LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA — Diogenes was an ancient Greek philosopher who was seen holding a lit lantern in broad daylight "searching for the truth and the truthful man". Though his quest took place in ancient Greece, history allows us to see many parallels between the society that he railed against and our own.

Diogenes felt that instead of being troubled by what is really evil, people make a big fuss over what is merely conventionally evil. A double standard exists, especially for our youngest citizens. They are surrounded by images, messages and the trappings of success. However, for all but a few, many of these trappings will remain outside of their reach unless they are willing to cultivate the work ethic and high standard required to achieve and retain success.

J. Eldridge Taylor, Jr., President and CEO of the J. Eldridge Taylor Company, Inc. and founder of The JET Foundation, understands that crisis facing many Los Angeles youth. Though Taylor is directly involved in mentorship programs and supports area youth ministries, including those in his local church, he recognizes that serving as a positive role model may not be enough.

"Rewarding achievement. Facilitating goal setting. Helping students develop the tools that they will need to succeed in the academic and professional careers", says Taylor, "ultimately lead to discussions that are directed at defining and quantifying personal worth". After careful review and observation, Taylor launched the Pay for A's incentive plan through the JET Foundation, the nonprofit arm of his company. "We want our young people to ask much of themselves and to focus on achievement", says Taylor. "Fortunately, our children have so many more options available to them than the generations that preceded them. Unfortunately, too many of those options involve crime and other activities, including hopelessness."

The Pay for A's program recognizes excellence in the following subject areas: Language arts (includes english, spelling, reading/comprehension and penmanship), math, history (includes social studies and civics, science, and foreign language. in addition to public recognition during an awards ceremony, students are rewarded financially for their performance in the form of a check, gift card or gift certificate.

Students forward original copies of their mid-term and year-end report cards to Taylor or his wife Natali. The original are returned along with a bounty for excellent performance. For the mid-year report, students are rewarded with $3 per "A" (the report card has to be "D" free. Every "D" nullifies a corresponding "A". Students whose report cards reflect A's in all subjects (art and phys. ed. are included, but not home room, and teacher's aide chores) receives a $5 bonus per A and an additional $10 for combined excellence in the behavior and performance sectors of the report card.

Year-end report cards can garner $5 per A (again with no D's. As before, D's nullify A's.) A bonus of $10 per A for is paid to hard working "straight A" students whose report card reflects A's in all subjects, including the arts and phys. ed. As with the mid-term reports, a bonus of $10 is paid for combined excellence in both behavior and academics.

The program also recognizes report card holders with A's and B's, as long as there are no C's D's or F's. These students are recognized publicly and awarded gift cards to Cold Stone Creamery, Starbucks, and McDonalds. "We encourage the McDonald's card recipients to order the salad", says Taylor. The JET Foundation also recognizes and rewards improvement, providing incentives to students to reverse their D's into C's and ultimately into B's and A's.

This program is not only designed to provide positive reinforcement, it rewards that children that participate with bragging rights and some spending money hat they can either save or use to give their close friends or family a special treat. "The program only succeeds because we've had the support of the community", says Natali Taylor, JET's COO. "This program gives these kids something that they can feel proud about." Watching as these young faces light up as they are recognized for their honest hard work, one has to imagine that, had he been able to witness this program in action, Diogenes journeys through the streets would have been short-lived.

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ABOUT THE J. ELDRIDGE TAYLOR COMPANY, INC.

The J. Eldridge Taylor Company, Inc. (JET) supports businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations of all sizes. Our experienced and knowledgeable personnel partner with our customer's staff and consultants to boost sales, improve performance and enhance the quality of service provided to the internal and external customer.

To learn more about how JET can support your organization, contact J. Eldridge Taylor, Jr., President and CEO, at (323) 242-9156.