Help JA win $15,000!

By Alan Trinh | December 3, 2008

Junior Achievement and the Allstate Your Choice CharityThe end of the Allstate Your Choice Charity Contest is quickly approaching, and JA needs your help! Since the beginning of the contest, your votes have helped us surpass the 10,000 vote mark, but the competition is still extremely close. From now until December 5th, we can rally together for a final push of votes. Don’t forget that you can keep voting once a day, every day. If you haven’t voted yet, here’s how you can:

1.) Go to http://www.allstateyourchoicecharity.com
2.) In the Select a Community box, select Denver, CO.
3.) In the Select a Charity box, select Junior Achievement of Rocky Mountain Region.
4.) Finally, click VOTE, and you’re all done!

Be sure to let your friends know as well. As the end of the contest draws near, every vote will make  a difference.

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New JA poll: local teens express fear financial crisis will jeopardize their financial futures

By Alan Trinh | November 21, 2008

Many adults have voiced their thoughts and opinions on the financial crises, but what do future generations think about the current crisis? From November 3-11, 2008, JA conducted a voluntary online poll of nearly 800 high school students across 25 high schools in the Denver-Metro area. These teens were asked about what they thought and felt about the financial crisis, and how they felt their futures might be impacted. 

Many students left comments regarding the impact of the crisis is having on themselves and their families. One student from Eaglecrest High School explained that “Hopefully this financial crisis ends really soon, because my family is trying to keep up with the economy the best way they can and they aren’t getting any younger. I just hate seeing my folks working so hard just to stay ahead of things.”

In the survey, 49% of respondents said that they felt the financial crises would have a negative impact on their households, while 17% believed their families would not be affected. The remaining 34% did not know if their families would be affected or not.

For those looking to learn more about the financial crisis, JA has two white papers (a student and an adult version) titled “Understanding the Financial Crisis: Origin and Impact,” by Dale R. DeBoer, Ph.D (Department of Economics - CU-Colorado Springs). These informative white papers address laymen’s terms our economic situation, its causes, and what the future might hold. If you would like to read one of these white papers, click here to visit our resources page.

For a summary of the JA Teen Financial Crisis Poll results, please e-mail us at sjankowiak@jacolorado.org.

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JA Wins Prestigious 2008 ColoradoBiz Top Company Award

By Sara Jankowiak | September 18, 2008

Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain, Inc. is thrilled to announce that we have been named a winner in the 2008 ColoradoBiz Top Company Awards, widely regarded as Colorado’s most competitive statewide business-excellence program now in its 21st year.

Winners in 8 industry categories were announced and finalists honored Sept. 16th at an awards luncheon at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

Firms in the Top Company competition were first narrowed to three finalists in each industry category. A panel of Colorado business leaders and co-sponsor Deloitte judged entrants on financial performance, community involvement and one of the following areas chosen by each company: marketing/product innovation, operational efficiency or research development.

Junior Achievement was named the winner in the non-profit category. Robin Wise, JA President and CEO, appeared on stage to accept the award after a short video. Other finalists in this category included the Denver Rescue Mission and The Children’s Museum of Denver.

“This is a wonderful honor,” commented Ron Tilton, chairman of the Junior Achievement Board of Directors. “But the real honor goes to the JA volunteers, teachers, students and supporters who work together everyday to arm students with the tools and knowledge they need to pursue higher education, become financially literate and workforce ready, and perhaps most importantly - embrace the entrepreneurial spirit that we know resides within them.”

 Along with Deloitte, which assessed the entrants’ financial performance, judges for 2008 were: John Ikard, President & CEO of FirstBank, Jeff Campos, CEO of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Rich Wobbekind, Associate Dean for External Relations for the CU Leeds School of Business, John Bohenick, CEO of Gates Corporation, Kristy Schloss, President of Schloss Engineered Equipment, Inc., Jack Burke, Chief Development Officer of St. Anthony Health Foundation.

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New York Life Foundation helps JA prepare students for success in high school

By Sara Jankowiak | July 24, 2008

This summer, Junior Achievement will once again participate in Denver Public Schools’ Ninth Grade Summer Academy, taking place in eleven local high schools July 28th through August 8th. JA has received generous support from the New York Life Foundation to participate in this year’s program, which will reach approximately 2,000 ninth grade students.

The Academy is designed to help jumpstart students’ transition from middle to high school by providing them with a supportive learning environment and curricula specifically designed to prepare them for success in high school. Featuring a student to teacher ratio of 15:1, students get the personal attention they need. This year, JA volunteers will participate by teaching three curriculum tracts: Communication Skills, Life After High School, and Time Management.

Volunteers are still needed at East High School for these three JA sessions. The program requires a minimal time commitment, and all materials and training areprovided.

For more information, click here.

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King Soopers awards grant to Junior Achievement

By Sara Jankowiak | June 8, 2008
JA Business Week students take a break from marketing SoBe Life Water to pose for a photo with King Soopers donation check. Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain Inc. (JA) announced today that it has received a $9,917 grant from King Soopers. The funds were raised through King Sooper’s Coin Canister Program, and will be used to support JA programs for K-12th grade students in metro Denver and Northern Colorado.
The check was presented this afternoon to coincide with JA Business Week, a week-long business and leadership program for high school students, taking place at Johnson & Wales University. Nearly two hundred students from throughout the metro Denver area are spending the entire week on campus exploring business, entrepreneurship and leadership concepts alongside some of our community’s most dynamic and accomplished business leaders.
JA Business Week instills a competitive spirit in students by giving them the opportunity to work side-by-side with local corporate executives on true-to-life business projects. This year, 2nd year JA Business Week students are working with Pepsi Bottling Group to develop creative strategies for branding and marketing SoBe Life Water.
Students teams were out in force this afternoon putting their newly acquired marketing skills to the test by promoting the product at three local King Soopers stores: Stapleton, S. Colorado at E. Yale and 9th at Corona. Lori Plouff, Community Relations Specialist for King Soopers, presented the oversized check in the amount of $9,917 to JA President and CEO, Robin Wise, at the Colorado and Yale location.

Pictured above: JA Business Week “Company K” students take a break from marketing SoBe Life Water in order to display the oversized King Soopers check.  

 

 

 

 

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