Edwardsville CEO will host Jumpstart to Joy at the YMCA Meyer Center Nov. 29. The holiday event aims to bring cheer to families in the Metro area.
The group of business-minded seniors from EHS, Father McGivney and Metro East Lutheran will coordinate princesses, games, auctions, raffles, Santa, face painting, food, crafts, skating, a scavenger hunt and a bounce house.
Each year, the members of CEO come together to make a class business on top of their individual ones. According to senior Whitney Rosenberger, the CEO of this year’s group, the entrepreneurs wanted to center their class business around families, “so as many people can participate as possible and for families to spend time together in a fun and different way.”
Rosenberger and the CEO officers plan and oversee the class days devoted to Jumpstart to Joy. It’s been a stressful process for her, but “overwhelmingly enjoyable.”
“As a CEO class we all get to bring different and creative ideas to the table,” Rosenberger said. “Everyone is putting their all into making sure this event is successful, and many students constantly work outside of class on it.”
Senior Sophie Byron explained the planning process from her perspective:
“We split our group of 26 students into four different committees,” Byron said. “The committees are marketing, finance, event coordination and sponsorship. Each committee works on their respective projects so that we can get all of the work done by the date of our event.”
Senior Gavin Schmidt is on the sponsorship committee, which is in charge of sourcing local business sponsorships.
“If I were to say one thing about this committee, it’s that it is a lot of sending emails,” Schmidt said.
He hopes Jumpstart to Joy will teach him skills about entrepreneurship that can help when he builds his own business next semester.
“Tasks we would perform would include … helping out anyone we can with any comments and concerns they may have,” Schmidt said. “As students, we are taught that feedback is a gift.”
Rosenberger said she’s most looking forward to seeing local families spend time together at the event.
“I cannot wait to see the joy on kids’ faces when they get to meet their favorite princesses and take pictures with Santa,” Rosenberger. “The ability to see all the hard work we have put into one thing will be so rewarding, and I cannot wait to see it come alive.”