SPARK Program

Have a great idea for a product or service, but don’t know where to start? Are you a woman with household income between $14,000 and $21,000?  Then SPARK is for you!  SPARK is a community based program facilitated by Saint Mary\'s College.  SPARK will provide you with a game plan to help you plan and launch your own business.

You can make your dream a reality. First, you need to determine if you are ready to start your own business by attending the Entrepreneurial Screening. The next step is SPARK\'s Pre-venture Accelerator. 

SPARK is an 11 week entrepreneurship training program for under-resourced, high potential women entrepreneurs. The program is to assist women in \"sparking\" or launching successful businesses. SPARK was modeled after the Women\'s Initiative (WI) in San Francisco. A South Bend community-based action group has been working with WEI on the SPARK project since November 2010 (Press Release).

This course provides you with a blueprint for developing your business idea.  It includes training in financial accounting and management, planning, marketing and other business skills that will give you the tools necessary to start or expand your own business. What\'s more, you will develop the self confidence to start and grow your own business!  

Once you have graduated from the Pre-Venture Accelerator, you are eligible for the Re-Kindle the Flame program which gives you your very own team to support you to successfully launch your business.  A key member of your support team is your personal mentor who will help guide you during the launch phase.  In addition, some of the key advisors who may also help you include attorneys, accountants, insurance agents and other business professionals.

So GO FOR IT!  What do you have to lose!  We WANT you to be successful!

SPARK Success Story

Acknowlegement

Our special thanks to Phil D\'Amico, Director of Business Growth, The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County, and host of the WNIT Public Television show, Economic Outlook, for introducing SPARK to the Michiana community May 20, 2011.

SPARK Advisory Committee

Karen Barnett, Valley Screen Process Company
Bonnie Bazata, Bridges Out of Poverty
Wendy Chapman, SMC Alumna
Daniel Conroy, 1st Source Bank
Marnie A. Cornell, KeyBank
Douglas D. Germann, Attorney
Nancy King, Indiana Trust & Investment Management
Staci Lugar Brettin, Associate Faculty IUSB
Idalia Maldonado, Hispanic Leadership Coalition
Rita J. Miller, Kruggel, Lawton & Company, LLC
Jack Ruhe, SCORE

SPARK Action Group

Cheryl Ashe, African American Chamber of Commerce
Karen Barnett, Valley Screen Process Company
Wendy Chapman, SMC Alumna
Douglas D. Germann, Attorney
Staci Lugar Brettin, Associate Faculty IUSB
Idalia Maldonado, Hispanic Leadership Coalition
Rita Miller, Kruggel, Lawton & Company, LLC
Jack Ruhe, SCORE
Sheila Smith, St. Margaret\'s House
Carol Thompson, Fired Up and Fabulous
Diane Winn, Through Eagles Eyes

SPARK Facilitators and Mentors

For more information:

Contact WEI: wei [at] saintmarys [dot] edu\" class=\"spamspan\">wei [at] saintmarys [dot] edu (574) 284-5262

To donate to WEI, sponsor WEI, or sponsor a WEI event contact: egray [at] saintmarys [dot] edu\" class=\"spamspan\">egray [at] saintmarys [dot] edu (574) 284-4591.