DONUT Mess with Junior Achievement

Author: Hannah Henry
Corporate Responsibility
Published: Tuesday, 13 Mar 2018

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Students from Oakwood, an elementary school located in Portland, Oregon, combined entrepreneurship with a craving for breakfast to create the Sweet O's Donut Shop.

Through JA Our Community, the Oakwood students learned the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce, as well as how citizens contribute to a community's success. By identifying careers, understanding taxation, and government services, as well as the flow of money within a community, the 100 second-grade students determined their next step for their startup donut company.

These young elementary entrepreneurs got a taste of starting a company when their Principal used her community connections to introduce the students to Tom's Food Center to help them turn their business dreams into a sweet reality.

Steven Antaya, vice-president of Tom's Food Center, pitched the students with a business offer they couldn't refuse. He told the students that if they created a sign to market their product, he would set up a table at the store and sell the donuts at his store.

Deborah Smith, vice-president of education for JA of the Michigan Great Lakes reflected, "We wanted the kids to see that it really does happen in real life and that they are only in second grade, but their ideas matter. This is a wonderful opportunity and the kids are super-excited. They think now they're going to be famous."

Through community involvement, Oakwood's second-graders turned a delicious concept into a reality and got a lifelong taste of entrepreneurship.