LANSING, Mich. — This week’s Good Neighbor’s takes us to Lansing’s Elmwood Elementary, where the lesson wasn’t spelling or science—it was about dollars, sense, and dreams.
A group of accountants traded spreadsheets for real life lessons and gave third graders a priceless gift.
At Elmwood Elementary, students in Mrs. Lewellyn’s third-grade class learned something you don’t always find in a schoolbook: how money works—and how to make it work for them.
"The kids learn what they can do with money," says third grade teacher Mrs. Cheyenne Lewellyn. "They can spend, save, donate. It’s important at a young age to be responsible—it sets them up for future success.”
That lesson came courtesy of Junior Achievement, and a team of volunteers from Maner Costerisan, a Lansing-based accounting and consulting firm. A few months ago, they shut down the office—yes, all 200 employees—and spread out across eight nonprofits as part of their annual “Day of Impact.”
Accountant Nick West says at Elmwood Elementary that impact came in the form of financial literacy.
"Seeing the kids’ excitement when we start talking about money… that’s what I love. Being an accountant got me excited about this stuff, and now we get to show them it can actually be fun." Nick adds with a smile, "Maybe one of these kids will be a CPA someday.”
The program makes sense—to these kids.
Lonnie Horne who wants to be a YouTube creator when he grows up says these lessons are important.
"I’m learning money is very important for life. If you spend too much, you’ll become poor… If you spend it on things you don’t need, you’ll have fun… but it might be bad."
It’s one day out of the office for employees of Maner Costerisan, but the lessons—and the impact for these kids —may just last a lifetime.
"I’ve got a class of 25 kids… someday, they’ll be 25 adults," says Mrs. Lewellyn. "Maner’ Costerisan's employees are good neighbors because they’re investing in our future. Our kids are the future of our community."
Turns out, you don’t need a big bank account to make a big difference. Sometimes, all it takes… is showing up.
Thanks to this week’s Good Neighbors from Maner Costerisan for doing just that.
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