An Early Path to Workforce Readiness: “Donut” Miss Out!
June 19, 2018
The older we become, the harder it seems to recall detailed memories of elementary school days. Most of us will never forget, however, the times a guest visited our classroom and led us in special activities. That’s why Jil Allen, former Human Resources Manager for Schnellecke Logistics, sprang into action after hearing about a need for Junior Achievement (JA) volunteers in K-12 classrooms across Tuscaloosa County. As a 5th grade student at Woodland Forrest Elementary, Jil participated in JA and still remembers the effect the lessons had on her life.
AT LEFT: Schnellecke Logistics team members, Chandra Washington and Laura Boothe, check for defects during the donut activity.
Junior Achievement teaches students about business and money through hands-on games and activities that are volunteer led. Centered on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and workforce readiness, JA programs help kids dream big and reach their potential. The best part? JA lessons are fun!
During the 2017-18 school year, JA partnered with Tuscaloosa city and county schools in an initiative to develop workforce readiness skills in students in 2nd and 7th grades, increasing the demand for JA programs and the need for volunteers by 35%. Program managers, Carla Harris and Nisa Moore, began recruiting help at Workforce Development cluster meetings. Fortunately, Jil Allen attended one of these meetings and immediately contacted Carla to get the Schnellecke HR team involved in local elementary schools. “Carla came in and asked for volunteers, and it just really weighed on my heart to come and help because when I went through Junior Achievement, it really made a huge impact for me.”
For 2nd grade students, JA Our Community is made up of five 40-minute lessons that teach students how we benefit from and contribute to a community’s success. Working at the Sweet-O Donut Shop, students make paper donuts, carefully applying the ingredient stickers on each one and flavoring the center with a crayon. If the donuts have defects, missing ingredients or flavor, they’re thrown out. After being paid for their hard work, students then learn about taxes and are required to give part of their money back to the volunteer to cover community services like firefighters, police officers, and teachers. The final lessons cover voting and how money flows through the community’s economy. As an HR manager, Jil appreciates the lessons for showing students “how to be a good employee and teaching those skills to them early in life.” Volunteer Laura Boothe added she loves the donut activity because it reinforces the importance of “building a quality product.”
AT LEFT: Jil Allen’s Junior Achievement pin from her 5th grade experience at Woodland Forrest Elementary.
JA programs impacted 11,671 students in 552 classrooms across Tuscaloosa in 2017-18, and the Schnellecke HR team volunteered in 8 of them. As a new school year kicks off in August, will your corporation partner with us to continue to boost workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship in local students? As the demand for JA programs increases, so does the need for volunteers and funding. A volunteer’s investment in Jil Allen’s 5th grade class made a lasting impact on Jil, and she continues to pay it forward. After all, working together to invest in local students is an investment in a stronger community for us all. Together, we can build brighter futures … donut miss out!
To learn more about Junior Achievement or to serve as a volunteer, please contact
Carla Harris (205) 391-0335 / Carla.harris@ja.org or
Nisa Moore (205) 391-0564 / Nisa.moore@ja.org.