‘Shaping Young People Helps Shape Our Future’

By Candace Higginbotham

Chief Financial Officer David Turner, a former NCAA athlete at the University of Alabama, is well known at Regions for his competitive spirit.

“I’m proud of our bronze award. But a silver would be even better!”

He’s not talking about the 2024 summer games.

Regions was recently presented a bronze U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award for the 2022-2023 school year. This was the third year in a row the bank was recognized for providing more than 1,500 volunteer hours to Junior Achievement.

Great news, but the bank was very close to earning the next level award. The actual number of volunteer hours served by Regions associates was 4,099 – just 901 hours shy of the 5,000 needed for the coveted silver award.

Along with his passion for competition, Turner also has great enthusiasm for community service – especially when it comes to financial education for young people.

“It’s so important that we educate our youth and provide mentorship to help them go to college, succeed in the workforce or start a business,” Turner said. “Learning early in life to make good financial decisions benefits not only the individual student, but their families, communities and local economies.”

Turner is a strong advocate for Junior Achievement (JA), an organization that he’s been part of for 24 years as a board member of Junior Achievement of Alabama and former board chair.

It’s so important that we educate our youth and provide mentorship to help them go to college, succeed in the workforce or start a business.

David Turner, Chief Financial Officer

“Kids who participate in JA are more likely to have a college degree, feel confident about managing money, have career success and have started a business as an adult. There are many ways to be successful and there’s no reason why every child shouldn’t have an opportunity to succeed,” Turner said.

Junior Achievement’s curriculum focuses on financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship and aligns with national and state educational standards. The lessons are delivered to students across the country through local school systems and volunteers from the community.

“What sets JA apart is that it’s an experiential learning organization,” said Chip Reed, president of Junior Achievement of Alabama. “We bridge the classroom with the real world and allow young people to interact with businesspeople.

“You can’t expect kids to become what they cannot see. But when they are learning from real professionals from real companies from their own communities, they can begin to see themselves in those roles and visualize their own success.”

JA’s numbers are impressive. More than 150,000 volunteers reached almost 4.5 million students nationally in the 2022-2023 school year, in more than 175,000 classrooms in 18,000 schools.

What sets JA apart is that it’s an experiential learning organization. We bridge the classroom with the real world and allow young people to interact with businesspeople.

Chip Reed, president of Junior Achievement of Alabama

Leadership and Board Service

David Turner isn’t the only Regions leader who understands the importance of investing in our youth through volunteerism. Earnest Wilks, Commercial Banking leader and market executive for Sarasota, Bradenton, Ft. Myers, Cape Coral and surrounding areas, serves on the board of Junior Achievement Southwest Florida.

“Junior Achievement allows Regions associates to bring banking skillsets to the community by teaching financial literacy while also sharing with students the broad areas of our industry,” Wilks said. “In my conversations with southwest Florida business owners, a common concern is the local workforce and the future of it. Junior Achievement provides an opportunity for students to learn about career options in our area and prepare students for success later in life.”

According to Wilks, Regions associates in the southwest Florida market have also rallied behind this effort. As part of Financial Literacy Month and the bank’s Share the Good^® program, more than 20 associates participated in the JA Inspire career expo on April 10.

Junior Achievement provides an opportunity for students to learn about career options in our area and prepare students for success later in life.

According to Reed, JA board service is not just governance, it’s also access and credibility.

“Board members help run the organization, but perhaps more importantly they help open doors in the community,” he said. “They help tell our story and broaden our reach.”

Chance Tharp, a relationship manager for Regions Commercial Banking group in Little Rock, Arkansas, is another good example of a JA board member who is also a strong advocate. He serves on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Central Arkansas and provides a considerable amount of hands-on volunteer time to the organization.

Tharp said it all started 14 years ago when he began working for Regions and recognized a need in the community for early financial instruction and access to tools and resources.

“I didn’t have financial education growing up, but my parents taught me important lessons about making decisions about money from a young age,” Tharp said. “But not every child has the opportunity to learn that at home. JA fills that gap, and it’s fun to step into the classroom and teach kids. I’m really a teacher and coach at heart.”

Along with classroom instruction, Tharp also brings financial education to the basketball court. Each fall and spring, he works with the National High School Basketball Association to teach a JA course to participating students.

The JA curriculum provides a different kind of life lesson – about money basics and what it takes to be financially successful.

“This after-school program is geared toward kids in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods who want to play sports but are not part of a high school team,” Tharp explained. “The basketball coaching helps them build game skills, instills discipline and teaches them about being part of a team. The JA curriculum provides a different kind of life lesson – about money basics and what it takes to be financially successful.”

According to Reed, this kind of direct interaction with students is what makes JA work.

“JA is only successful when communities engage. Volunteerism is germane to the very design of the organization,” he said.

Volunteerism

As Reed explained, JA volunteers are real-world role models for K-12 students and are critical to fulfilling the organization’s mission.

Sommer Uzelec, a senior manager in Accounting at Regions’ EnerBank division, is an enthusiastic supporter of Junior Achievement of Utah and Idaho.

We all have potential and sometimes just need that one person to mentor you or show you how you can reach that potential.

“We all have potential and sometimes just need that one person to mentor you or show you how you can reach that potential,” Uzelec said. “When I teach elementary school kids about money, credit scores and how higher education can help them obtain their goals, I love to see the light bulb turn on when they realize they can do it.”

Uzelec acknowledged that the financial education lessons can go both ways. “When teaching a group of kindergartners last year about the difference between needs and wants, I had one little girl give a pretty persuasive argument about why her teddy bear was a need.”

Another EnerBank associate, Christina Alvarado, a customer service supervisor in Salt Lake City, said her “aha” moment came when she took her own kids to a JA event for a field trip.

“Seeing how they enjoyed it and watching them talk about what they learned was a meaningful experience,” Alvarado said. “I decided I wanted to help other kids experience that. I really appreciate being able to give every child the opportunity to realize their potential through practical skills.”

When it comes to volunteerism, Yolanda Hollingsworth Regions Community Relations Officer for Middle and East Tennessee, works many hours every year serving several nonprofit organizations. And Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee is special part of her volunteer efforts.

I really appreciate being able to give every child the opportunity to realize their potential through practical skills.

Hollingsworth was recently recognized by JA in their Volunteer Spotlight. In her 16 years of classroom instruction, she has delivered all types of JA programs to students ranging in age from kindergarten through high school. Besides her own service, Hollingsworth was also honored for her ability to inspire and motivate associates from more than 50 Tennessee branches to volunteer with JA.

In fact, during the 2022-2023 school year associates from the Middle Tennessee market volunteered 243 hours for JA and they’re on pace to meet that number for 2023-2024.

“Yolanda is great in the classroom,” according to a local teacher. “Every Friday the students would ask if ‘Ms. Yo’ was coming. They were so excited to learn from her and loved all the activities she did with them.”

The feeling is mutual.

Being recognized by JA was really a surprise. To be recognized for doing something you love doesn’t seem right!

Yolanda Hollingsworth, Community Relations Officer

“Being recognized by JA was really a surprise,” Hollingsworth said. “To be recognized for doing something you love doesn’t seem right!”

Hollingsworth is especially passionate about JA Finance Park, a program for personal financial planning and career exploration.

“It is so valuable in showing high school students about budgeting and all the bills they will have once they are adults that they never think about,” she explained. “When you see the students’ eyes brighten, you can’t help but feel good about what you are doing as a volunteer.

“Or when you hear a student say, ‘I am going home and thank my momma’, it makes you smile and know that just maybe you made a difference in their life.”

In-classroom instruction is important, but there are other ways to volunteer, including job shadowing, career speaker opportunities and programs such JA Biztown.

“If you believe in the JA mission, there’s a way to help,” Reed said. He encourages anyone who’s interested but may be slightly intimidated about teaching to assist an experienced instructor first, or perhaps partner with a colleague or friend. And the broad age range of students – from kindergarten through seniors in high school – provides an opportunity to find the right group you can best relate to.

Fundraising

When many people think of Junior Achievement, they recall participating in or supporting the bowling tournaments that take place across the country. The annual Birmingham event in March was another huge success. Thanks to leadership from co-chairs Turner Benoist and Pritha Powell, Regions associates raised more than $112,000 for Junior Achievement of Alabama.

Regions Consumer Bank Regional Executive Steve Nivet was the top fundraiser for the Birmingham event, and he has a long history with JA. He served on the board of Junior Achievement of Greater Miami for three years when he lived in south Florida and was honored as a top fundraiser for that chapter.

I’m passionate about giving children the opportunity to learn and grow.

Steve Nivet, Consumer Bank Regional Executive

“I believe in JA wholeheartedly,” Nivet said. “And I’m passionate about giving children the opportunity to learn and grow. Providing financial education to young people not only aligns with our Regions mission and values, but it puts our words into action.”

Reed expressed appreciation for the various ways that Regions supports JA, saying, “Regions is one of the best friends of JA. Not just in Birmingham, but throughout the country. I’m so pleased we can work together to help kids be successful in life.

“Shaping young people helps shape our future.”

Get Involved!

Each local JA chapter has a variety of programs and events – and volunteer opportunities. Visit the JA USA website for more information.