Jordan Parrott, a third-year business marketing, management and sales student.
An Indiana University Southeast business student’s entrepreneurial work with local homeless shelters has earned him national recognition.
IU Southeast is honored to announce Jordan Parrott, a third-year business marketing, management and sales student, was named a member of Campus Compact’s 2017 class of Newman Civic Fellows.
Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, recently announced the 273 students who will make up this year’s class.
At IU Southeast, Parrott seized an opportunity to learn about a grassroots business venture through first-hand experience while simultaneously fulfilling a need for the local homeless population. He began working with Sky Footwear, a start-up company that donates a pair of socks to a homeless shelter for every pair of socks purchased on their website.
“Socks are the number one requested item at homeless shelters, and they only receive black and white pairs that have been donated,” Parrott said. “Through Sky Footwear, we offer 21 different styles of socks.”
In March, Parrott and Sky Footwear hand-delivered more than 650 pairs of socks to the Louisville Rescue Mission. Parrott said delivering the sock donations in person affords him the opportunity to connect with the recipients and hear their stories.
“He is actively addressing the lack of access to basic provisions among the homeless,” said IU Southeast Chancellor Ray Wallace, who nominated Parrott for the fellowship. “Jordan works with community members, community leaders and fellow students to ensure they know that targeted purchasing can mean the difference between clean, warm feet and potentially life-threatening disease and frostbite for someone less fortunate.”
As a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, Parrott will be a part of the first cohort to benefit from a completely re-designed fellowship. The Newman Civic Fellowship, named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth.
Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference of Newman Civic Fellows in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. The fellowship also provides fellows with access to exclusive scholarship and post-graduate opportunities.
“The cultivation of community-committed leaders has never been more crucial,” said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn. “We rebuilt the Newman Civic Fellowship experience because our country needs more people who know how to bring communities together for positive change.”
The Newman Civic Fellowship is supported by the KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation.
Read more about Parrott’s work on the Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellowship website.