By Lindsay Peyton

Teaching finances to elementary students can be a tough task -- but a group of Wells Fargo bankers signed up to lend a hand.

On Thursday, April 27, a couple hundred of the company’s employees in Washington state volunteered to join a national financial effort called “Teach Children to Save Day,” sponsored by the American Bankers Association. Together, the volunteers brought their message to 102 classrooms in 20 different schools across the state.

The outreach was also part of Junior Achievement of Washington’s “JA Day.” The non-profit youth organization offers a curriculum of civics and economics lessons.

More than 550 children enrolled in Mount View Elementary, 10811 12th Ave SW, learned how to save and manage their money wisely as part of the effort.

Tim Brown was one of the 20 Wells Fargo volunteers who took over teaching duties at Mount View.

“We talked about community and jobs, products and production,” he said. “Our mission at Wells Fargo is to help people with their financial needs – and help them succeed financially. And we can start when they’re young.”

The key is simply to get them to start thinking about career and community, Brown said.

“For these younger kids, it’s all about asking, ‘What does it mean to be part of the community?’ or ‘What do you do for different jobs?’” Brown said. “We’re introducing them to these basic terms. As time goes by the curriculum grows, and they learn more and more.”

The volunteers also helped students build stagecoach-shaped piggy banks – and led them through an activity where they made donuts out of a paper to simulate production of goods.

Mount View second grade teacher Claudia Conroy said her students enjoyed the experience – and learned a lot.

“It’s always nice for them to get a different perspective,” she said. “And it applies interesting material. They’re learning about goods, jobs, products and services.”

While the lesson was more “real world” than her typical curriculum, Conroy said the children still learned skills that apply to her classroom.

“They had to make donuts and do it perfectly or they wouldn’t sell,” she said. “It’s the same with their classwork. They need to make it neat and do a good job.”

David Moore, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Washington, said this is one of a number of programs the nonprofit hosts to spark young minds about business, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness.

“It’s important for business leaders to take time to go in and inspire these kids” he said.

He said a recent poll showed that children are most excited about their future careers in the fifth grade.

“Every year after that, they get less enthusiastic and more anxiety,” he said. “We want them to be more enthusiastic, more excited and more confident about their careers. The only way to do that is to get business people in the classroom.”

Moore is convinced that students will be more likely to graduate and seriously consider their careers, if they start planning at a young age.

“We believe in the boundless potential of every child,” he said. “Even at this age, they build concepts and values that will never leave. We shouldn’t underestimate the power of suggestion, and you can’t underestimate the power of self-sufficiency.”

For more information visit www.jawashington.org.