Chamber Highlight: Junior Achievement

Financial Literacy is the most important element of starting and maintaining any business, personal, or household budget, either large or small.  The White Pine Chamber of Commerce is happy to highlight the efforts of First National Bank of Ely’s President, Katie Gianoli-Rozich, and the many volunteers from around the business community who participated in the Junior Achievement at Ely Learning Bridge Public Charter School last week. From Kindergarten to Eighth Grade, Learning Bridge students were taught critical lessons related to community building, entrepreneurialism, and personal finance.

Stepping into the Classroom, Katie and many leaders from businesses and financial agencies participated in a full-day intensive, with Junior Achievement’s proven lessons in financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship. Shown to positively impact the lives of young people, these lessons align with national and state educational standards and are delivered to millions of students across the country with the help of our education partners and volunteers from the local community. Michelle Beecher, with the Small Business Development Center, the White Pine County Assessor, Burton Hilton, Dee Dee Sandoval of D&D Bookkeeping, Heidy Farnsworth of WaFd Bank, Jacquelyn Trevena of Nevada Bank & Trust, Sandi Greathouse with Sahara Motors -Ely, local Eastern Nevada Adventure’s owner, Bruce Eldridge, Jennifer Farnworth from the White Pine County Treasurer’s Office, as well as Greater Nevada Credit Union’s Meagan Loveless, and Luana Stark from KGHM Robinson Mine, all took on the large undertaking and delivered impactful instruction to the whole school.

Research shows that JA alumni are more likely to have a college degree, feel confident managing money, have career success, and have started a business as adults.  Ely Learning Bridge Middle School students have also had a leg up in Economics lessons for the last three years, with Chamber of Commerce CEO, Shadrach Robertson, teaching his students how to budget, with cost-of-living projections, life planning, goal setting, profit/loss analysis, business operations, and has lead students through multiple exercises in running their own “businesses.” Over the years, students have designed and sold hoodies, have planted seeds, cared for, and sold plants, and sold back Halloween Candy as an enterprising capitalist maneuver, cutting out overhead and maximizing profit. Learning Bridge’s 8th graders also receive financial lessons in their Social Studies instruction from their Math teacher, Mrs. Lawrence. The Jr. Achievement initiatives are planned to become a built-in component of Learning Bridge’s K-8 curriculum to keep students engaged in their own money management, community-driven engagement, and personal leadership.

Chamber Members can also receive Financial Literacy support through the Chamber as part of their membership. The White Pine Chamber of Commerce has partnered with several businesses and organizations to help identify ways to boost sales, expand consumer engagement, improve profitability, and lower costs. Any and all Chamber Members can take advantage of these and more benefits. The Chamber of Commerce is proud to support Ely Learning Bridge and every small business and organization helping to improve Ely and White Pine’s workforce to meet the real world when they’re ready. The Chamber EDU program can also help with front-line service worker training, internship placement, and personalized learning to help members succeed in business. Improving the economy starts with investments in education. Every parent, every teacher, every business owner, and every student thrives through a community’s collective efforts to build a strong, sustainable future.