“The 4-H Reality Store is one of the greatest programs in 4-H that I have ever worked in my 4-H career. The impact and skills learned by our youth and adults is appreciation for careers and economic impact based upon an individual decision on his or her career choice.” (Says one of the Metcalfe County 4-H Volunteers)

The Metcalfe County Reality Store strive to encourage positive financial management of all 7^th and 8^th grade youth at Metcalfe County Middle School. This collaborative effort of the Metcalfe County Cooperative Extension Service, Leadership Metcalfe, Metcalfe Family Resource Center, Metcalfe County Middle and Metcalfe County High School Youth Service Center, and Twenty-one different community members. 158 students from Metcalfe County Middle Schools practiced financial management in this two hour session of mock life experience. The students traveled to the Extension office to meet the community members the moved from booth to booth to make choices and decisions about monthly purchases and deal with monthly expenses. There were eighteen different booths for students to visit. The youth received prior training with Financial Planning material, a curriculum of the Cooperative Extension Program.  The youth were given a school to work survey; this enabled the students to be matched with a career. The five areas are Business and Marketing; Engineering and Industry; Health and Human Services; Agriculture and Environment; and Arts and Humanities. Students then selected a job and salary from the families. The youth took a pre-test and post-test to see if they gained knowledge with their experience. Eighty-nine percent claimed that their understanding of money had increased with the Reality Store and financial classes we conducted. Ninety-one percent stated that their knowledge of budgeting was greater because of the experience. Eighty-nine percent of students shared that they had a better understanding of making wise financial choices. ninety-three percent of 8th graders said that they have been saving more since last years program. More than Thirty-four volunteers gave more than 174 volunteer hours to make this event successful.