“CPA? What’s that?” If you’ve ever heard that question from an adult, it’s not hard to believe your average elementary student may not be aware of what a CPA is and the numerous career opportunities available to CPAs and related accounting professionals.

If you ask a student who has participated in an MACPA Accounting Blitz what a CPA is, however – they’ll know the answer. The MACPA Accounting Blitzes teach kindergarten through eighth grade students business basics, entrepreneurial skills, the importance of budgeting and more – giving them a grasp on real world aspects of accounting and finance. The program also increases awareness of the CPA and related accounting professions.

Gail Sparks Pitts, controller at Oakland Community College and MACPA Board secretary is a five-year Blitz volunteer. Prior to her presentation, she said, students did not know what a CPA was. Now they do – and can consider accounting as a career choice, she added.

Clarence Garner is principal at Myers Elementary in Grand Blanc, a school that has participated in the Blitzes for the past three years.

“Any time someone outside comes in, it’s a novel kind of thing for the children,” Garner said. “They are intrigued to find out what that individual does. They are very interactive with that individual and ask a lot of questions. By and large the kids are very excited to have someone come in to talk to them.”

In addition to providing a way for CPAs to get the word out about their profession, teachers find there are immeasurable benefits to their students as well.

“What we really like about this program is that it takes the whole day to focus on economics and current events as they relate to business and accounting,” Garner said.

Garner said because they do their Accounting Blitz at the end of the school year, it is a culmination of everything the students have learned throughout the year.

“The CPA talks to them about skills they’ve already learned,” he said. “They get the ‘aha’ of how it works in the real world. Someone outside is showing them how it applies – it’s a very powerful program.”

Several Blitz volunteers said the program also impresses upon students the importance of attending college.

“Middle school students have a tendency not to focus as much on the future,” Pitts said. “However, by the time I left, over 90 percent demonstrated to me they understood the need to attend college.”

MACPA member La’Mont Muhammad, auditor at KPMG, said not only were students forward-thinking about college, but also about the possibility of selecting an accounting or finance-related field.

“Many of the students expressed their desire to become CPAs, FBI or IRS agents and entrepreneurs,” Muhammad said. “(The program) allows the students to see the many possibilities that are available in the world today and gives them ideas to help prepare them for the ever-changing global economy.”

Volunteers, students and teachers alike all benefit from this important program.

Amy Drouillard, tax manager at Deloitte, sums it up nicely:

“I enjoy seeing the children getting excited to learn more about business and the opportunities that are available to them,” she said. “Students are able to gain real life experience by having outside professionals come into their classrooms and share their personal experiences with them. Teachers like the real-life experiences that volunteers from the business world can provide in a classroom setting.”

The MACPA would like to thank our volunteers for the 2004-2005 Accounting Blitzes. We truly appreciate your time, commitment and efforts to make the program the great success that it is.