ATLANTA, GA - The Rotary Club of Gwinnett County’s Charitable Giving Committee and Board of Directors awarded Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia a grant in the amount of $500 to be used to continue JA of Georgia’s efforts to provide a dynamic learning experience designed to enhance students’ financial literacy and build skills for personal and professional success.

The award will be used specifically to continue funding for the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett – an immersive facility that provides Gwinnett County Public School 6th and 8th graders the opportunity to experience their futures first hand.

The facility houses two separate experiential learning spaces: JA BizTown presented by Cisco and JA Finance Park presented by Assurant. Both experiences begin with in-class curriculum, and culminate with a visit to the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett.

JA BizTown provides students the opportunity to experience their futures first hand by allowing 6th grade students to interact within a simulated economy and take on the challenge of fueling a business. The students not only discover the intricacies of being a professional and member of the community, but also the abundance of opportunities available within their city.

At JA Finance Park, 8th grade students participate in an immersive simulation that enables them to develop skills to successfully navigate today’s complex economic environment and discover how decisions today can impact tomorrow.

“Thanks to grants like these, and partnerships with Gwinnett County Public Schools and the local business community, we are able to give students an authentic and relevant experience that leaves a lasting and measurable impact,” said Juan McGruder, Senior Vice President & CDO, JA of Georgia. “Together we are shaping the next generation into individuals who are equipped to lead our community and play an integral role in our economy.”

The JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett opened in August 2015 and serves more than 25,000 middle school students a year from Gwinnett County Public Schools. It is the second JA Discovery Center in the state, bringing the immersive facilities’ annual impact to more than 60 percent of metro Atlanta middle school students.