In April, Host employees spent the day at Junior Achievement of Greater Washington’s JA Finance Park® in Montgomery County — Junior Achievement’s capstone personal finance and career exploration simulation. This hands-on “mock city” experience is designed to prepare students for life and work in the real world, giving them the opportunity to apply financial literacy skills through real-life scenarios. 

Joined by a community volunteer, the group guided 95 seventh grade students from Benjamin Banneker Middle School through a digital experience that assigned each participant an adult persona — complete with a career, salary, credit score, debt level, family scenario and financial responsibilities. 

After getting to know their new identities, students explored JA Finance Park’s various storefronts, designed to mirror real-world businesses, and researched everyday expenses like housing, transportation, clothing, groceries and insurance. With these costs in mind, they created realistic budgets and made thoughtful spending decisions. 

Many students quickly discovered how challenging it can be to balance wants and needs. With support from volunteers, they revisited their budgets, reevaluated their priorities, and gained a clearer understanding of responsible financial decision-making. 

At the end of the exercise, students reflected on what they had learned and shared their appreciation by presenting hand-signed thank you cards to the volunteers.

Learn more about Host’s Corporate Responsibility program, including our Corporate Citizenship program.