Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes Begins Partnership Locally
Junior Achievement OF THE mICHIGAN gREAT lAKES BEGINS NEW PARTNERSHIP IN bERRIEN AND cASS cOUNTIES
JA of bERRIEN AND cASS COUNTIES LAUNCHES MOVING FROM ja OF nORTHERN iNDIANA
Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes (JAMGL) is proud to announce the acquisition of JA operations in Berrien and Cass counties from JA of Northern Indiana. “This change is one that is very positive for JA operations in Berrien and Cass counties, and was necessitated by the passing of a new financial literacy graduation requirement in Indiana,” said Lena Yarian, President and CEO, JA of Northern Indiana (JANI) “We recognized that being able to support educators to fulfill these graduation requirements with two different sets of standards between Indiana and Michigan wasn’t the best model or one that provides the most and best support for educators in Berrien and Cass counites. We are so pleased to work jointly with JAMGL with this change to ensure that operations continue and grow for the region.”
The change in affiliation began in August after the approval of the JANI, JAMGL and the Berrien and Cass board of directors as well as with the approval from JA USA. “We are very excited to see what our new partnership with Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes brings. We know there are tremendous opportunities for the young people in our region to be further exposed to the always in demand skills of workplace readiness, financial literacy, and my personal favorite: entrepreneurship,” said Dan Peat, board chair, JA of Berrien and Cass Counties.
JA of the Michigan Great Lakes began its work in the region in August by meeting with local advisory board members, school personnel and with local community members to learn more about the educational needs in the Berrien and Cass communities. “JA’s programs prepare students to succeed as adults. It is our responsibility to ensure that the Berrien and Cass County students have these opportunities,” said Bill Coderre, President & CEO, JA of the Michigan Great Lakes. “We are so grateful to the staff of JANI for their work in the region as well as their cooperation and assistance during this transition.” Coderre continued, “It is our hope that by leveraging our Michigan connections across the state we are able to help grow student engagement and impact in Berrien and Cass counties.
Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy by providing work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship programs to K-12 students. If you would like to support Junior Achievement of Berrien and Cass Counties either financially or by volunteering, please call (616) 575-9080.
About Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes (JAMGL)
Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes is the nation’s 21st largest JA chapter and an area office of JA USA, the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. The organization offers programs to help prepare young people in Mid, West, and Northern Michigan for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Students put these lessons into action and are empowered to own their economic success. Visit www.westmichigan.ja.org for more information.
About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches 4.6 million students per year in 112 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.6 million students served by operations in 121 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.
