Volunteer Appreciation Week 2021

We’ve spent this week celebrating and appreciating our fantastic volunteers!

Volunteers have long been the ‘secret sauce’ for JA. As an organization that has been impacting students for more than a century, we’ve had our share of challenges and successes. Regardless of the economic or social climate, volunteers have remained integral to our mission.

When we think about being able to change the way a student thinks about their future, a central element to that are the adults that are able to connect with them and share their own life experience to help guide them.

To all who have volunteered with us through the years: thank you! We couldn’t deliver on our mission without your passion.

As we look to a more ‘normal’ future: we need you more than ever! Your time with our students makes a difference, and we depend on you to help the learning come to life. The world has undergone incredible shifts in the past year, and who there’s no one better to help our students navigate a changing society than passionate adults who have been through it before them.

JA Discovery Center of Greater Dalton Opens & Welcomes First Students

We celebrated the grand opening of the JA Discovery Center of Greater Dalton in early March, and we welcomed the first students into the beautiful space the week after!

This new hybrid facility, the fourth JA Discovery Center in the state of Georgia, will serve more than 13,000 students throughout the northwest Georgia region. It’s located on the campus of Hammond Creek Middle School.

Middle school students from Dalton Public Schools, Calhoun City Schools, Gordon County Schools, Murray County Schools and Whitfield County Schools will all experience the in-class curriculum and simulation experiences of JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. The goal is to provide every child, no matter their background, the opportunity to develop skills to become financially independent and responsible.

Students from Dalton Middle School work in Georgia United Credit Union storefront.

This project was made possible through the partnership with Dalton Public Schools, lead sponsor Engineered Floors, and the following local and regional partners: Alliant Health Plans, Chick-fil-A Northwest Georgia Operators, City of Dalton, Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, Dalton State College, Dalton Utilities OptiLink, Dorsett Industries, Engineered Floors, First Bank of Dalton, Ford of Dalton, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Georgia Power, Georgia United Credit Union, Hamilton Healthcare System, Marketing Alliance Group, Mercedes-Benz USA, Shaw Industries, Starr Mathews, Textile, Rubber and Chemical Company, and United Way of Northwest Georgia.

A student from Christian Heritage School is sworn in as Mayor of JA BizTown.

After decades of programming in the northwest Georgia region, we are thrilled to have this experiential physical space and to offer this premier experience to our students.

The impact of these experiences go far beyond their day with us. Students are exposed to careers they may have never heard of and get a glimpse of adulthood that stays with them. Their time at JA Discovery Centers helps them understand the connection between education and their futures in a way that becomes real for them.

We are so excited for our students to have access to this facility. To be able to discover things they’ve never imagined, and to see what those discoveries lead to. Together, as a community, we’re empowering the next generation to thrive.

JA BizTown taught us to vote, how to handle finances, how to organize a business, how to market and advertise, and how to save money. All of you were very helpful while we were handling our business. Thank you for allowing us to come to the Discovery Center to learn about business and finance! - Student, Christian Heritage School

Dalton Middle School students working in Ford of Dalton.

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To find out how to get involved, please reach out to Anna Adamson at aadamson@georgia.ja.org.

Junior Achievement of Georgia Breaks Ground on New JA Colonial Group Discovery Center of Savannah

Facility to impact 15,000 Coastal Empire students annually in partnership with local companies and school districts

Savannah, GA – Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia ceremoniously broke ground on the new JA Colonial Group Discovery Center of Savannah on Friday, February 19. The event signified the start of the renovation and retrofitting of 25,000 square feet of space on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong campus. Together with presenting partners Colonial Oil, Inc. and Georgia Southern University, JA welcomed supporters and partners for a look at the existing space and how it will evolve in the coming months to begin serving students this fall.

“It’s this space that’s going to transform the lives of 15,000 middle school students a year throughout the whole costal region,” said Camille Russo, Vice President, Marketing, JA of Georgia. “It’s going to transform them by exposing and immersing them in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career readiness, and by allowing them to really experience what their future could look like.”

 JA Discovery Centers blend key components of education to create state-of-the-art learning facilities where students apply concepts they learn in the classroom in a 360-degree authentic and experiential experience. Upon arrival students become a part of a simulated version of their hometown within the JA BizTown® and JA Finance Park® programs. Then students work alongside their peers and adult volunteers as they develop a greater understanding of financial concepts, build 21st century skills, and foster their entrepreneurial spirit.

 “There is tremendous alignment between the missions of our organizations,” said Dr. Kyle Marrero, President, Georgia Southern University. “This gives us the opportunity to work every day for the betterment of our own organizations, but also to develop the next generation of leaders who will shape our communities, inspire innovation, create solutions and impact countless others.”

 The facility will have representation from various local and national businesses –Georgia United Credit Union, Publix, South State Bank, Thomas & Hutton, and United Way of the Coastal Empire have committed to date – that will provide students a glimpse into possible career paths, as well as an opportunity to be an employee of the business for the day.

 “We’ve been avid supporters of JA’s mission over the years, due in large part to the alignment of our missions,” said Christian Demere, CEO, Colonial Group, Inc. “I think the businesses in Savannah are beneficiaries of their work with our students because these are the people that will become the employees, leaders and contributors in our community. We are very excited for this opportunity to further that mission and strengthen the foundation JA is cultivating in our youth.”

 Currently JA Discovery Centers serve more than 88,000 students a year across three locations - the JA Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center in Altanta, the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett and the Mike and Lynn Cottrell JA Discovery Center at North Georgia in Cumming. The fourth facility, in Dalton, is under construction and will open in 2021, bringing the total impact to more than a third of middle school students in Georgia.

 To find out more about getting involved, please contact Camille Russo at crusso@georgia.ja.org or 912-344-5440.