Tasty Horse Treats Draws WBO Student Recognition

(The following press release and photo is from Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C.)

JOLIET, IL - William B. Orenic Intermediate School sixth grader Payton Fraser got a big surprise during a recent school lunch period when Lewis University Director of School Partnerships Larry Wiers surprised her with a check for $100. The check was from a secret angel investor who was impressed by a business proposal Payton presented at the 2018 Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s recent Young Entrepreneur EXPO.

Payton was one of the W.B.O. Intermediate School Entrepreneurship Club’s members who presented her project at the EXPO. William B. Orenic Intermediate School is a Troy Community School District 30-C school. Her business, Sunnyside Horse Treats, makes and sells reward treats made from oats, molasses, unsweetened applesauce and flour. The treats are baked for a longer shelf life and sold to those who want to give their horses healthful treats for jobs well done.

“I wanted to create a delicious treat so horses can feel rewarded for doing the right thing,” Payton said, “like listening to their rider’s instructions.”

Payton has been riding horses for three years and said she wanted a way to give back to the horses.

W.B.O. Principal Larry Piatek said the school is proud of Payton for her work on the project and for her exceptional presentation.

“We’re very proud of her,” Piatek said. “It wasn’t just her business proposal, which was great, but it was also her energy and enthusiasm that impressed the judges.”

The $100 Payton’s business received will be put into W.B.O.’s Entrepreneur Club for future project development.

The Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee began the Entrepreneurship Club in 2011 as a way to engage middle school students with entrepreneurial thought.

Now in its sixth year, the Young Entrepreneur EXPO hosted 86 students from Troy, Gompers, Washington, Hufford, Dirksen, Rockdale, Channahon, and the Cathedral of St. Raymond schools, who showcased the businesses they developed over the year. The EXPO was held at the University of St. Francis.

Photo caption: William B. Orenic Intermediate School sixth grader Payton Fraser received a check from a secret angel investor through the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s recent Young Entrepreneur EXPO. Here, Payton is with W.B.O. Intermediate School Entrepreneurship Club Co-Sponsors Ann Provencher and Christopher Giugler.