TREP$ Marketplace planned at Lounsberry Hollow

VERNON — There will be a TREP$ Marketplace at Lounsberry Hollow Middle School, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4.

Kids will be drawn to the snow globes, pet products, and handmade jewelry. Handmade crafts for the holidays, ornaments, and homemade cosmetics are just a few of the items that will appeal to adults. Those coming with an appetite will not be disappointed either — as a variety of baked goods will be available. All of these items will be available for purchase to all cash-carrying members of the public attending the TREP$ Marketplace.

The TREP$ Marketplace is a unique flea-market style event in that all of the vendors are sixth-grade children. Over the past few months, more than 100 children from Lounsberry Hollow Middle School have been participating in the award-winning TREP$ program (www.trepsed.com) where they have learned the basics of entrepreneurship. On Dec. 4, they will put all that they have learned to the test as they launch their own businesses for the night.

The initiative is designed to serve as an inspiration for young people to think creatively and to put their ideas into action by creating a new business.

"Educating our young people about entrepreneurship and reinforcing the value that entrepreneurs and innovators bring to our economy is critical to America’s long-term prosperity – more so now than ever before," said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

According to Kauffman Foundation research, 41 percent of children ages 9 -12 say they would like to start their own business.

"Young people have a natural desire for the independence and control that comes with owning a business and being their own boss," Schramm said.