Byesville Rotary learns DECA Club goal is development of business skills

Pictured: DECA members: Dalton Singleton, Taylour Kidd, Ian West, and Simon Nichols.

 

Reading for Nov. 27: November Rotarian, "Global Outlook," p. 62.

 

 

Reminder: Bring a gift for a kid to the Dec. 4 meeting. Club members voted to donate the gifts to the Interact Angel Tree project. Gifts should be appropriate for elementary age students.

 

Taylor Kidd, club vice president, Dalton Singleton, Simon Nichols, Ian West, members of the Meadow Brook DECA Club (Distributive Educational Clubs of America) introduced members of the Byesville Rotary to the goals and objectives of the club.

 

DECA clubs work to prepare high school students to become leaders and entrepreneurs in the fields of marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Participation in club activities helps prepare students for college and for business careers by offering educational programs that integrate into classroom instruction. 

 

DECA was founded 60 years ago and is organized into high school and college divisions. Currently, the high school division has 185,000 members in 5,000 schools. It is an international, non-profit organization with clubs in many countries including the all 50 states in the USA, Germany, Mexico, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

 

DECA educational programs build student confidence, teach how to run businesses, and develop speaking and presentation skills. Educational units teach skills in the areas of marketing, business management and administration, hospitality and tourism, and finance. 

 

DECA founders believed that hands-on experience is one of the best methods to provide students with the skills they need to be successful in business. Students develop business skills by working though computer-based programs (SIMS) that simulate business models. The students then hone their skills by participating in regional competitions. To move to state competitions, a student must place in first or second in a regional competition. 

Members of the Meadow Brook club get additional, practical business experience by being responsible for running the snack concession at the high school. 

Bob Long reported that to date over 140 families have registered for the Byesville Rotary Food Basket program. Bob Long is still taking registrations and expects to have between 180-200 families registered by December 15. 

Club members are reminded bring a toy to the December 4 club meeting. Members voted to donate the toys to the Meadow Brook Interact club to be used toward their Angel Tree Christmas project. 

The club meets 7:30 am every Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Evelyn Spring, 740-439-4343.