Culverhouse LIFT staff with participant.

Give Someone a LIFT; Volunteers, Participants Needed

The Culverhouse Learning Initiative and Financial Training program is seeking student volunteers and community participants for its spring series of job and professional skill development programs.

Culverhouse LIFT staff with participant.
Culverhouse LIFT staff provide professional development training sessions for members of the Tuscaloosa-area community.

What is LIFT? 

Created in 2014, Culverhouse LIFT was created as a joint initiative between The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce’s dean’s office and the School of Accountancy. It aims to improve job skills in the adult, teen and veteran populations in West Alabama through the use of UA resources and student and faculty talent.

Culverhouse LIFT provides community members with free one-on-one job skill and financial literacy training with one of the over 350 Culverhouse student volunteers. Included in those trainings are GED classes, professional development classes, and beginner and intermediate Microsoft Excel and Word classes.

What’s the return on investment?

The value proposition of Culverhouse LIFT is clear, said Lisa McKinney, a faculty member in the Culverhouse School of Accountancy and director of Culverhouse LIFT.

“It’s a one-on-one tutoring relationship between the student and the participant, and because it’s so intimate, the speed of learning is astronomically high as opposed to a class because every minute is for you,” she said.

Both the students and communities have found success through the Culverhouse LIFT program.

“So many students participate because they want to participate. And, they enjoy it,” McKinney said. “I hear all the time (from students), ‘I love this.’”

“Everybody wants to be of value,” she said. “It sounds corny, but everybody wants to make the world a tiny bit better rather than making it worse.”

Want to get involved?

Contact Lisa McKinney at lmckinne@culverhouse.ua.edu for information on how to become involved. All donations to LIFT are used to directly benefit community participants, funding resources that include student support, laptops and computer program licenses. The program is also seeking speakers who can share business insights. For information on program support, contact Dr. Rich Houston at rhouston@cba.ua.edu.

More information and registration available here: https://culverhouse.ua.edu/lift.