FROM THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
Birmingham, AL (February 21, 2023) – Today’s business leaders are in the boardroom, but tomorrow’s are still in the classroom. As markets change, new technologies emerge, and up and coming business leaders take charge, one thing remains unchanged…the need for principled, character focused employees and owners to lead not just businesses, but our families and communities into the future.
Better Business Bureau’s Laws of Life Essay Contest aims to encourage and promote core value development for younger generations. BBB believes core values like honesty, transparency, and integrity are at the heart of successful families, relationships, and communities, but are also vital to healthy businesses and careers. “A lot of younger people don’t find out about our organization, resources, and value until after something’s gone wrong, which makes this program one of the most critical to our mission” according to Carl Bates, President and CEO of BBB Serving Central & South Alabama.
“We can’t think of a better way to encourage the development of these core principles for younger generations and have been impressed by the participation we’ve seen so far,” says
BBB’s Education Foundation VP, Monde Donaldson. “We look forward to every Alabama student knowing and taking advantage of this program because everyone benefits, winning submission or not, from developing strong, proven values and taking those with you through life and business.”
2022’s sophomore edition of Laws of Life prompted 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students to contemplate how honesty and transparency, or the lack thereof, impact personal relationships and business. Students were encouraged to interview family, business, and community leaders to obtain further insight on the importance of core values in professional settings and how principles drive success in life.
The 2021 pilot program engaged select schools in Mobile County, but 2022 saw the contest expand into additional schools and counties, including Baldwin, Montgomery, and Jefferson.
Thanks to a grant from the Alabama Humanities Alliance, winning participants had cash prizes with first place receiving $1000, second place winning $300, and third place taking home $200.
All winning students’ teachers were also rewarded with a cash gift, as well as the school with the most submissions. Program sponsor, and BBB Accredited Business, Herzing University also offered access to their Transitions Program to all participants to allow them early access to post-secondary education credits.
Winning essays were submitted from St. Paul’s Episcopal School, McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, and Hoover High School students. The school with the most submissions was Robertsdale High School.
The second-place winner was quoted as saying “I’ve learned more about honesty in the workplace and how that plays a key role in success, and how I can learn from that”.
Past participants explained “I believe this essay is probably one of the most important things that I’ve done in school. It allowed me to understand how work, life, relationships, how they work in our world, and I don’t believe this is anything that a regular essay could teach us.”
The 2023 BBB Laws of Life Essay Contest will open for submissions this Fall, and we look forward to another year of growth sharing BBB’s principles and standards with the future leaders of our communities.
Additional information about the contest is available online at:
https://www.bbb.org/local/0463/csal-education-foundation/laws-of-life
For schools and teachers who would like additional information, please contact BBB Education Foundation VP Monde Donaldson at mdonaldson@csal.bbb.org or 251-300-3388.
For businesses who are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Garet Smitherman at gsmitherman@csal.bbb.org or 205-558-2234.
BBB Media Contact: Garet Smitherman, gsmitherman@csal.bbb.org, 205-558-2234
ABOUT BBB:
For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 220 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at www.BBB.org
