By Shin Noguchi, Marketing Assistant, BizWorld.org

Excited and optimistic. These are the words I would use to describe the overarching, heart-warming feeling I got from our BizWorld Academy event last Thursday. I chose these words not only because we are in full swing for the holidays, but because after spending an entire 2 days with fifth graders from Richmond, CA, I felt like I made a difference in many childrens' lives.

We are so thankful to our partner, a leading financial investment management company in San Francisco, who generously sponsored our two-day academy that teaches children all about starting and running businesses. These programs are fun, hands-on and so engaging that the kids love it. They learned how to create a company,design and manufacture bracelets together, pitch their business ideas to volunteer investors, consider the merits of bank loans and paying interest, and sell all their bracelets at an incredible, volunteer-packed sales bazaar. I watched these children become budding entrepreneurs right in front of my own eyes. Amazing!

Children are so impressionable and learn so quickly. With programs like ours, we can help children see the many careers and options available to them, the relevance of what they are learning in school, and how exciting hard work can be.

That's the coolest gift of all!