When FBLA president, Jon Gunter, handed me his business card, one thought struck me almost instantly.
These kids mean business.
FBLA is a club that prepares students for working in business in the future (hence the name “Future Business Leaders of America).This is accomplished by immersing the students in fundraisers, community service, social events and competitions where they utilize skills that are valued in the business world. For example, they organize all of their fundraisers, competitions and social events on their own, something that may be expected on a day to day basis in real life business.
While FBLA seems large (with the membership coming up on sixty members), this is nothing compared to some schools. And with FBLA being the largest career student organization in the world, holding more than 215,000 members, even six hundred students seems miniscule. Put that next to sixty, and it barely makes a dent.
"When I started, we probably had about twenty members. Now we've grown to over 50 members and next year we have about 75 incoming freshman interested in joining. We're tiny compared to Warren Township High School's FBLA, though, which has over 600 members," President Jon Gunter said.
FBLA’s many competitions range from local competitions all the way up to Nationals. Some events reward students with a cash prize, while trophies and certificates are awarded in others. It varies depending on the competition. Winning a trophy hardly compares with the honor that comes with winning, given the number of students who compete.
There are a large amount of contests to partake in when competing. For example, one of the topics for next year will be a Business Financial Plan contest. Contestants will be given the scenario of buying an old coffee shop that was previously owned by a retiring couple who ran the coffee house for twenty years. They will required to update the coffee house and turn the business into a health-conscious business catering to individual tastes.
The club has also held quite a few fundraisers. The last was a Chipotle fundraiser to raise money for their other fundraisers, such as the March of Dimes, a charity that provides money for the prevention and care of premature babies. Another one of their major fundraisers was the Monopoly tournament. The money made went towards the March of Dimes. It cost $5 to participate, and five games were held at a time. The winner received a gift certificate to Domino’s Pizza.
Some students at LHS don’t see themselves in business at any point of their life, so they decide that FBLA isn’t the right choice of club for them. But, as Kristen Connolly, the FBLA advisor stated, “FBLA is not just a business club. It is a leadership organization. Even if you don’t plan on majoring in business in college there is a place for you in FBLA.”
One more plus to FBLA is that they are one of the few clubs that take “going green” quite literally. They have stopped printing out their schedules for officer meetings. Instead, it is all done online without wasting unnecessary amounts of paper. On Earth Day, eight FBLA members travelled to Adler Park School to read The Lorax by Doctor Suess to the kindergarten class there. And, in celebration of Earth Day, they planted sunflower seeds with the kindergarteners as well.
While FBLA may not be the top choice of club for some students, one fact remains quite clear: We’d all better start preparing, because someday we may be working for them.