Choptank Transport is supporting a youth program newly arrived in Caroline County, Maryland: Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore (JA).
This program focuses on youth financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. It has piqued the interest of many in the area, including 13 Choptank employees who have signed up to volunteer to teach JA’s hands-on, age-appropriate lessons.
“Mentoring and leadership are two highly regarded attributes at Choptank,” said Geoff Turner, Choptank president and CEO. “Junior Achievement helps develop and encourage local youth to become tomorrow’s leaders. Our employees genuinely want to be an integral part of that experience.”
JA can make a significant difference in a young person’s life. A recent JA-USA survey found that 67% of all JA graduates are more likely to have an advanced degree than the general population. The Eastern Shore program, headquartered in Salisbury MD, has reached upwards of 6,700 students in 2016 in Wicomico, Worcester, Talbot, Somerset and Dorchester counties, so confidence is high that it will be equally well-received in Caroline County.
Volunteers are asked to commit to five days of mentoring, either consecutive or non-consecutive, consisting of 45-minute sessions. In Caroline County they can choose between teaching third or seventh grade. Volunteers are given all the materials they will need, and no lesson planning is required. JA will conduct training in-house as a convenience for the employees if participation warrants.
“Some parents were never taught basic finance,” said Mandy Legg, assistant controller at Choptank. “We have to educate the next generation now so they can begin to make smart financial decisions at an early age.”
Classes begin at the end of February in all public elementary and middle school third and seventh grades in Caroline County and continue throughout the spring.
Email [email protected] to learn more about volunteering in a classroom, to hear the full schedule of classes, or find out more about supporting JA’s efforts in Caroline County.
