By Karen Higgins, president of A&E Communications, Inc. and immediate past president and board member of the NAWBO Philadelphia Center for Advancing Entrepreneurs
On May 4th, NAWBO Philadelphia’s charitable arm, NAWBO Philadelphia Center for Advancing Entrepreneurs (PCAE), was privileged with two distinguished honors—two local teens in its Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Philadelphia program winning the National Young Entrepreneur Award and YEA! Philadelphia Executive Director Ellen Fisher (a long-time NAWBO member) winning the YEA! National Director’s Award. YEA! is a national nonprofit program that teaches children how to start and run their REAL own businesses. The 30-week curriculum transforms students into CEOs and empowers kids to turn big ideas into business opportunities. NAWBO PCAE has been running the program since 2013.
Chris Muth, the 17-year old CEO, and Ryan Klauder, the 18-year old CFO, of Rex Riccardi, beat more than 60 other semi-finalist small businesses owned by teens at the YEA! 10th Annual Saunders Scholars National Competition in Rochester, New York, and were named, “America’s Next Top Young Entrepreneurs.” The duo created a fashion business selling artistic pocket squares for cancer research. With Chris being a childhood cancer survivor himself, the first pocket square design is the artwork of an NFL player who died of cancer and 10 percent of all sales support Alex's Lemonade Stand, a national childhood cancer nonprofit.
NAWBO-Philadelphia and its charitable arm, PCAE, see YEA! Philadelphia as an opportunity to educate and grow future entrepreneurs in the community. The YEA! Philadelphia program takes more than 75 volunteers each year to operate and many of those volunteers are NAWBO members who serve as mentors, web or logo designers, speakers and much more.
If your NAWBO chapter is interested in learning more, please feel free to reach out to NAWBO PCAE President Michele Schina.
Learn More at These Links:
CBS3 - Click here.
Phoenixville News - Click here.
WXTU-FM (92.5) - Click here for blog.
YEA! National Newsletter/Website - Click here.