Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week!
April 19-25 is National Volunteer Week, and there is no better time to pause and recognize the selfless contributions of our extraordinary JA Volunteers who inspire and motivate us every day.
Throughout the week, we’ll be featuring JA Volunteers who go above and beyond to connect students with the learning experiences they need for an inspired and successful future.
Read JA Volunteer TaB’s Q&A with JA below!
James 'TaB' Patrick
JA: How have you volunteered with JA and what compelled you to do so?
TaB: I have volunteered for the JA in a Day program, the JA Company Program, the JA Entrepreneurship Summit, JA Finance Park, and the JA Essay Contest. I was compelled to do so as a way of paying back. I participated in the JA Company Program during my junior/senior years in high school and the lessons I learned have been invaluable throughout my careers.
JA: What is the biggest personal benefit you receive as a JA volunteer?
TaB: The biggest personal benefit I receive as a JA volunteer is what I learn from the students. They keep me in tuned with the latest technology, trends, terminology, and give me a great satisfaction in knowing how well prepared, knowledgeable and talented our potential leaders of tomorrow will be.
JA: What is your favorite JA memory?
TaB: My favorite JA memory is not a single one, but one of many. It happens each time the students realize at the end of a program such as the Entrepreneurship Summit or Company Program how much they have learned and how far they have come since their initial meeting as strangers on the first day.
JA: What do you wish more people knew about JA or what would you tell someone that is thinking about volunteering with JA?
TaB: I wish more people understood the personal value that is gained from participating in the JA activities as a volunteer, as well as the opportunity to pass on lessons we learned through life to our children. This would help them to be more financially knowledgeable. By doing so, the students are better able to take advantage of your experience and not make some of the mistakes many of us have made. Accordingly, we can help them to understand it is not how much money one has, but what one does with the money they have.
JA: What advice would you give to the next generation?
TaB: To be financially independent, one must start early to plan how they will fund their life and that of their future family. Start investing in low cost index mutual funds as soon as they are able, even if it is only $5.00 a month. The time value of money will reward them for doing so. They should strive to learn how to apply their school lessons to their everyday life. They should understand that many of them will work in jobs/careers that do not exist today, and many of them will not work in the field they studied in college. Accordingly, they must learn to be intuitive, innovative, creative and resourceful today to be successful tomorrow.
Interested in hearing more inspiring stories from our JA Volunteers? Check out more spotlights below.
To learn how you can get involved with or support JA, send us an inquiry.
