As part of January’s JA Alumni Month Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia (JA) is getting the word out to its alumni in the area that the youth education nonprofit seeks to re-engage with its former students.
Junior Achievement’s alumni participated in JA programs during their elementary, middle school, or high school years. Many JA Alumni participated in the “JA Company Program,” an entrepreneurship experience for high school students in which students start up and run their own business.
JA Company Program was recently reimagined, thanks to Junior Achievement’s partnership with The Hartford. The program is now housed within JA’s Learning Management System as a blended-learning experience. This allows JA volunteer mentors to deliver program content in person or via an electronic device and internet connection. JA Company Program now includes entrepreneurship concepts, such as crowd funding and e-commerce, to ensure that the students’ experience is relevant and contemporary.
During JA Alumni Month, JA of Southwest Virginia will host an open house in its offices at 3433 Brambleton Ave. on Thursday, Jan. 28 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. This is an opportunity to view old pictures, see JA Company products and learn more about JA programs and special events. Light refreshments will be available during the alumni gathering.
“Junior Achievement was instrumental in developing my interest in business and entrepreneurship,” said Thomas Becher, senior vice president with Neathawk Dubuque & Packett, an advertising and public relations firm. “Alumni throughout the region and the nation have been positively influenced by JA programs.”
Katherin Anderson Elam, president of Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia added, “Our alumni are an important constituent group for Junior Achievement. We invite anyone who had a JA program during his or her school years to join the JA Alumni Society at www.ja.org/alumni. Our goal is to engage with alumni to help empower local students to own their economic success.”
Approaching its 100th anniversary, Junior Achievement estimates that nearly 100 million students have participated in JA programs since the organization’s inception in 1919. Notable JA Alumni include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, comedian Amy Sedaris, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, and AOL founder Steve Case.
