WAYNESBORO – There is a saying that “money does not come with instructions.” Members of the Rotary Club of Waynesboro thinks that is a shortcoming they can address.
The club sponsored another successful Financial Literacy Day at Waynesboro Area Senior High School. “This is a big event each semester” said Kegan Crider of the school’s business department. “At 168 learners, this fall’s day was the largest in recent years.” Crider and fellow department teacher Eda Gjikuria handle all the logistics inside the school while the Rotary Club brings skilled people and equipment.
“The day is divided up into two parts” according to club Chair Dan DeDona. Half of the learners participate in a budget building activity in the morning while the other half participate in a series of four games. In the afternoon the two groups switch.
“We haven’t seen numbers this large since the early years of the program,” said DeDona. “We are very grateful for the response from the club and local businesses. It took 22 people this time. Of that total, 10 worked with groups of eight to nine learners on budget.”
About a third of the total are not Rotarians. “People from Edward Jones, Sterling Financial, Blue Ridge Risk Partners, F&M Trust and Coldwell Banker Realty keep coming back to help each year. It’s a sign of community consensus on this subject,” DeDona added.
The games are an important part of each session, highlighting various parts of finance. They include:
- Insurance Jeopardy provided by Blue Ridge Risk Partners in a format Ken Jennings would easily recognize. Jeb Keller, Brittany Myers and Katie Clutz ran the game.
- The Price is Wrong, a shopping and pricing game with Waynesboro Councilman Pat Fleagle and Dr. Joe Stewart
- A special version of The Game of Life hosted by Brian Shook with Councilman Jon Fleagle, retired journalist Dave Thompson, F&M Trusts Chastity Wantz and Amy Stevens
- Financial Jenga hosted by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Todd Dishong and Dr. Pete Holdaway of James Shoes.
Dishong commented he “Thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks everyone for being there for WASD learners! . . . Just sayin’ – Dr. Holdaway has a future in game show hosting!”
At the end of the day, game-winning teams receive gift certificates arranged by Rotarian Bill Kohler of Mainstreet Waynesboro and provided by McDonalds and Dominoes Pizza. There was also a “pop quiz” at the very end with movie tickets for Waynesboro Theatre awarded for correct answers.
“We enjoy doing this with the school district,” said Matt Gunder, club president. “Among many other things, our club has a heavy emphasis on youth support in the community. Since 2017 Financial Literacy, along with other activities like Toys for Children, Read Across America, Dictionaries for Third Graders and Abraxas Christmas Books, is one of many ways we demonstrate our commitment to a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
The Rotary Club of Waynesboro is a service organization supporting the local community for more than 100 years. They meet at the Waynesboro Country Club every Tuesday at noon. For more information, see rotaryclubofwaynesboro.org or email [email protected].
