It’s a disheartening statistic: every 29 seconds, one student drops out of the U.S. educational system. Over the course of a year, that equates to 1.2 million young Americans who never graduate—the majority of whom would have continued their studies had the curriculum proved more relevant to their lives.

Sometimes what young people need is a little inspiration and mentoring to show them just how relevant education really is to their future. And that’s where the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) comes in.

Founded in New York in 1987, NFTE currently has 11 affiliate offices throughout the United States that provide programs that inspire young people from low-income communities to graduate from high school and to learn the necessary skills for creating their own business plans—in essence, helping to shape them into the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

On Sunday, June 3, the DSEF will kick off the Entrepreneurs in Action Walkathon to benefit the Greater Dallas Chapter of NFTE. The three-day event will be held at the Gaylord Texan during the DSA Annual Meeting. DSA members will have the opportunity to support NFTE’s goal of helping at-risk youth find their pathways to a brighter future, and meet some special young people who participate in the organization’s programs.

The walkathon is a first for DSEF, which in the past has hosted a toy drive and organized a beach cleanup as part of its annual charitable efforts. Kate Gardner, Chair of the DSEF Community Partner Program task force and Executive Director of the SUCCESS Foundation, says the walkathon not only allowed DSEF to infuse the entire three days of the DSA Annual Meeting with the message of community partnership, but it also tied in well with its theme: Inspiring Entrepreneurs.

“NFTE inspires kids to complete their education and to go forward, or consider starting, their own businesses,” says Gardner. “The organization is all about teaching the principles and spirit of entrepreneurship. It is a natural tie-in to what the DSA represents.”

Laura Maczka, Executive Director, NFTE Greater Dallas, agrees. “There is a natural connection between what we are trying to encourage our children to do and what the folks in the direct selling business do,” she says. “Our goal is to have disadvantaged youth feel like they can positively affect their future—that they have some control, and through their own businesses change their circumstances.”

Aside from the financial support NFTE will receive from the walkathon, Maczka is just as excited about opportunity for her students to meet members of the DSA. “We are always looking for role models and mentors,” she states. “The people we have met through direct selling have amazing stories that are inspiring to our children. The opportunity for our students to see successful people, hear their stories and hear that they genuinely care about next generation of entrepreneurs is amazing, especially since our students could aspire to be members of the DSA someday.”

DSEF’s support of NFTE is appreciated by top business leaders such as Jim Stitt, President and CEO of CUTCO, who has long recognized the importance of teaching the concept of entrepreneurship to youth. CUTCO is a business that is predominantly college student-oriented, with its focus on young students who can aspire to be entrepreneurs of the future.

“CUTCO has been a longtime supporter of DSEF,” says Stitt. “We think these events are great because they showcase what DSEF does for the industry, and it is a great way for colleagues to get together, learn more about DSEF while working together as well as raise awareness for DSEF.”

The Entrepreneurs in Action Walkathon is sponsored by Herbalife, ALHI, The Pampered Chef, VideoPlus, USANA, CUTCO, 4Life, The Hartford, John A. Parks Co., Inc., Team National, Beachbody, Vantel Pearls and WineShop At Home.

Prizes will be awarded in three categories: Most Miles Walked, Daily Challenges and Most Pledges Collected. The grand prize is a 2-night stay at the Aria in Las Vegas with spa certificates for two. The first place winner will receive a 2-night stay at the Peabody Orlando, and the second place winner will enjoy a 1-night stay at the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs with golf for two.

Small business owners are constantly besieged by tasks that pull them away from the major day-to-day duties inherent in running a successful business. Those tasks can include:

Task 1: Upgrading contact information to directory services

Task 2: Paying miscellaneous invoices

Task 3: Reimbursing customers for overpayments

Task 4: Updating software and passwords

Task 5: Responding to award notifications

Task 6: Checking email

Those seemingly mundane tasks can disrupt the flow of business, and are most often not given the focus they deserve.

And that’s just what scam artists are banking on.

To help small business owners—especially direct sellers—recognize the most common scams and safeguard themselves against fraud, the DSEF has joined forces with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) to create timely and valuable resources that DSA member companies can share with their salesforces, employees and family members.

“For the small business leader to succeed in our current economic climate, they need up-to-date and relevant resources and tools that will enable them to manage their time, finances and business wisely,” said Bettie L. Smith, Senior Program Director for DSEF. “Through our partnership with CUNA, we are developing an abundance of free financial education resources that individuals can access 24/7 in their home via the Web.”

Those resources include an informative video that identifies the six most common scams experienced by small businesses:

Directory Scheme: The free directory update is not so free after all. You’re billed for listings, services or ads you did not agree to. (Task 1)

Supply Scheme: The miscellaneous invoice you received is for office supplies you never ordered. (Task 2)

Overpayment Scheme:  The customer requesting reimbursement used a fraudulent credit card or check. (Task 3)

Data Breach Scheme: The antivirus software you never installed and passwords you never updated allowed your sensitive business data to be breached. (Task 4)

Award Scheme: The industry award you just paid hundreds of dollars for does not exist. (Task 5)

Phishing Scheme: The email link you clicked on just allowed hackers into your computer system. (Task 6)

Professor Brenda Cude, Director of the University of Georgia Center on Economic Education, says the key to safeguarding your business these days is to stay focused on all aspects of your business operations.

“First and foremost we just all need to be aware and stop and think about what we’re doing,” says Cude, who is a DSEF board member and serves as the Consumer Committee Co-chair. “If we are not sure, take an extra moment to think again or ask someone else. There’s so much that appears to be legitimate today that really isn’t, and sometimes it takes another person’s opinion to help you see where the possible flaw might be.”

According to Jan Garkey, Member Education Manager for the Center for Personal Finance at CUNA, the partnership between DSEF and her organization will capitalize on each other’s strengths to reach new audiences through the exploding social media platform, including sharing personal finance articles from credit unions across the country through Facebook and Twitter. “CUNA is proud to partner with DSEF on our shared mission to improve the financial literacy of our respective members, future members and the general public. It’s exciting to see this partnership evolve.”

“DSEF and CUNA share a common goal of empowering consumers,” says Nu Skin Senior Director of Public Relations Kara Schneck, who is a DSEF board member and Consumer Committee Co-chair. “We look forward to bringing our respective strengths together to help consumers, particularly those involved in direct selling, have the information and tools they need to make wise fiscal decisions and achieve their financial goals.”

To learn more about the specific types of small-business scams and how to protect your business from fraud, view the video created by DSEF and CUNA here.