughout the West Alabama region.
Over the years, thousands of people have benefitted from participating in Culverhouse LIFT. Residents of impoverished communities in the Alabama Black Belt, inmates at the Bibb Correctional Facility, veterans at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center, and high school students have all learned how to use computers, write resumes, craft business plans, and gain technical and professional skills thanks to Culverhouse LIFT classes.
Key attributes of Culverhouse LIFT are its flexibility and adaptability. It was able to rapidly respond to critical needs introduced by the coronavirus pandemic: students in the Birmingham City Schools system received free virtual tutoring from Culverhouse LIFT, as did students at the elementary school in Holt, a community adjacent to Tuscaloosa. Furthermore, Culverhouse LIFT hosted webinars about coronavirus relief programs that were virtually attended by hundreds.
Building on that momentum, an upcoming small business accelerator program aims to coach current and prospective entrepreneurs in West Birmingham on how to market, grow, and manage their enterprises.
The program also serves as a two-way street: student participants learn how to become compassionate and effective leaders, a capability that serves them well once they graduate and embark upon their careers.
Culverhouse LIFT is the brainchild of Lisa McKinney, a faculty member in the Culverhouse School of Accountancy, and David Hose, a student in the School’s Master of Accountancy program who has since graduated and is now working in New York, to address the economic disparity between Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama campus.
The Culverhouse College of Business is prioritizing the growth and elevation of the Culverhouse LIFT program, with Bama Blitz the kickoff of a concerted campaign.
Contributions made to the Culverhouse Bama Blitz passion project will go directly toward Culverhouse LIFT’s ongoing - and significant - expenses. Furthermore, funds will help grow Culverhouse LIFT so that it can begin offering its job skills classes and training sessions in more West Alabama communities, either in-person or virtually.
Help Culverhouse LIFT effect true, positive impacts. Get involved now through Bama Blitz.
