Owning Life
From young adults to life ownership, W2W offers location, mentorships
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Candace Viox, right, Water into Wine bistro & lounge owner, hosted the Owning Life class. On Sunday, Feb. 6, she and her daughter, Alexis Monin, helped answer questions. - Photos by Michelle Hollenhead/Graduate photo submitted
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Area business owner Ray Bales, left, of Rayzer Sharp Business Brokers, talks to Owning Life student Sydney Viox during the Feb. 6 class. - Photos by Michelle Hollenhead/Graduate photo submitted
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Graduates of the pilot “Owning Life” class held at Water into Wine bistro & lounge were, from left, Ava Thompson, Meredith Hoffman, Ethan Elder, Trey Pryse and Sydney Viox. - Photos by Michelle Hollenhead/Graduate photo submitted
A brand-new community course helping young adults navigate real-life issues successfully graduated its inaugural class in February.
The three-session course, Owning Life, was offered by Marci Hethmon (State Extension specialist, Consumer Economics and Youth Education) and Heather Kyle-Harmon (Family and Consumer Sciences, Extension agent III, Knox County), both of University of Tennessee Extension, department of Family and Consumer Sciences.
It was hosted by Water into Wine bistro & lounge in Farragut by owner Candace Viox, who also helped recruit area business and community leaders to share their expertise.
The course’s target ages were 17-to-24 and covered topics including lifestyle and career planning, goal writing, resume building, spending and saving, taxes and insurance — and developing a business sense.
Five students — Ava Thompson, Meredith Hoffman, Ethan Elder, Trey Pryse and Sydney Viox — attended all three sessions and received certificates of completion.
Pryse of Farragut said the class was a “refresher” of sorts from one he had taken in high school, and he “learned a lot” from the course.
Sydney Viox, Candace’s daughter, agreed, noting information about “living on your own was more detailed” than she expected.
Maryville resident Elder said the experience “was amazing. It has provided really good information and highlighted skills you will need in life.”
“I didn’t know much about money, but the role play we did was really helpful,” Thompson added.
“I was so excited when Marci approached me about this class,” Candace said. “It was so important to be able to hold the class somewhere owned by a local entrepreneur, so they could see the results of someone successfully having a dream. It was also exciting to be able to hold it in Farragut.
“The goal was to help young adults think about their next steps in life,” she continued. “Do they want a student loan? How do they pay taxes? How do they go about exploring various fields of study?
“We also were able to pair students up with local business owners so they could ask questions about investing, possible careers and necessary life skills.”
Loudon County elementary school teacher Rebecca Friley and Knox County librarian Lauren Frevrier were among those volunteering their time for the project, along with financial advisor Ray Bales of Rayzer Sharp Business Brokers, Leslie Fanning with State Farm and Josh Hornberger of Edward Jones.
“I have worked with similar programs before, and have been a volunteer leader with Knox County 4-H,” said Bales who also is a Farragut resident. “I love doing this and helping show kids what the real world is like.
“It’s important for them to know that every dollar has a purpose,” he added. “We talk to them about money, banking, teaching them how to budget, save, invest and establish a checking account, if they haven’t.
“Schools can’t do it all, and these are real-world skills that need to be taught.”
“It is our hope that the mentor relationships that were established can continue in the future,” Candace added.
Farragut Mayor Ron Williams also visited with the students during their last session.
“This is a great opportunity to reach a small number of young adults who are our future,” Williams said. “I wish they had had a program like this when I was their age.”
Hethmon said Owning Life was a pilot program targeting young adults who may or may not see college as their next life step.
“What we hear is that some groups need to be prepared for the workforce, rather than planning for college,” Hethmon said. “And for whatever reason, there are young adults who don’t have knowledge of business or soft skills they might need to pursue that path.”
“I’m just so proud of each of our students who attended,” said Candance. “This has been a wonderful opportunity and I hope it is something that can continue across Knox County and in the years to come, to help our young adults navigate becoming grown-ups.”
“[This] was a fun pilot and I hope we have now gained traction to continue and grow the program,” added Hethmon. “We would welcome interest from other local professionals to volunteer for the next one.”
For more information on the Owning Life Program, contact Hethmon at hhethmon@utk.edu or by calling 865-805-8811.
