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Sports. The activity and entertainment so many of us are ready to start attending, especially our young ones, is sports. Going to an Avs hockey game, cheering on the Colorado Rapids or Mammouth, donning a Nuggets jersey that matches their parents’–these are all moments that stay with a child for life.
These moments, however, cost money and require planning. Here at Young AmeriTowne, students learn the value of budgeting and wisely spending their hard-earned AmeriTowne wages for their favorite activities, including the Young AmeriTowne Sports Venue shop.
At both the Denver and Lakewood Young AmeriTowne locations, Kroenke Sports Charities sponsors this student-favorite destination. At the Sports Venue shop, students see how fast they can dress in full Colorado Avalanche goalie gear and buy fun, interactive toys to take home. To do all this, though, students must have these items budgeted in their spending plan.
As part of their budgeting lessons, students learn a fundamental financial literacy topic – opportunity cost. To enjoy all that sports have to offer, students learn to plan for these expenditures. Part of this plan comes with the understanding that if you pay for one item (such as a souvenir), this means you have to forego another item (such as a food).
Opportunity Cost is the cost of thing you give up when you make a choice. This important concept was brought to life in an entertaining video narrated by Conor McGahey, Radio Play-by-Play announcer for the Colorado Avalanche. Conor attended Young AmeriTowne when he was in the 5th grade!
With a mission to “improve lives through the spirit and power of sports,” Kroenke Sports Charities helps the students of Young AmeriTowne understand how budgeting and planning are key to enjoying the sports they love so much.
Deb Dowling-Canino, Vice President, Community Relations / Executive Director, Kroenke Sports Charities (KSC), explains KSC’s important role in the Young AmeriTowne students’ experience. “Entertainment expenses are a part of everyone’s lives, whether it’s going to the movies, traveling, or going to a sporting event. Starting the conversation about budgeting in order to partake in the activities we love sets up our youth to lead self-sufficient lives when they’re older as well as understand and appreciate the value of their parents taking them to sporting events.”
When the students enter the Sports Venue shop, their eyes beam with excitement. Using their Young AmeriTowne wages for fun sports activities, Colorado students connect the dots that budgeting is important for many reasons, one being having fun!
Thank you, Kroenke Sports Charities, for giving Denver and Lakewood students the hands-on, real-life opportunities to learn about smart saving and spending.
