I began selling fresh flowers on Valentine's Day as a fundraiser while in college. I transformed the idea into a learning experience for students of Charboneau Learning Center and Even Start in Greenfield, Massachu- setts, where I work as a youth transitions counselor. I geared up this year by reviewing sample business plans offered by the Young Entrepreneurs Society in Orange, Massachusetts, where I had previously worked. I then wrote a simple business plan for the "I Love Literacy" Fresh Flower Fundraiser (FFF) using the basic format. After I had the plan written down, I decided that through a series of workshops, the STEPS (Supporting Transitions to Educational and Profes-sional Success) program at Charboneau could create a model work environment for the students and offer the potential to raise a lot of money for the Literacy Project, the sponsoring agency for the STEPS program. Students could gain work experience transferable to a resume.

I was allowed to introduce the idea of a Fresh Flower Fundraiser to the GED and ABE learners. The main goal of the project was to purchase flowers from a wholesale flower shop and resell them at retail prices at three locations around Greenfield on Valentine's Day, 2005. The Learning Center made an initial investment of $400.00 to get us started, knowing we would make a significant profit, and we pre-sold flower bouquets before the big event to generate more cash. We then planned a delivery schedule. The students decided to do research on competitive prices and priced the flowers high, because seasonality allowed market competition.

Since the students and staff both seemed excited and energetic about the idea, I shared some basic business knowledge with them. The four major components of a business are production, marketing, finance, and customer service. We discussed models of business and finance, including profit and loss statements, cost of goods, profit margins, and break-even analysis. I then went on to explain the job qualifications and the steps involved in taking part in the awesome project, as they called it. I asked them to submit a cover letter expressing their interest in the project along with their resume if they were interested. I also re- quired everyone to attend a mandatory "employee" meeting.

The mandatory meeting was one of three workshops given in preparation for the FFF project. We invited a human resources manager from a local temporary agency to speak about what em-ployers want from employees. She offered student the same insight she offers her staff when they are looking to be hired permanently from the agency. Students asked questions, and we even had a student video tape the workshop. A few other students expressed interest in editing video and offered to take the video to the local television station for production.

I started to advertise for a resume-writing workshop. I spent about two weeks meeting with students to review and revise resumes. After their resumes were completed, they started asking me about cover letters. I held another workshop to address their concerns. In all, nine students finished their resumes and submitted them, along with their cover letters, for review and consideration in taking part in this event.

I contacted everyone who was interested in working on this project and asked them to schedule an interview with me; another opportunity arose to deliver an interviewing workshop. We discussed the dos and don'ts of interviewing and explored suitable reactions to tough questions. We practiced being confident and how to smile. We greeted each other with firm handshakes and talked about appropriate attire. I then interviewed each student, as his or her individual classmates watched on, for a position on the FFF team. I asked everyone to help with the project and gave them a timeline.

Each person was interested in doing different tasks to help with the project. Some made signs to advertise to other students and staff at the center, to post around town, and to use as human billboards. Students stood out in the streets to lure people into stopping to smell the flowers, if not to also purchase them. Another contacted the media to advertise the event, and another made the financial sheets and sales tracking sheets. A few students got pre-orders for flowers from their family and friends. One student went with me to pick up the flowers at the wholesale market and then a few more of them helped to pull thorns off the roses and assemble the bouquets. Other students set up at one of the three selling locations in our small town, Greenfield. The students used strategic planning in deciding their locations. Using high-traffic areas as places to solicit business sponsorship, students choose to sell on Federal Street, in front of Even Start, on Main Street near an overpriced competitor, and at a hair salon in a high traffic area.

Students took tables, chairs, balloons, buckets, water, signs, and the paperwork (sales tracking sheets) to each of the three selling locations. A few others sat around selling fresh flowers to men and women alike at each of the three locations. Students also helped with the breakdown of the flower stand and counted money.

The time came to deliver a financial statement to the class. We invested about $400.00 in the flow er project and sold about $1200.00 in goods! The students were so excited. For most of them, this project was their only experience working in production and customer service. They each got a choice of utilizing a business fundamental, and most took advantage of all they possibly could. I awarded each student a certificate of participation and provided a few others with achievement awards in specific categories.

This project was a successful way to integrate job readiness with fundraising opportunities in an adult education program. Students gained work skills, raised money, and had fun.

Amber Ortiz works as a youth transitions counselor at the Charboneau Learning Center, a program of the Literacy Project and at The Community Center at Leyden Woods in Greenfield, MA. She can be reached at: amber@literacyproject.org