TORRINGTON – Anyone whose body creaks and groans every morning getting out of bed has probably thought the following a time or two: “I wish I’d learned less about square dancing in school and more about filing my taxes and balancing my checkbook.” 

The North Platte Valley Board of Realtors (NPVBR) is setting out to make sure students of today don’t feel the same sentiment 15 years down the road.

The organization is in it’s second year of presenting a cutting-edge program called “Reality Town” to all Goshen County eighth grade students. 

Curtis Birkley, a member of NPVBR, is also a local real estate agent in Torrington and volunteers his time to help run the event.

“They are playing the game of Life,” Birkley said. 

They are given a job and then a salary. Then they have to go do things like, buy a house, buy a car, go to the doctor, get a pet, get insurance, get daycare; all the different things,” he added.

Shelly Duncan also volunteers her time to help bring financial literacy to Goshen County.

“I was the chairman of the Housing Opportunities Committee for the National Association for Realtors. One of the tool kits we were creating was financial literacy for students. I did some research and found this company ‘Reality Town’,” Duncan said of how the project got started. 

The first year the event was held Duncan said they relied on donations from area businesses to get it up and going. She then applied for and received a grant to continue the valuable program. 

“There’s lots of rumbling that we should open this up to high school students too. That would be amazing but we don’t have the man power to do that yet,” she continued. 

According to the Reality Town website, students come away from the project with an understanding of financial concepts such as budgeting, and the importance of putting “needs” before “wants.” 

“Reality Town is a fun, hands-on curriculum for eighth and ninth grade students that culminates in a simulation, during which time students take on a career, salary, spouse, or lack thereof, children and the financial obligations of a 30-year-old adult. Armed with their Reality Town Student Handbook, Personalized Pay Stub, which contains all of their personal Reality Town information, and a pen, students are responsible for making financial decisions and standard monthly expenditures for their Reality Town family. Students must budget and meet all of the basic needs of their family, including housing, transportation, groceries, childcare, clothing, insurance, etc., as they make purchases and decisions at each of the different Reality Town businesses. Students learn to put needs before wants as they try to juggle all of their financial responsibilities and are encouraged to take great thought as to the lifestyle, they are establishing for themselves and their family,” the website states. 

Duncan said each student fills out an online application, creates a resume and applies for jobs they have interest in pursuing in the future.  

They are assigned a job with a salary and are designated as one of the following: single with no kids, single with kids, married with no kids and married with children (pun intended for the aforementioned creaking/groaning crowd). 

Duncan said she loves to see how the program can positively affect kids. 

“Last year I interviewed a few students after they completed the program, they all said ‘We had no idea. We thought Mom and Dad went to work and just got this check. We had no idea they had to pay for all that stuff,’” Duncan said. 

She said the same group also was surprised their grades could have an effect on their job and how much they’d get paid. 

“They all said they were going to appreciate their parents more,” Duncan concluded. 

Birkley said this event wouldn’t be possible without the work of dedicated volunteers and local businesses who take time away from their busy schedules to help run this event. 

The list of local businesses who helped out are: Pinnacle Bank, Platte Valley Bank, North Platte Physical Therapy, Army National Guard, Renovation X, Banner Health, Brown Company, Burns Insurance, Wyrulec, Goshen County Assessor’s Office, SONrise Church, Brooke Gasseling – Casey Peterson Accounting/Alison’s Pantry and several other community members including several members of the NPVBR. A special thank you is owed to First State Bank for helping sponsor the snacks and lunch for all the volunteers.

“We couldn’t do this event without them,” Birkley said.