SUMMER INTERNSHIP 2006
		Faheem Moosa - MBA, Ivey School of Business CEI Host Organization - Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) CEI Funding partner - CIBC

Hello -

My name is Faheem Moosa and I am an MBA student at The Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. I was born and raised in India and worked in the apparel export industry for five years prior to commencing my MBA.

This summer I intern at Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) in Vancouver. PLAN is an award-winning, family-directed, not-for-profit social enterprise founded in 1989 in response to the question, "What will happen to our family member with a disability when we die?" PLAN assists families in securing the safety and well-being of family members with disabilities beyond the lifetime of their parents. Its work enhances the quality of life and security of individuals with a disability by building a safety net of programs that can withstand the death of their parents as well as changes in government-funded support services. In addition, PLAN actively lobbies for law and policy reform to remove barriers that deter families from assisting their relatives with disabilities.

PLAN believes in being independent from direct government funding, as it allows the organization to advocate on behalf of families with no fear of reprisal. One of the ways by which PLAN generates revenues is through sales of disability-related books authored by its directors. To further build on this idea, they wish to start a publishing business as they feel there are many aspiring authors in this domain who could serve this relatively large, untapped market.

This is where I come in. My task this summer is to develop a Publishing House business plan that would enable PLAN to secure financing for the new venture. I am very excited to be here this summer, not only because I see this internship as a great opportunity to apply all that I learned this past year, but also because I am in the company of passionate, dynamic and entrepreneurial individuals who work tirelessly to advance their cause. I look forward to a great summer with them, and hope that the new venture gets underway as quickly as possible.

Faheem