Colonial Group Invests as Lead Sponsor of New JA Discovery Center in Savannah

Colonial Group commits $2 million in funding for the development of the JA Colonial Group Discovery Center of Savannah

Savannah, GA – Junior Achievement of Georgia (JA) is proud to announce a contribution from Colonial Group of $2 million to the capital campaign of the JA Colonial Group Discovery Center of Savannah. As the lead sponsor, their commitment will fund the renovation and launch of the facility on the Armstrong campus.

“We are so thrilled to be receiving this support from our longtime partner Colonial Group,” said Camille Russo, Vice President, Marketing, JA of Georgia. “They have been an integral part of JA’s impact in Savannah for decades, and this facility will enable us to expand our reach into the region and give 150 students per day invaluable experiences for years to come.”  

Colonial Group was involved in bringing JA to Savannah nearly 30 years ago, and they are a huge supporter of financial education. They have been the title sponsor of the annual Savannah Business Hall of Fame since its inception 21 years ago.

“We are thrilled to offer our support and strengthen our partnership with JA. We realize how important it is to instill the values and principles that Junior Achievement offers to the youth of our community, and we are excited to see the impact that the JA Discovery Center will have in furthering that effort,” said Rob Demere, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Colonial Group.

The outfitting of the space has received approval by the University System of Georgia and the Board of Regents. The Colonial Group’s gift catalyzed the capital campaign for the facility, which will total approximately $3.8 million in financial support.

The facility will provide students continued exposure to their future possibilities through two innovative programs:

JA BizTown creates an unmatched experience where 6th grade students can interact within a simulated economy and take on the challenge of fueling a business. Here, students not only discover the intricacies of being a professional and member of the community, but also realize the abundance of opportunities available within their city.

JA Finance Park provides 7th grade students the rare opportunity to experience their personal financial futures first-hand. Guided by an assigned ‘life situation,’ 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.

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.

Junior Achievement of Georgia and Invesco Partner to Prepare Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Economy

ATLANTA, GA - Junior Achievement (JA) and Invesco announced today a partnership to provide a dynamic learning experience designed to enhance students’ financial literacy and build skills for personal and professional success. Invesco has an interactive storefront in JA BizTown, one of two simulations located within the JA Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center in Atlanta.

JA BizTown provides students the opportunity to experience their futures firsthand. Sixth grade students 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.

The experience begins in the classroom with JA provided curriculum that culminates with a day at JA BizTown. The simulation creates an opportunity where students participate in an interactive economy and take on the role of employee and consumer. During the visit to JA BizTown, students receive job assignments and work in teams at their assigned business. By the end of the simulation each student completes a day’s work, develops a personal budget, and makes purchasing decisions.

“Thanks to partnerships like this one with Invesco, we are able to give students an authentic and relevant experience that leaves a lasting and measurable impact,” said John Hancock, President and CEO of Junior Achievement 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.”

“Invesco is proud to be part of JA BizTown as it provides enormous opportunities and access for students to have real-world learning experiences that are applicable to a number of academic subjects,” said Kellie Schonberg, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. “We are excited that students will learn about the asset management business and hopefully consider starting their career at Invesco.”

In partnership with the education and business communities, the JA Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center in Atlanta, the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett, and the Mike and Lynn Cottrell JA Discovery Center at North Georgia in Cumming give one-third of all Georgia middle school students access to the breadth of careers available to them, and the skills needed to be
successful in those careers.

Volunteer Appreciation Week

Our Volunteer Team sharing their appreciation!

We couldn’t do what we do without volunteers. They bring the learning to life for our students, and provide invaluable exposure to career paths, experiences and adult life for the students. They help our students create connections from what they are learning in the classroom, to how it will be applied in real life. Volunteers serve as examples of what a student’s future could hold; a future they may have never considered before interacting with a volunteer during JA programming.

More than 15,000 corporate, community, parent and college volunteers helped us serve more than 176,000 students last year across the state. That is an incredible amount of support that we don’t take for granted.

This week we’ve been celebrating the impact of our volunteers by sharing messages of thanks from our staff. We miss seeing our volunteers’ faces in person, and look forward to seeing them again soon!

Check out what our staff has to say here:

During this virtual-heavy time, we reached out via email and phone to our volunteers to express our gratitude. Turns out, many of them miss us just as as much as we miss them!

“
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
This is why YOU all are the best! Your donor and volunteer cultivation is amazing!
”

— Kat Reynolds, Community Relations Specialist, Mercedes-Benz

“I would like to thank you guys as well for making my recruiting job easier. One of my biggest tools is word of mouth. My volunteers can’t wait to get back to the office and tell their co-workers about the experience. This is because you guys make it very worthwhile. Everyone loves the JA program and believe it Is an amazing opportunity for students and adults. We are looking forward to things return to some normalize so we can come back and volunteer.”

— Fred Brooks HP Enterprise, Project Manager

“It’s great hearing from you and thank you very kindly for your note. It’s a honor and a privilege to serve however I can to provide opportunities for our employees to serve the greater good. Besides that – I have a blast doing this work! 😊”

— Bridges Holmes, Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Social Responsibility, MarketSource

“I so appreciate you calling to thank me. As you know, I LOVE JA and I wish we would have been able to complete the school year to bring in even more volunteers. I so appreciate and thank all of you as well. I miss you all and can’t wait to see you for the next school year!!”

— Krystal Franklin, Bank of America

Our team at the Mike & Lynn Cottrell JA Discovery Center at North Georgia (and some very charming students and pups!) say thank you!