Dinner for Dimes

The members of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) were able to use business as a force for social good through the “Dinner for Dimes” event after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. 

PBL is a student-led business organization that focuses on professional development and service. In 2011, the Pitt chapter of College of Business Administration students started this event to support the March of Dimes. The dinner brings together area professionals with Pitt students for networking and to raise money for the health of all moms and babies. 

The March 2022 dinner planning “started from scratch” since the event was last held in 2019, says Kasey Verna, (BSBA ’23) PBL’s vice president of service. The work was led by two members of the executive board and 11 committee members who each took on a different role.  

“We had first-year students through seniors working together to cover tasks from finding a location for the event, determining catering, and staying in contact with professionals who were attending the event,” says Verna, who is majoring in human resources management. 

The results from three months of teamwork and preparation paid off — in a big way. The dinner was held at Pitt’s Energy Innovation Center and well-attended by area professionals and students. Besides the networking, Pitt PBL raised more than $3,700 for March of Dimes, winning the Western and Central Pennsylvania March for Babies National Service Partner Challenge. 

“I loved this event because it was an extremely unique and personal networking opportunity for professionals and students,” says Verna. “It isn’t often that you get to eat dinner with a recruiter to hear about their personal experiences at a company. We also got to hear from a March of Dimes sponsor family.” 

More than 25 student-run organizations develop students’ hands-on leadership skills and get them directly involved in the community. Career Development Director Chris Meaner (cmmeaner@business.pitt.edu) has more information for alumni who want to get involved.