The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

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Reality Check Volunteers Needed

Reality Check, a simulation exercise that allows students an assigned career, annual salary and its corresponding monthly salary, will be held in Hamilton County high schools through the month of November, and your help is needed to make it a success.

“Volunteer for part or all of the time on a particular day. This is a fun event and the students get so much from the experience,” according to Sandy Cole, of the UTC Center for Community Career Education “Also, the Chamber will sponsor a drawing for a DVD system. Every time you volunteer your name goes in the pot. The drawing will be in the spring after all of the Reality Check programs have been offered to the schools.”

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and the area Chamber Councils are sponsoring Reality Check for ninth graders in these Hamilton County Schools:

  • Tuesday, November 4, 7:30 a.m. –2 p.m. at Soddy Daisy
  • Wednesday, November 5, 7:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at Lookout Valley
  • Friday, November 7, 7 a.m.-2:15 p.m. at Ooltewah High
  • Thursday, November 13, 7:15 a.m.-1 p.m. at Red Bank High

During the simulation, students could be a high school dropout, high school graduate, community college graduate or university graduate, and students will see the difference in salaries. Then they are assigned a family, for instance: married with two children, spouse working, or single mom with 3 kids and a dog.

There are many opportunities for students to learn how they will spend their money. They make budget decisions; rent an apartment or buy a house; buy generic food or name brand food at the grocery; decide which utilities they can afford (cell phone, cable, etc); transportation-bus tickets or car payments, etc. Students even have the option of picking up a second job if they cannot make ends meet. Volunteers staff the booths, record the student's decision and deduct it from their checking account.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Mattie Moran at the Chamber.

The UTC Center for Community Career Education has been involved with Reality Check for several years.