Orin Schepps, Founder & CEO, Consultance Accounting Service
As the father of twin boys and an accountant by trade, no one understands the importance of starting financial education at a young age more than JA Volunteer Orin Schepps.
Schepps is the Founder and CEO of Consultance Accounting Service, an integrated accounting solutions firm for small and medium-sized businesses located in North Bethesda, MD. Upon hearing about JA of Greater Washington at a chamber of commerce meeting, Schepps immediately pinpointed JA as a good fit for his life and work experience. Seven years later, he continues to dedicate his time to teaching Junior Achievement curricula to young students in-classroom.
Giving back, Schepps explains, is a lesson that was instilled in him at a young age by his father.
“My father taught me the value of giving of yourself, and more importantly, of your time, to others who might not have the same opportunities or exposure to what you have,” he said. “My father would take me to various places to volunteer our time.”
Research shows that volunteering offers many health benefits, and Schepps would wholeheartedly agree. Teaching Junior Achievement programming to excited young students, he explains, feels particularly rewarding and moving.
“When you are able to teach an important lesson or financial skill, that also is very rewarding,” he said. “Just having a class of 25 to 30 kids all be engaged and excited to have you in the classroom might be the most rewarding of all.”
His most positive experience as a JA Volunteer was when one his classes wrote him hand-written thank-you notes. The notes were warm, appreciative and very touching.
“As you can imagine, I was incredibly moved,” Schepps said.
As far as his advice for the next generation of leaders, Schepps says it’s all about having choices.
“Work hard and take your studies seriously so when you get older you have the most options available,” he said. “You want to give yourself the most choices in life so you can do things that you enjoy and make you happy. Junior Achievement is a strong example of this philosophy and promotes kids creating better opportunities and more choices in their future.”
When he’s not helping professional organizations, businesses or young students manage their finances, Schepps likes to stay active as an avid runner, hiker, biker and tennis player.
If you’re inspired by Orin’s story and would like to volunteer with Junior Achievement, please visit our Current Opportunities.