EverBank partners with Junior Achievement to teach financial litearcy

Thanks to partners like EverBank, we’re able to bring financial literacy lessons to thousands of students in Duval County Public Schools each year! EverBank created this great video showing our partnership.

The following originally appeared on EverBank’s website:

“For reasons that should be pretty clear to all, we place great importance on the value of sound money management skills and training as well as financial discipline. To help support a stronger financial future for individuals throughout our communities, we proudly assume responsibility for sharing our financial expertise and knowledge in a variety of unique and exciting ways. Junior Achievement shares in our passion for financial literacy. And together, we’re helping to make a difference one person at a time.” -EverBank

New school year, new ways to become involved with JA

Hard to believe it is September!
We were busy all summer long bringing our financial literacy and entrepreneurship programs to summer camps throughout Jacksonville.

We held our first-ever crowdfunding campaign for the summer programs, raising just shy of $2,000. A HUGE thank you to all who donated!

Now that the new school year has started, we are busy recruiting, training volunteers and scheduling with teachers to bring JA programs into their classrooms.

In addition, new partnerships will bring exciting new initiatives to students in Duval County. Stay tuned for more on these experiential learning opportunities.

Many new volunteer opportunities are posted on our website at www.JAjax.com. There are so many ways to get involved with JA this school year!

During school, after school, morning, afternoon, evening, gender-specific, elementary, middle, and high school, personal finance-related, entrepreneurship-related, Reverse Job Shadows and more…Click here to visit our website and find one that’s right for you!

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about volunteering, our programs or bringing JA to your classroom.

It’s going to be a great year!

– Program Staff of Junior Achievement of North Florida
Tiffany Mackey, VP of Programs (tiffany@jajax.com)
Rita Story, Program Director – Southside & Mandarin (rita@jajax.com)
Teresa Smith, Director of Special Initiatives (teresa@jajax.com)
Sabrina Kinslow, JA Girl$ Program Manager (sabrina@jajax.com)
Jonathan Bishop, JA Boy$ Program Manager (jonathan@jajax.com)
Melissa Daniel, Program Director – Northside & Westside (melissa@jajax.com)

Junior Achievement teams up with EverBank for financial literacy lesson at Father & Kids Event

On Saturday, June 27 we had the opportunity to partner with EverBank for a financial literacy station at the All Pro Dad Father & Kids Experience at EverBank Field.

Each station offered fathers and their kids different football drills, fatherhood advice and plenty of fun and games. Each station was named for a different football position, and kids got a glimpse of what it takes to be a football player.

At the EverBank Quarterback station, they warmed up with an exercise quarterbacks do – the duck walk! Fathers went first, then their kids showed them how it’s done.

A football-themed story using JA money bucks reinforced the concepts of saving, spending and sharing money and the role of each in sound money management.

A dad and his son came up to our staff between station rotations, telling us how his son already knows the value of saving. For each “A” he gets in school, he gets $5. For every “B” he gets $4 and for every “C” he gets $3. The dad, admitting that he personally should do better managing money, couldn’t wait to tell us how proud he was of his son. His son saved the money he earned for good grades and bought an iPad!

All Pro Dad, the fatherhood program of Family First, strengthens fathers’ relationships with their children and provides useful, everyday parenting tips.

Click here to view more photos from the day.

To learn more about Junior Achievement’s programs that teach money smarts to young people, visit JAjax.com.

Volunteer Company Profile: BBVA Compass

We Are JA is a series of profiles highlighting the people who make up Junior Achievement – volunteers, students, educators, donors, alumni and more. Celebrating the moments, successes and experiences of our constituents, this series recognizes those who are part of Junior Achievement’s impact in the North Florida region.

BBVA Compass, Volunteer Company

Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Wagner reflects on their first year volunteering with Junior Achievement.

JA: This was BBVA Compass’ first year volunteering. What has the feedback been like from your team?
Jenny Wagner: The feedback from the BBVA Compass Volunteer Chapter in Jacksonville has been amazing. Our team of employee volunteers had never executed financial education events of this scale and magnitude.

From start to finish, the Junior Achievement team made the training process simple and seamless for our employees – giving them the confidence to deliver the new financial literacy program to students in our communities.

A majority of our volunteers said it exceeded their expectations and in fact, many of our employees have expressed interest in teaching JA again!

What does your team enjoy most about volunteering with Junior Achievement?
Time and time again, our volunteers express how much they love being able to lend their financial expertise to the communities where we live and work.

The joy on the children’s faces and the personal satisfaction of knowing we helped make a difference in their lives is priceless. I’m proud of our team’s work and truly believe that our BBVA Compass volunteers have the biggest hearts in Northeast Florida!

BBVA Compass brought JA in a Day to 98 classes across four schools this year. What is your favorite memory from that time?
Our volunteers had the opportunity to interact and learn from children of all ages. As you can imagine, there are plenty of funny stories to tell.

My favorite memory was listening to our volunteers share their JA experiences and stories. The intent of teaching was to give back to the kids in our communities, but an unexpected delight was realizing how much the kids gave back to all of us.

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To learn more about volunteering with Junior Achievement of North Florida, please visit www.JAjax.com.

Stay up to date with all things Junior Achievement

Read April’s edition of our monthly newsletter here.

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JA in a Day: Bank of America/Merrill Lynch @ St Clair Evans Academy

April 10, 2015 | Saint Clair Evans Academy

Nineteen Bank of America/Merrill Lynch volunteers taught Junior Achievement curriculum to students in Kindergarten through 5th grade, for a total of 388 students impacted!

TiNika Crimes taught JA Our City to 3rd grade, introducing students to zoning and the importance of money to a city.

JA Our City lets students build their own cities – complete with stand-up cardboard buildings they decorate and place on a giant floor map, in the correct zone.

In Junior Achievement’s 1st grade program, JA Our Families, one activity has 1st graders think about and write down what they need and want, and distinguish between the two.

Jessica helps a students categorize whether his video games are a need or a want.

The contents of a program kit for JA Our Families.

Volunteer Anthony Neufille taught JA Our Community, Junior Achievement’s 2nd grade program.

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch volunteer Brittany Riordan taught 3rd graders about the role of taxes in a city.

Patrick-Henry Agustin taught Junior Achievement’s 4th grade program, JA Our Region. He showed students how resources are combined to create goods and services.

Brandon Haye taught JA Our Community to Ms. Snipes’ 2nd grade class, in which students developed a sense of career awareness and learned how all jobs help a community.

During lesson two of JA Our Community, “Sweet ‘O’ Donuts”, students learn about production, goods and services when they make paper donuts in their donut shop. Brandon went the extra mile and brought real donuts for his students during the activity.

To learn more about JA in a Day, please visit our website.

High school Seniors face real-world budgeting scenarios

JA Finance Park Virtual  is wrapping up in 20 Duval County Public Schools. More than 5,000 high school Seniors are now better prepared to own their economic success!

This was the first school year the curriculum was rolled out county-wide. 41 Economics teachers led the curriculum in their classrooms and more than 50 individual volunteers gave their time and expertise going into the classroom and sharing lessons in budgeting and personal finance.

Students navigate their way through the virtual Park, complete with their own avatar they design themselves.

They must visit each “store” in the Park, and decide how each product or service fits into their budget.

The simulation will not let students move forward if they do not budget correctly within their given means. Students learn quickly that the $50,000 car they thought they wanted, or dining out every night, might not be the most economical choices!

As we prepare for the 2015-2016 school year, we invite you to join us in the classroom. Contact Teresa Smith at 398-9944 ext.227 or email teresa@jajax.com and find out how you can get involved!

Sponsorships are available for storefronts in the virtual Park. Students see sponsoring company logos placed on stores throughout the Park and on budgeting worksheets when they enter each “store.” Contact Steve St. Amand for details at 398-9944 ext.228 or email jajaxsteve@hotmail.com.

Click here to learn more about JA Finance Park Virtual and to see the Park in action!

Gearing up for summer camp

Today is the Jacksonville Children’s Commission Summer Camp Vendor Fair, where our program staff are busy recruiting. If you are a summer camp provider and would like to host Junior Achievement programs, please contact us at 904-398-9944 and we would love to discuss partnering with you!

Teresa Smith, Director of Special Initiatives, and Tiffany Mackey, VP of Programs, are having fun at the JCC Summer Camp Vendor Fair.

VP of Programs Tiffany Mackey discussing Junior Achievement’s K-12 programs for summer camp.

April is Financial Literacy Month!

Join us in preparing the next generation for future success. We have many volunteer opportunities for the remaining school year! Click here: http://bit.ly/1yHTKvF

Proud to receive Bank of America’s highest philanthropic honor

On February 25, 2015 Bank of America held a reception at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville to recognize JA of North Florida as the 2014 Neighborhood Builders Award recipient.

The announcement came in December 2014 that JA of North Florida was the chosen recipient for $200,000 in unrestricted funds for Bank of America’s 2014 Neighborhood Builders® Award.

Last night Bank of America held a reception at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville to formally recognize JA of North Florida as the recipient.

The $200,000 in funds will be used to establish a financial literacy center in New Town, a low-income neighborhood on Jacksonville’s Northside with high crime and unemployment rates.

The Mitchell Community Center will be the site of the Bank of America/Junior Achievement Financial Literacy Center.

The Mitchell Community Center, site of future Bank of America/Junior Achievement Financial Literacy Center.

Up until now, the Mitchell Community Center has remained an under-utilized multi-purpose building in New Town.

Junior Achievement saw this site as the perfect opportunity.

“Bank of America’s award will help JA better serve the Jacksonville community through programs that seek to encourage young people to become financially successful,” said JA of North Florida President, Steve St. Amand.

With the funding from Bank of America and partnerships with the City of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Duval County Public Schools and Edward Waters College, the New Town Financial Literacy Center will become a reality.

Pilot classes are set to begin next school year.

JA will seek to reach 2,500 students per year, teaching them the fundamentals of banking, business and taxes as well as financial literacy skills.