So I've heard about this place, and I know that in the past, people used to have to go all the way to Fort Wayne to experience something like this.

Megan, tell me where we are right now.

We are at JA BizTown in Elkhart.

So yes, you are right.

Our first one was in Fort Wayne and now we have one right here in Elkhart.

So JA is junior Achievement correct?

So tell me a little bit about that organization.

Yes.

So we have three main pillars of financial literacy working and career readiness and entrepreneurship.

and our programing runs with volunteers and then as well with educators when they come to town they actually work with their teachers.

So a couple of years ago, I started my own business, and one of the things I was so afraid of was the financial side of things, because people who are creative or can often come up and so and then but now I'm like, oh, you just need to get yourself a really good accountant.

And obviously you have to understand things.

But I love telling young people now, like, just go for it.

It's the best freedom you'll ever have.

So is a lot of that in there, like trying to teach them to go their own path and for sure.

So entrepreneurship, being like that, one of our main pillars kind of the sky's the limit.

giving the kids the tools they need to succeed.

Yeah, I love it.

And then from the financial side, I see a lot of financial institutions in here.

So, tell me a little bit about the focus on that too.

Yeah, obviously, kids need to learn the basics of what is a checking account.

We we do teach that in here.

they will get a paycheck.

They will find out that a paycheck may not stretch quite as far as they thought it was going to stretch.

also, like soft skills, like learning how to work, learning how to work with other people, those things being very important as well.

Yeah, that's my favorite thing about working for myself is I don't have an HR department that I have to go to anymore.

No, I'm just kidding.

But so tell me a little bit about Biz town.

Like, what is the point of it?

Yes.

So the kids will do lessons, with their teachers in class, and then they will come here and run the town.

So think of 75 fifth graders on their first day of a job and a little bit of, like, herding cats live.

but they get in here and they take it very seriously, and they have a job and they do their job and they want to at the end of the the point at the end is to pay off their business loan as their group when they're working with each other.

So so I'd love for a second just to like, actually have the camera look around right now at the architecture here because it's really impressive.

Like, how do you even put something together like this?

I mean, how much does a cost?

Do people do local businesses help out with it?

Like how did that work?

Yes.

So back, and forgive me if I get the years wrong because it was it was pre-COVID.

they went to businesses.

We had a very passionate board member, Amit Shah, that was like, we need one of these, in our town.

And so I think that planted a seed.

And then eventually it got to the conversation of asking all of these places if they would be willing to invest in the future of our kids so that each business actually, like, pay to build their own.

So there's some, like, real bricks going on.

Oh yeah.

Go touch them.

I mean, yeah, it's pretty.

Yeah.

It's, so they are responsible for their space.

So they are sponsoring their space and they were in charge of what their space looked like.

you'll notice in First Source that it looks like a miniature teller station.

Yes.

You know what?

It absolutely does.

And it's obviously, you know, it is great for the businesses to get people, young people exposed to their business for when they're growing up.

And, you know, it's it's good marketing for the future as well.

But, I'm just looking up at some of the other things, like just all the architecture.

I'm really blown away by just the incredible detail.

And.

Yeah.

And what I really appreciate is that these things you don't see in modern construction very often, the arches, the brick on the inside, it it's, it's things that we've gotten away from.

And we wanted this to look like downtown Elkhart.

And it really does the one thing it's missing, though, is to really be Elkhart County is like a railroad crossing that you get stuck out on your way in for ten minutes.

Like if you if we could just have one of them, that would be fantastic.

so kids, do they have to, like, go through their class to be here?

Or if there's people watching that think, like, I'd love my teenagers to learn about this, right?

they when they go, do they go through their class?

Okay.

So the intention is that all Elkhart County kids and then we're working to get Saint Joe County kids and as well we'll come here as a fifth or sixth grader.

Okay.

So the program will be done.

And their classroom because it does.

There's some curriculum piece that we think the teachers are a little bit more, invested to teach a little bit better.

So what are we looking at here?

This isn't just a beautiful thing.

You know, this makes me look better.

This is.

Yeah.

So this is the other program that we run in Elkhart County, and it is called Lemonade Day.

and it is it it's the greatest.

I really I love it.

the kids get so excited to do it, hearing their stories, hearing why they want to earn money.

That's what excites me.

so this event will kick off this year?

Well, it's actually kicked off, but the event itself is on June the 1st, and kids will have their very own business.

Okay.

And is it selling lemonade as it is?

Obviously.

Yeah.

You know, we always wanted to raid our parents pantry.

And so we're going to have a lemonade stand this year.

That's a lemonade day though.

Actually been around before Biz Town was here like it's been around a long time, right.

Yes.

it is also a national organization.

It started in Houston.

we have had it the licensing in Elkhart County for about ten years.

and it's probably four years older than that.

Yeah.

So, so, June 1st is when the actual event takes place.

Yeah.

Which what day of the week is that?

Is that a Friday or Saturday?

It is a Saturday.

Saturday.

Okay.

So, what what's going to happen.

Are we just going to see lemonade stands everywhere?

Hopefully that's the plan.

That's the goal.

That's the goal.

so yes, if you are out and about in Elkhart County on June the 1st and if you see a stand, we would love for you to stop by and purchase because these are our young entrepreneurs of Elkhart County.

Now, do you have an IRS tax office in here?

And I'm just not yet married.

All the kids have to walk up after they sell their lemonade.

Yeah, I shouldn't make any jokes.

No.

It's true.

They they may come after us.

Yeah, they may possibly not.

So what's in the bag that you give the kids?

Yeah.

So they will get materials on how to build a business.

do you know how much to charge for a cup of lemonade?

I wouldn't know until I find out how much the lemons are.

How much everything is.

But I would say about $3.

Well, absolutely.

So that's what the kids are going to do when they work through the book.

they're going to first decide why are they wanting to earn money.

maybe there's an item that they want to purchase that mom or dad or grandma or whoever is not willing to pay for.

But they said you can earn the money.

and so it will start with three main goals of your spending goal.

You're saving goal and you're sharing goal.

Because we do like to encourage the kids to save money.

That's important.

And then also, maybe give a little bit back to their communities.

Hey, I think giving to nonprofits, as you know, I love them.

And so, yeah, you got to give back to them as well.

Yeah.

You know, it's it is great to get them to think like this.

And I love that you're getting them to think about the why.

Because I know myself two people will buy based off of y more than even the product sometimes for sure.

I mean, what's not cuter than a kid telling you that they want a pet frog?

And that's why they're selling their lemonade that day.

So you're like, I'll take it all.

Yep.

Yeah.

I want you to get that frog for sure if it's legal.

but isn't that so awesome?

So that's in there.

Is there anything else that's in here for them to help them along the way, guys.

Yeah.

Well, so by the end, after they work through the program and we encourage them to do that, with a mentor.

So it could be a parent, could be an older sibling, it could be siblings that do it together.

By the time that they have completed, the book and it's it's quick.

It's it's not a, it's not a like a year long activity.

they will have a business plan written.

And so then on June the 1st, they will set up their stand.

They can sell more than just lemonade.

So you're going to see last year I think we had kids doing tattoos.

oh.

Wow.

Brace for real tattoos, by the way.

Yeah, yeah, they got they got permanent and everything.

Yes.

Big deal.

no.

So jewelry, t shirts, baked items, that kind of stuff, too.

Yeah.

and they get to keep the money at the end of the day.

So how awesome is that?

I mean, what's more hands on than getting to keep their money?

and then we will encourage them to, to turn those results in because we do have prizes.

our entrepreneur of the year this year will actually get a split up at the, the taste of the garden events at Wellfield.

So.

Yeah.

Great.

So there's just so much for them to look forward to and plan ahead.

And again, I can't stress that enough.

I'm 40 years old.

I only became a business owner two years ago.

I can't stress that like the freedom of doing your own thing is amazing.

So I really hope that this does inspire the kids to actually go on and in most cases, work for themselves instead of somebody else because, okay, I like history and I like looking back in time.

100 years ago, it wasn't like one employer that, employed everyone, like people had their own little thing.

And it wasn't that they were necessarily all trying to get rich.

It was that, you know, they might have had a little bakery, and that was what they fed their families with.

And I mean, the money from it, not literally.

The bakery.

but, you know, I just but yeah, but I love that.

I love that sense of lots of little small town, you know, I like it.

I'm not saying that big companies don't do great, too.

I mean, they give back so much as well.

But I just love that sense of just doing your own thing.

Yeah.

And even at the end of the day, what I love about Lemonade Day is maybe not every kid's meant to be an entrepreneur.

And that's okay.

But there's something in here that will speak to every kid, their math minded.

They really get into how much they're going to charge, or how much they're going to make, or how much they're going to save, or they're creative and they love what their stand's going to look like, or how much they're going to, or what their lemonade will taste like.

and at the end of the day, they've completed a project.

And I think just giving them that as a stepping stool for them is most beneficial, and maybe just even getting the confidence to communicate with people that they don't know, that's a huge 100% a lot of people struggle with.

So awesome.

Well, yeah.

You know, this is happening here in Elkhart County.

I'm sure if people in Saint Joe County or around the community want to partake in Lemonade Day, they can, of course.

Yeah.

If you want to get more information about this, is there a website for Junior Achievement Of course.

So you will want to visit Lemonade day.org.

And then you can search for Elkhart County and you can get registered that way.

There's also a lot of information on our website.

And then we still have a couple more events that you can get registered at.

we will be at Goshen First Fridays.

We will also be at the Elkhart Farmers Market.

and but yeah.

And then what I really would love to mention is we are giving away.

Well, Sentier is giving away some money for a pitch night.

and that we're really excited about because.

Because they need startup money.

And so we're, we're going to help them with that.

I think you kids need to milk their cuteness right up to 18 and pay for their own college.

Stop putting it on us all the time.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

All right.

For sure.

Well, thank you so much.

I really I'm so impressed.

I didn't know what to expect out here.

And I just think it's fantastic.

So thank you so much for all the work you do.

Thank you for coming.

We we love showing it off.