JA of Georgia Partners with Bank of America

Bank of America Joins JA of Georgia in Their Goal to Spread Financial Literacy  

Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia is thrilled to announce a significant partnership with Bank of America, reinforcing their mission to spread financial literacy to students across the state. With Bank of America’s generous support, JA of Georgia will continue to equip students with essential knowledge for the real world, such as understanding interest rates and the implications of taking out loans. 

“We believe that financial literacy is a cornerstone of future success,” said Max Oligario,  global commercial banking market executive at Bank of America Atlanta. “Our partnership with Junior Achievement of Georgia highlights our commitment to investing in the youth of our community. The hands-on experience for students creates an impact that will carry them into their future to help build key financial skills for success.”The relationship between JA of Georgia and Bank of America spans many years, marked by Bank of America’s commitment to the cause. They have been steadfast partners, with a sponsored storefront location at the JA Chick-fil-A Discovery Center in Atlanta. Their support extends to 3DE by Junior Achievement, JA’s innovative high school program, among other initiatives. 

Moreover, Bank of America consistently brings volunteers who are vital to our programs. Throughout the year, their employees volunteer their time and expertise, breathing life into JA of Georgia’s educational efforts. These business professionals provide students with valuable insights into new career pathways and adult responsibilities, sharing personal experiences to help the younger generation learn, grow, and step into adulthood better prepared. 

Bank of America is a role model in volunteering at JA of Georgia. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the financial literacy of students across Georgia. 

To learn more about how you can volunteer with JA of Georgia, visit our website at georgia.ja.org/volunteer. 

About Junior Achievement of Georgia 

Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia is a business-integrated education partner with expertise in experiential learning that successfully develops key mindsets and skills for students to lead meaningful and successful lives. JA’s high-impact programs drive long-term outcomes in areas of financial literacy, career readiness, and fostering the entrepreneurial spirit, and are they delivered by corporate and community volunteers. JA of Georgia offers multiple programs, with a focus on middle and high school students, including JA BizTown, JA Finance Park, and 3DE by Junior Achievement. JA of Georgia serves more than 110,000 students statewide in an average year. JA of Georgia has offices in Atlanta, Cumming, Evans, Dalton, Gainesville, Lawrenceville, and Savannah. For more information, visit georgia.ja.org 

JA of Georgia 75 Years Strong

Seventy-five years ago, JA of Georgia was founded, initially focusing on after-school programs where students crafted items like birdhouses and ashtrays to sell, instilling an entrepreneurial spirit in 1949's high schoolers.

However, during the same time period, Georgia's education landscape faced challenges with segregated schools and disparities in resources. Not until 1949, with the Minimum Foundation Program, was a uniform nine-month school term mandated. To address funding gaps, the Georgia General Assembly passed a 3% sales tax to help support schools.

Fast-forward to the early 2010s; when JA of Georgia collaborated with education and business partners to address income mobility, career-readiness gaps, and middle school engagement decline.  These priorities became the impetus for establishing JA of Georgia’s first Discovery Center, founded by the Chick-fil-A Foundation in 2013. The excitement of what a JA Discovery Center could offer our young people, as well as the business and education sectors, took flight! 

Two years later, Gwinnett County provided the capital to build the second JA Discovery Center in the state. In 2017, philanthropists Mike and Lynn Cottrell provided the capital funding for a third JA Discovery Center in Forsyth County, and in 2020, Engineered Floors provided the capital resources needed to construct the fourth in Dalton. As the appetite for JA’s programs has grown across the state, so has JA’s expansion to reach Georgia’s students.

On the heels of opening the JA Colonial Group Discovery Center in Savannah in 2022, funding emerged from the Columbia County and Richmond County school systems to build the latest center in the Augusta area, which opened several months ago. With these 6 centers, JA now serves nearly 50% of middle school students across the state.

Simultaneously, JA developed the 3DE education model to re-engineer high school. This program offers high school students a modified curriculum that incorporates into the classroom important business and soft skills needed for today’s workplace. Georgia now has 15 schools using this model.

Though much has changed since 1949, JA remains dedicated to inspiring and preparing Georgia’s youth for success in a global economy…and in life.