■ Philanthropy
■ Philanthropy
The youngster enjoyed the tour of the facility and got to see how the operation works .
There are hands-on opportunities too , Bowman said , recalling how youngsters gave high scores to a workshop that showed them how a diesel engine is built . Think Big also organized a tour of a 400,000-square-foot distribution center . “ They learned about all the different careers that exist just in the distribution center from forklift driving to accounting and finance to supply chain management ,” Bowman said .
During the trip to Port Jersey Logistics in Cranbury , Bowman said the youngsters learned “ many of the managers and directors that were there came out of McDonald ’ s or KFC , with no college education .” He said their presence and their stories “ really resonated ” with the youngsters .
His organization also partners with higher education institutions like Felician University , NJIT and Stevens Institute . “ They ’ re very excited about participating with us also because they want to show to those kids that there is a way if they want to get to college . … They help them understand all the resources that are available .” Felician ’ s outreach emphasized how its concentration in healthcare can open many doors and that its school has always embraced students who are the first in their families to seek college degrees .
Seyi Ola , a community manager at J . P . Morgan Chase , finds working with the youngsters exhilarating . He is assigned to the Trenton area as one of bank ’ s seven community managers in New Jersey . Ola describes his role as an “ ambassador ” to nurture relationships and connections with community leaders , non-profits and business leaders . He said Think Big ’ s goals align well with the bank ’ s mission in the community .
For the past two years he has been running workshops at the Spruce Street location of the Boys and Girls Club . The subject matter has included financial literacy , budgeting , and savings / credit , as well as showcasing careers in banking for the youngsters . For the career sessions , Ola has brought in colleagues who work in small business banking , commercial lending and investment banking . “ We let them see the reality ,” he said . He was struck by the enthusiasm of one 13-year-old student . The young man kept asking Ola how he could make money . His questions led to conversations touching on entrepreneurship . Ola learned the boy ’ s father had a small logistics business and owned several mini vans . The banker suggested the boy consider working for his father . Ultimately , he started washing the vans on weekends and negotiated a wage with his father .
“ We helped him think through how to make money ,” Ola recalled . “ These kids come from challenging backgrounds but they want to learn .” He said “ being able to be in front of these kids is very important .”
As they completed their projects , youngsters got a chance to question workers about their jobs at Port Jersey Logistics .
June / July 2024 COMMERCE 7