JA Rocky Mountain Inc. Blog

Walmart Foundation Announces $75,000 Grant to Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain

srobbins — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:35:19 +0000

The Walmart Foundation’s Colorado State Giving Program announces a $75,000 grant for Junior Achievement - Rocky Mountain Inc. (JA) to support its mission of inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. This grant will help provide JA programs and volunteers to 150 high school classrooms throughout the state of Colorado in 2010, at no charge to the schools or students.

“Walmart’s grant will impact 3,500 Colorado students in high school, when they are most at-risk and most in need of inspiration,” said Robin Wise, President & CEO of Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain Inc. “JA believes that by providing programs that teach financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurial skills to Colorado youth, we can address Colorado’s need for an educated, financially literate workforce with 21st Century workplace skills.”

Of students who have the opportunity to participate in JA programs:
•    67% said that JA made school more interesting,
•    72% said that JA made them more aware of career options,
•    66% said that JA connected what they learn in the classroom to real life,
•    73% said that JA helped prepare them for the future,
•    64% said that JA taught them how to manage money,
•    70% said that JA made them realize the importance of staying in school.

“Along with Junior Achievement, Walmart recognizes that it will take a different kind of employee to succeed in a more global and competitive job market,” said Joshua Phair, Walmart senior manager for public affairs and government relations in Colorado. “Colorado’s next generation of employees is in the classroom right now, and they need the real-world application that JA programs provide. That is why Walmart is proud to support Junior Achievement and their outreach to Colorado students”

Announcing our 2010 JA Inspiration Scholarship Recipients

srobbins — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:28:25 +0000

Junior Achievement received an astounding 105 applications for our JA Inspiration Scholarship, which provides college-bound recipients $2,000 per year for four years. Since the program began in 2007 JA has awarded 28 scholarships to students, totaling $167,000. This year’s recipients and school they will attend in the fall are:

Reuben Aguirre, West High School graduate, will be attending the University of Denver
Tyler Hartman, Mountain Range High School graduate, will be attending Colorado State University
Jared Leventhal, Pomona High School graduate, will be attending the University of Colorado at Boulder
Carol Skelton, Thunderridge High School graduate, will be attending the Colorado School of Mines
Gabriel Sullice, Mullen High School graduate, will be attending the University of Colorado at Boulder

To read more about these inspirational students and past recipients, click here.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke references Junior Achievement

srobbins — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:23:49 +0000

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke referenced Junior Achievement’s efforts around financial literacy education as he delivered his semi-annual report on monetary policy before the Senate Banking Committee last Wednesday. Junior Achievement was the only organization mentioned. What made Chairman Bernanke’s comment so special was that it was made as part of an impromptu response which indicates that it is top of mind. Ed Grenier, the President of Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area (Washington, DC) recently provided Chairman Bernanke a personal tour of the JA Finance Park facility under construction in Fairfax County, VA. He was so impressed with the concept and Ed was such a great salesperson that Chairman Bernanke has agreed to be the keynote speaker at the ribbon cutting ceremony of the JA Finance Park facility in October.

Click on the link below to see Bernanke’s entire presentation (the JA mention is around 1:23:00.) http://www.cspan.org/Watch/Media/2010/07/21/HP/A/35759/Senate+Banking+Cmte+Hearing+with+Fed+Chair+Bernanke.aspx

Marla Zuch, a great JA Volunteer

srobbins — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:28:34 +0000

Marla Zuch, project manager for Wells Fargo’s Technology and Operations group in Denver, was the recipient of a Volunteer Leave, which let her begin a month-long sabbatical as a Company Advisor at JA Business Week, while still receiving her regular Wells Fargo pay and benefits. Zuch is one of 30 Wells Fargo team members across the company to receive the award this year.

Zuch first learned about JA, nearly three years ago, through a seminar held at Wells Fargo. She was inspired by the idea of working with and sharing ideas and values with children. Soon after the seminar, she contacted JA and was paired with a school and a teacher. Since her first session with second graders in Ms. Nelson’s class at Stuckey Elementary in Northglenn, she has expanded her JA program to three other schools, four additional teachers and first-grade students. During her Volunteer Leave, Zuch used the skills she has developed through an MBA education and 33 years of banking and project management experience to help JA Business Week students develop a marketing plan. Zuch was a Company Advisor at JA Business Week, and spent the week working with first-year students as they developed a new smoothie flavor for Jamba Juice.

“It is a strength of Wells Fargo that so many of our team members serve as leaders in their communities and are willing share their time and talent to help the communities where we live and work succeed,” said Don Marshall, Wells Fargo’s regional president for Denver Metro. “As one of the few companies in America to offer fully-paid sabbaticals for community service, we believe it’s important to give team members an opportunity to act on their passion for making an impact with a nonprofit of their choice. Marla has shown incredible dedication to Junior Achievement and we’re pleased that she can devote more of her time and talent to this organization.”

Yesterday at JA Business Week - Student Perspective

JA_Guest — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:03:34 +0000

Today was our last day of planning for all events! All project plans, executive summaries, and PowerPoint presentations were due Thursday at 6:30 PM. We had company meetings from 2:30 to 6:30 to finalize projects and practice presentations. However in the morning we met in the auditorium to learn how to “Protect Your Finances” with Julie McLean of Arapahoe Credit Union. We learned about debit cards vs. credit cards, how to protect your identity, and how to manage finances and bills. Afterwards, all companies met in their respective rooms and met with a volunteer to learn about presentation skills. Personally, my company learned about the importance of smiling, eye contact, and how to use a PowerPoint presentation to our benefit. After we wrote letters thanking our lovely sponsors, who helped fund business week, we went to the Entrepreneurial Summit and Lunch where we heard from three entrepreneurs, Tom Cella with Spectrum General Contractors, John Griffith with Alpine Waste and Recycling, and Armondo Martin with XL Edge, who taught us about maintaining a business and pulling a profit. After that, we learned how to start a business thanks to Jeff Gilbert, who is a professor at Johnson and Wales University, and an entrepreneur also, owning a business called SBDC. After that all companies got “crackin’” to finalize their projects. After dinner was the end-of-week DANCE! Well, we certainly hope you have enjoyed our blog of Junior Achievement’s Business Week. We’ll see you next year!

Tinker Toy Experiment

srobbins — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:15:22 +0000

The purpose of this exercise is to expose participants to the impact of different leadership styles on the effectiveness and success of a team. Each team is lead by a volunteer who takes on a specific leadership role (listed below), are charged with constructing a list of products and then selling those products. The success of each company, just as in the real world, is significantly affected by its leader and the leadership style he/she imposes.

Different leadeeship styles used in this exercise:
Democratic - vote on all decisions
Delagative/Laissez Faire - disinterested, aloof, relaxed, non-assertive, lack forcefulness, sociable
Authoritarian & Autocratic - boss of the company, do it in a domineering way. Dominant, poor listener, zest for combat, forced ideas, inflexible
Consultative/Participative - open, up front, very encouraging, good listener, flexible, receptive, assertive, goal orientated

The groups work together to create products our of wooden popsicle sticks and then try to sell them to buyers. The room was filled with loud activity as the students tried to get the buyers attention and sell their products. The students seemed to feel that the most effective leader would be a consultative/participative leader.

JA Business Week Day 3 Student Perspective

JA_Guest — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:57:25 +0000

Hey All! This is Lauren and Adam once again with our JA Business Week Blog. Today, starting with year 1, companies A-M took field trips to many Jamba Juices across the city. They gathered information on the production of Jamba Juice smoothies which helped with their efforts to create a new Jamba Juice smoothie flavor. Next, second year students visited the Colorado Convention Center to better understand where their high school events will be held. The oldest of the group, the third year students had company meetings throughout the day, however they will be going to the 16th Street Mall Good Times to also understand further their project. Mid morning of today, all JA Business Week campers assembled in the University Event Center to learn how to better control stress through stretching and breathing. Overall, we have decided, this year is a great year to be at JA Business Week.

Learning the Art of Meditation, Relaxation and Yoga

srobbins — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:51:17 +0000

Yesterday the JA Business Week students participated in a workshop, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, that introduced them to the many different techniques and skills for reducing stress. The truth is that stress is going to happen in your life and knowing the methods to reduce and manage that stress is a skill that will benefit these students for their entire life.

The presenters perspective was that the happier you are the more productive and effective you will be in the tasks that you are presented with. With happiness and reduced stress one is able to make clearer choices and be more supportive of those around them.

The students discussed the different situations that make them stressed out. The mentioned: parents, social “drama”, competition, overreacting to certain situations, siblings, school, sports…just to name a few. They feel the stress internally, which is typical for all people.

They were presented with the idea of self regulation when it comes to reducing stress. This is regulating your thinking, interpretation, actions and behaviors when you are in stressful situations. Conscious self regulation tasks can be anything from exercise to playing music.

After these ideas were discussed the students were able to learn some yoga and breathing techniques in order to lower their stress. As the students practiced basic yoga poses they seemed a little uncomfortable at first, but then began to enjoy the activity. In the end, they were given some valuable skill, techniques and awareness that will help them not only reduce the stress in their life now, but for many years to come.

JA Business Week Day 1 and 2 - Student Perspective

JA_Guest — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:46:06 +0000

Day Two
Today was a fun filled day. We had an overview of our projects. 2nd and 3rd years had resume overviews and critiques. We polished our resumes to perfection! The 1st years worked on their projects most of the day; consisting of an ethics challenge with the Better Business Bureau. 2nd years took a field trip to Ogilvy Public Relations to gain a better perspective on their projects. 3rd years worked on their projects for a while. The day ended with everyone doing a Leadership and Teamwork with Terrance Carroll, and Electricity challenge and a game show!

Day One
Well we had a great first day at Junior Achievement’s Business Week. We heard a great keynote speaker today at The Opening Ceremony, Keith Jones,who was very inspiring to be positive and enthusiastic. After The Opening Ceremony, we met up with our company advisors and team mates. After dinner we played a great game called Hunk O’ Junk which taught us about creativity, teamwork, and recycling.

JA Business Week Kicks Off

JA_Guest — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:00:34 +0000

Junior Achievement’s Business Week, underwritten by OppenheimerFunds, kicked off on Sunday with a very enthusiastic keynote speaker; Keith Jones. This inspiring speech was given to almost 200 high school students and their parents to prepare and motivate them for the upcoming high-energy week ahead. Keith Jones is a Chef, entrepreneur, and author of “Cooking Up Your Dreams”. His positive attitude and ability to bring laughter and muse to students was extremely entertaining.

Keith began speaking about how important it is to never give up on your dreams, and explained that we all have a gift to give. “You never know when you’re going to meet the person or situation that is going to change your life”, Keith re-iterated over and over again. “Remember that learning never stops and neither does education”, Keith continued. As he frolicked into the air showing these apprehensive teens how important enthusiasm for life and learning can be expressed.

Watching the wide-eyed and eager Business Week audience there was no speculation that they were going to carry Keith’s energy on into the rest of the week. This orientation and welcome was also filled with a great introduction to all of the wonderful volunteers who would be heading up each group of students who will be coming together and creating a company this week. Can’t wait to see all the inspiration and ideas they put together!