SBH VP JED GAINES HEADS MAJOR EDUCATION EFFORT: READ ALOUD HAWAII!

Read Aloud America/Read Aloud Hawaii will commence its "R.A.P". (Read Aloud Program) with Kaahumanu Elementary School during the month of January. Jed Gaines, Vice-President/Director of SBH, created Real Aloud America a little over a year ago after having worked with Jim Trelease and the Jim Trelease concept of reading aloud to children at home and at school. Jed has been doing this for the past twelve years and has been conducting workshops for parents and teachers for the past two years. He is now getting schools involved with Read Aloud America bringing in community volunteers during school lunch time to read aloud to a student one-on-one for a half hour once a week. Kaahumanu Elementary School, being the first school, will have many third and fourth graders participating with the Pensacola and King Street area community. Volunteer reading partners commit to the program for one school year but are encouraged to continue with the same child until graduation from elementary school. All students remain in the program until graduation from elementary school.

This R.A.P. (Read Aloud Program) lunch time reading will encourage a child's interest in reading by demonstrating the pleasures of reading; helping the child overcome apprehension of reading; building listening and reading comprehension and vocabulary; and increasing attention span/concentration. It will expand a child's opportunity for success by exposing the child to new information and experiences; helping the child articulate thoughts; enhancing imagination, insight and independent thinking; building self esteem and confidence; and encouraging academic success.

Volunteers from Real Aloud America benefit from this program because it is a convenient way to help without cutting into work or leisure time; it is personally rewarding experience; a chance to socialize with children from different backgrounds; and an opportunity to be a role model/provide motivation for success.

Participating organizations benefit from the program because it gives them an opportunity to offer employees a rewarding volunteer experience; building employee morale; serving community and future employees and customers; a simple, time- efficient way to contribute resources and employee time; and a chance to help support local public schools.

If you are interested in volunteering as a weekly reader in your business/school district or if you would like your community school to experience Jed's presentation, give him a call at 531-1985.

Jed writes the monthly Read Aloud column for the Honolulu Advertiser on the first Saturday of every month in the Island Life section.

HOMEWORK HOTLINE A WIN-WIN SOLUTION

As a small business owner, how important is the education of your future employees? Are you interested enough in education to want to have a hand in it? Let me introduce you to Homework Hotline. The link between business and education. Homework Hotline is a sophisticated system that allows a teacher to record a homework assignment once via a telephone (the only equipment needed) which can then be retrieved by a student or parent 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each school has the ability to record information on 900 individual topics (identified by 3 digit pin codes).

By the comments we have received from various members of the educational community, it is clear to us that this is a program that could enhance any existing educational program.

Through Jamieson Communications/JCT Telecom, this program is being offered to schools at no cost to the school, students or parents. As a business person you know that nothing is free, someone has to pick up the tab. You do advertising, why not place your products or service in the ears of our next generation and their parents "one on one." By sponsoring this program you accomplish your desire to be involved with the education of your future employees and you satisfy your advertising needs. This program gives you the opportunity to advertise to a broader customer base. Each call begins with a message identifying the school followed by a sponsors advertisement. A message that can be changed as often as your business needs change.

What does it cost the small business person. $60 per month per school per advertising slot. Each company sponsoring a school will have their advertisement heard in rotation. For more information call 545-7873, EXT. 7228 (Beth) or EXT. 1207 (Jerry).

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING COSTS

By Bob Sigall, Creative 1

Successful business people know that increasing sales is only half of the profit equation. It's also important to control costs. Otherwise, all you will do is work harder.

A dollar is not always a dollar to a business person. In order to pay for any expense, it's necessary to generate enough sales to cover overhead. If your operating profit on sales is 5%, you would need $20 in sales to produce $1 to spend on, say, postage stamps.

This chart shows the amount of sales needed to compensate for particular expenses for a company operating at a 5% operating profit on sales.

Every company is different, and some have higher or lower gross profit margins. Do you know what your company's operating profit figures are? Most of your fellow entrepreneurs don't.

It's my belief that, to be successful, business women and men need to be as good at managing the financial side of their business as they are at their service or products. If you're great at what you do, but in the dark financially, it will hold you back.

Some solutions: Take a continuing education class this year, talk with your accountant, or read a book to strengthen your weaker areas. Set a goal for 1997 to improve your financial knowledge.