North High DECA Helps Community, Builds Teens' Business Skills

students create sports camp, raise funds for food bank

DECA is a national marketing association of high school students who have big dreams, lofty goals, and can-do attitudes when it comes to being leaders in their communities. Members of the Eau Claire North High School DECA team embody the values of the organization by being professionally responsible and community oriented in their yearly projects and their everyday lives.

On Dec. 19, North DECA team members Emily Hayden and Lauren Klauck pulled off the first-ever Husky Holiday Sports Camp (above) in order to raise money for Feed My People Food Bank. As part of the camp, more than 140 kids in kindergarten through third grade went through 12 interactive learning stations. DECA worked with local businesses to fund the program and provide T-shirts for participants. Families paid $10 per child to participate, and many of them brought in canned goods. “I was overwhelmed from the response we had from the kids,” Klauck said. “Exceeding our goal of participants by 70 (students) helped increase what we were able to donate immensely.” In the end, DECA was able to donate more than 230 pounds of food and more than $1,000.

Emily Hayden and Lauren Klauck
Emily Hayden and Lauren Klauck

Both Hayden and Klauck were very passionate about spreading the word about Feed My People and what the organization does for the community. “What surprised me most as we went through this project is that we did not realize the enormous impact Feed My People had on the surrounding area,” Hayden said, “and how many food pantries they serviced too, along with schools around the area.” Feed My People, the only food bank in west-central Wisconsin, relies on donations from food manufacturers, retailers, and the community. According to its website, the group was able to distribute 7 million pounds of food to Wisconsin hunger-relief organizations in 2014.

“We always try to do projects that incorporate real businesses, situations, and people in them. Students always learn more if it is something (where) they can be part of the decision-making process, planning, implementation, and evaluation,” said Jim Maier, North High marketing teacher and DECA advisor, of the program’s objectives.

Every year, Eau Claire North DECA runs a student-operated business to compete in the “Learn and Earn” category at the state DECA competition in March. For the 2015-2016 school year, DECA members founded the Up North Syrup Company, which boasts a tasty lineup of flavored fruit syrups such as Pumpkin Spice, Crisp Apple Cinnamon, and Holiday Cranberry (above). More than 100 marketing students sourced ingredients from local orchards and then produced and packaged the product. Many of the students also sold the syrups at school concerts and sporting events. Additionally, several students went out and practiced business-to-business sales by selling cases to local business.

Time management, leadership, and confidence, are the three skills Hayden feels like she took away from this project. “If at the age of 17, I had the ability to plan and run a sports camp, imagine what I can do in a couple of years,” she says. “I learned how to lead groups and deal with problems in a quick like fashion. These skills will only help in the future with my career in the business world.”