On Friday, October 20th, as part of their company-wide volunteer day, 10 employees from local accounting firm, Barfield, Murphy, Shank and Smith chose to spend their Friday helping us share our JA curriculum with the students of WJ Christian Middle School. The volunteers jumped straight into the classrooms, armed with matching t-shirts and plenty of candy, ready to challenge the students to think about their values and career goals. They implemented lessons on how to manage money, recognize debits and credits, and to identify education and experience goals.
The best part? The lessons were not ignored. After the day was over, we asked the students how the JA program has impacted their futures.
Taylore K., Kamora P., and Marshall G. (from left to right)
Eighth grade student Marshall G. answered simply, “I’ve been in this program for 7 years, since elementary, and the information has impacted my whole entire life completely. It has impacted my entire life.” He goes on, “they inspire students all over Birmingham to succeed in the future.”
Kamora P. answers the same question, “they have inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and discover new things, so that I can discover what I want to be and how to achieve that goal.”
Taylore K. explains that “the program taught me things about finance that will help me with my money when I get older and when I am in college.”
It’s great to see our programs at work and to see volunteers having a great time too. These volunteers got to experience the wonder children offer in the classroom, seeing the light in their faces when they understood the link between the lessons and every-day life. “I loved that they were very engaged and eager to learn” MarLah Stancil explained. These kids are ready for us to share with them whatever knowledge we have gained over the years, whether it is financial literacy or just how we identify our strengths and find careers that support our values.
Great things are happening in JA today as we help build brighter futures for the generations of tomorrow. Thanks for your support Barfield Murphy, you have made a difference in local students’ lives. Come back soon!
