Participation in Southeast Missouri's Junior Achievement mentoring program doubles in one year

TV. Scooter. Cat. Food. Drink.

Which are needs and which are wants?

First-graders at Jefferson Elementary School got the answers right during Dr. James Stapleton 30-minute Junior Achievement lesson earlier this week.

The students were among about 6,000 students particpating in the program this school year, more than double the previous year.

The growth of the organization locally has been phenomenal, said Merideth Pobst, Junior Achievement district manager for Southeast Missouri.

Students colored needs with red and wants with blue.

Area leaders had a goal of signing up 5,600 students for the 2008-2009 school year, compared to 2,900 during the previous term. A little more than 6,000 signed up this year.

Pobst credits community awareness for the increase.

"Junior Achievement is one of those programs that when schools and business leaders find out about it, they see that it's such a natural fit," Pobst said. "... We're providing relevant information that impacts their life with real-world perspective on business and managing money.

"The business people want to be involved because they not only want to make an impact but know it doesn't require a lot of time out of the office," Pobst said. "In today's society it's harder for those in the community to get out and be involved. So this is a way to go out and impact the community without giving up a big part of their day."

The Junior Achievement program uses community volunteers such as Stapleton to teach mostly elementary and junior high school students about career choices, how businesses operate and how the economy works. The Southeast Missouri chapter started eight years ago. Stapleton is one of 140 people who volunteer their time each week at schools in Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry, Scott and Wayne counties. About 100 volunteers participated in the program last year.

Throughout the spring, Stapleton, a Southeast Missouri State University economics professor, has taught the same class a series of lessons on how families support one another, as part of the Junior Achievement. Stapleton will teach three more lessons before the school year ends.

"Junior Achievement provides me an opportunity to work with young people, many who will not have another opportunity to learn the important lessons included in the JA curriculum about the economy, entrepreneurship and business," Stapleton said.

Among the volunteers who are participating for the first time this year are about 50 Southeast business students who responded to a request in the fall for volunteers. Most of the student volunteers are members of the business school's Beta Alpha Psi accounting organization and the Redhawks Collegiate Entrepreneurs.

Narvol Randol, a vice president with Bank of Missouri, said programs like Junior Achievement that provide youngsters insight into the business world are vital in today's global economic climate.

"It's become even more apparent that our young people are hungry for information on how to make their lives better," said Randol, who has been involved with Junior Achievement since 2004. "It's vital they are much more grounded in the business side of life. It's extremely important they learn more of these fundamentals like how communities work and how we depend on each other to make their communities better places to live."

The program's current situation is a far cry from 2003, when the program was in limbo because of minimal donations, which cover most of the organization's expenses for materials. Last school year the organization surpassed its $35,000 goal by $4,000. This year the goal is $60,000. The organization has about three-quarters of the amount.

"While we have a few months to match the goal, we'll somehow make it like last year," Pobst said. "We live in one of the most generous places and people seem to always step up."

The organization wants a greater presence next year in high schools, where Junior Achievement has a limited profile with such programs as Camp Enterprise, a one-day business simulation and seminar for high school students and entrepreneurship classes taught by volunteers at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

"Next year the organization would love to touch 10,000 students," Pobst said. "The high school level is an untouched potential. There's a lot we could offer those entering the work force or everyday life."

For more information on Junior Achievement, call Pobst at 576-6672 or e-mail mpobst@jastl.org.

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