Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club Announces "Grow Your Own Business Challenge" Winners!!

OMAHA, Neb., May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club "Grow Your Own Business Challenge," sponsored by the Fairholme Foundation proudly announces Matthew Meyer age 8 from Cincinnati, OH as the Grand Prize Individual Winner and Kennedy Sabharwal, Spencer Sabharwal and Sawyer Beeler, from Lexington, KY as the Team Grand Prize Winners in the national competition. Chosen from almost 4,000 kids ages 7-16, these two winning ideas showed the creativity, entrepreneurship and inventiveness that the panel of judges was looking for.

Five individuals and three team finalists from around the country flew to Omaha, Neb. on May 20 for the opportunity to present their business concepts to Mr. Buffett and a panel of judges. All entries were evaluated based on key criteria, including: uniqueness of concept, depth and description of concept and feasibility of concept execution. The grand prize winning team members and winning individual will each receive $5,000. The runners up will receive $500. All finalists nominated a teacher or mentor who was inspirational to join them in Omaha. The teachers of the Grand Prize Winners will also receive $1,000.

Matthew's winning idea is Right-Writer. The Right-Writer is a wrist band with an elastic band finger holder that holds your finger in place so you can write neatly.

"Today is the best day of my life," said Matthew. "It was the most amazing experience and I will never forget it."

Team Kidtrepreneur's winning idea is Kidtrepreneur Kits.  It is a program where kids can go online and register to be a Kidtrepreneur.  Each member will receive a monthly newsletter kit with information on ways to be creative in getting a job and making money.

"We are honored to be the winning team," said Team Kidtrepreneur.  "This experience has taught us so much about business and being creative with our ideas.  Meeting Mr. Buffett, the judges and the expert panel was a true honor. We learned so much from our time with them."

"Like last year, I was impressed at the insightfulness and creativity that these kids showed in their entries," said Warren Buffett, CEO Berkshire Hathaway. ""Programs like Secret Millionaires Club and the "Grow your Own Business Challenge" give parents and teachers the ability to help empower our children so that they may achieve their dreams. The lessons and habits that they learn now will last them a lifetime."

The Secret Millionaires Club is an animated series created by A2 Entertainment featuring Warren Buffett as a mentor to a group of kids who learn practical financial and entrepreneurial lessons through entertaining business adventures.  The series airs on Hub Network and is available on DVD from Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment. Webisodes and additional content can be found at www.smckids.com. The "Grow Your Own Business Challenge" is a part of the Secret Millionaires Club Learn and Earn financial literacy promotion which is sponsored exclusively by the Fairholme Foundation and reaches over 100,000 classrooms and youth organizations with free tools and lessons for teaching good financial habits to youth.

About A Squared Entertainment LLC 
A Squared Entertainment (A2) creates and produces "content with a purpose" for kids, meaning multi-media experiences that are as enriching and engaging as they are entertaining. Headquartered in Los Angeles, A2 is managed by Co-Presidents Andy Heyward and Amy Moynihan Heyward.

About Fairholme Foundation
The Fairholme Foundation invests in under-valued paths to improving education. Our key: Ignore the crowd by circumventing long-standing roadblocks to progress. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization solely funded by Fairholme Capital Management and its affiliates. 

About By Kids For Kids
By Kids for Kids® (BKFK®) is a platform that empowers youth invention, innovation and entrepreneurship. BKFK promotes youth social innovation and partners with leading corporations to inspire product development, crucial technology skills, invention, and innovation in young people from 8 to 22. BKFK provides a unique platform for young people to develop, showcase, and commercialize their products, inventions and entrepreneurship. BKFK's "cycle of innovation" develops critical 21st Century skills in our nation's youth. The company provides educational resources — curriculum and challenges that promote social change, product development and entrepreneurial endeavors. Learn more: www.bkfk.com.

For more information about the program, visit www.smckids.com

About Hub Network
Hub Network is a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications and Hasbro, Inc., with a goal of entertaining, enlightening, empowering and educating children and their families. The cable and satellite television network features original programming as well as content from Discovery's library of award-winning children's educational programming; from Hasbro's rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties built during the past 90 years; and from leading third-party producers worldwide. Hub Network's lineup includes animated and live-action series, as well as specials, game shows, and family-favorite movies. The network extends its content through a robust and engaging online presence at www.hubworld.com. Hub Network rebranded from Discovery Kids on October 10, 2010, and is available in nearly 73 million U.S. households. The Hub Network logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.

About Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment
Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, a leading producer, distributor and marketer of entertainment and lifestyle media, is a subsidiary of Gaiam, Inc.  With a diversified distribution network that spans more than 60,000 retail doors as well as an extensive digital platform, Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment dominates the health and fitness category and ranks among the top three providers of non-theatrical programming. With content focused on film, fitness, sports and family programming, Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment provides sales, marketing and distribution services to many of the home entertainment industry's most prestigious brands, including Discovery Communications, Jillian Michaels, NFL Films, National Geographic, Marvel Animation, Shout Factory, Televisa, and World Wrestling Entertainment.

PRESS MATERIALS INCLUDING BROLL ARE AVAILABLE AT: http://www.smckids.com/learnandearn/pressroom

Media Contact:
For BKFK: Judy Klym | 203-921-9039 | [email protected]

SOURCE By Kids For Kids