The very active Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter of Jersey Shore High School has learned a lot about the workings of business through their operation of a store at the Nippenose Valley Village. Still, perhaps, more importantly, they have enhanced the quality of life for the residents, by having that store there at a time when it was difficult — if not risky — due to COVID-19, for residents to venture away to shop for small everyday items that they might need.

According to Julie Steinbacher, whose daughter is a member of the chapter and who assists in advising the group, the pandemic brought many challenges that required the help of business leaders, the staff at Nippenose Valley Village, family members of residents, and the Jersey Shore Senior High FBLA members working together.
The FBLA-operated store had certain goals it wished to accomplish.
• To give a safe social outlet for residents who are mostly quarantined in their rooms.
• To grow sales by 25 percent.
• To donate the profits to the residents and the staff who have helped make this store possible.
• To expand the inventory selection for the residents
• To expose FBLA members to pivoting to uncertain conditions throughout the supply chain.

FBLA members worked with staff and owners of Nippenose Valley Village to open a store within the facility to provide a place for residents to shop, and to learn about starting and running a retail business. The store was stocked by asking residents what they would want to purchase. Ice cream was the biggest request and ended up being the best-selling item.

Through the use of volunteers, who were primarily FBLA students, the store was a success. Students were responsible for learning about and implementing procedures, stocking the store, reconciling sales, and filing the sales tax return. The Village staff and other business owners were able to help teach the students the things they needed to know to accomplish their tasks.

All was running smoothly, and then COVID-19 hit. The volunteers who worked there every Sunday from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. and every Tuesday from 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. were no longer allowed in the store. Starting in March of 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health requirements mandated no visitors or volunteers were allowed into the facility. Virla Ocker, a staff person who was instrumental in mentoring the kids, came forward and volunteered to run the sales inside the store if the FBLA students could still reconcile the sales, make the deposits, shop for items, and manage the inventory.

As time went on, policies that Nippenose Valley Village had to comply with changed. At the end of the summer, Nippenose Valley Village was able to open back up and have volunteers in the Village. The Co-chairpersons were able to get COVID tested and enter the building. A day of cleaning, inventorying, and making the store comply with the signage regulations was needed to re-set the store.

Many of the residents had missed the FBLA members and stopped by just to chat on that day. It was decided that new inventory was needed, so a Labor Day Sale was created to sell off stock that had not sold within the first year and to give a boost to the income. This was also to allow newer residents to see the store and encourage them to buy if they had not utilized the store.

During the pandemic, the store became even more important to the residents because families were not able to visit, and getting essentials such as shampoo, cards, stamps, etc., to their loved ones was a special trip rather than part of the visit. Some families were not able to, so the residents relied on the store more and requested more items to be purchased for them. For one resident, Dick Young, getting his specially requested peppermints that he loved really made a difference in his day.

The store was also a social outing for the residents. There were times of the year when the residents were eating all their meals in their rooms and had no contact with anyone. This was detrimental to the resident’s mental health as socializing was a main part of their life at the Village. Seniors move together into a facility partly because they need help but also because they can talk to other residents at any time of the day. They do not have to sit at home and rely on a family member to stop by or take them somewhere; they can just walk down the hall. With mealtime being taken away, residents could still come out of their rooms to go to the store and talk to the volunteer working. This gave them a chance to get their exercise in for the day and help their mental health a little by having social interaction.

Requirements changed often, and the FBLA students needed to be flexible. It also gave the FBLA members a chance to understand the impact that the pandemic had on the residents. The pandemic had a great impact on high school students, with schools, activities, and athletics all being curtailed. But the impact on the residents was more dramatic — being isolated from family and friends in such a severe way. For the residents of the Village with cars, they were not able to leave and drive anywhere at times. Other times, if they went anywhere, even a doctor’s appointment, they had to quarantine to their rooms for two weeks. Being able to shop at a store, request special items, and interact with others was truly needed and appreciated within Nippenose Valley Village.

The FBLA students were able to understand these needs and help to provide this social outlet. The students also learned important business lessons, such as changing business procedures in response to governmental regulations, changes in needs of customers, updating policies, filing sales tax returns, and understanding the need for consistent commitment to a project.