FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 20, 2023) – The Junior Achievement Florida Foundation has announced today that it has received a $70,000 grant from State Farm. The state-wide initiative will support Junior Achievement learning experiences in eight localities throughout Florida, enabling thousands of young people to participate in JA’s nationally recognized financial literacy and career readiness learning experiences.
“State Farm believes that financial literacy education is critical to building stronger and more resilient communities,” said Jose Soto, State Farm Corporate Responsibility Analyst. “Part of our education funding is directed toward initiatives and programs that support K-12 financial literacy and pathways for college and career success. We are proud to support Junior Achievement financial literacy and career readiness programs across Florida.”
Each of the eight Florida-based JA areas will use the support to advance learning experiences most needed in their region. At Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida (JA), State Farm will enable them to provide the following learning experiences to the students of the SWFL community:
- JA Personal Finance where students learn how today’s financial decisions can impact future financial freedom;
- JA Economics for Success where students plan career opportunities and learn about relevant education and income; and
- JA Career Success, which will equip local students with the tools and skills required to earn and keep a job in high-growth career industries.
Through all of these JA programs, students learn about expenses and setting personal financial priorities. They also develop transferable skills, like self-awareness, useful regardless of career.
Angela Fisher, CEO of Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida stated, “We are immensely grateful for the generous support from State Farm, which bolsters our initiatives across Florida. Junior Achievement empowers our youth with essential resources, enabling them to shape their futures. By prioritizing financial literacy, work preparedness, and entrepreneurial skills in our educational programs, we strive to foster economic fairness and upward mobility. This paves the way for a more promising future, benefiting everyone involved.”
About Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida®
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. Locally, Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida partnered with classroom business volunteers during the 2021-2022 school year to provide nearly 135,000 hours of instruction to nearly 14,800 students in 589 classes throughout Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties. For more information on Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida, visit www.JASWFL.org, call 239-225-2590 or email info@jaswfl.org.
About Junior Achievement Florida Foundation
Chartered in 2010 the JA Florida Foundation represents the nine Florida JA chapters joining forces to link to schools across the state of Florida. This collaboration has allowed us each to grow our impact on our area’s marginalized youth through statewide funding and support. Junior Achievement delivers K-12 programming for entrepreneurship, financial literacy and career readiness. For more information on the organization, visit www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-floridafoundation.
About State Farm®
For 100 years, the mission of State Farm has been and continues to be to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto and home insurance in the United States. Its more than 19,400 agents and approximately 61,764 employees serve over 91 million policies and accounts – which includes auto, fire, life, health, commercial policies and financial services accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 42 on the 2022 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.
