Did you know that the average household carries a credit card balance of over $15,000? Would you like for your child to understand the value of money, saving, and budgeting? JA BizTown Camp is for you!
JA BizTown Camp is a fun & educational week long camp that focuses on the concepts of business, employment, finance and entrepreneurship. It is geared toward students aged 10 to 14 years old.
Campers have fun in a safe, educational setting…practice problem solving for business challenges with the help of teachers and counselors…win prizes through raffles and contests…act out customer service skits…listen to guest speakers from the business community…view special business related videos…and more!
Camp week is from June 24th – June 28th. $200 per camper. Extended care is available. Contact Debbie Fairholm for more information at debbie@jasouthflorida.org. For more information on Junior Achievement check out our website at www.jasouthflorida.org.
This December has gone by so fast! We still have students here until Friday which is keeping our programs team very busy. Junior Achievement will be closed Dec. 24 – Dec. 26th for our staff to enjoy the holidays with friends and family. But as of the new year we are off running again with JA World Uncorked only 3 weeks away, Business Hall of Fame only 5 weeks away, and the South Florida Invitational only 8 weeks away. Our last three events are ones you will want to be involved in. Anna and Elizabeth are awaiting your calls for last minute support!
As we get closer to the New Year – the staff of Junior Achievement is touched greatly by our donors, teachers, volunteers, and students. The impact JA makes in the community is because of all of you.
As President of the Lobby, with the actual title of Volunteer Services Coordinator and physical position at the reception desk, I complete a myriad of tasks. My Volunteer Coordinator position requires the work done in the background of each day concerning the wonderful volunteers at JA. My position at the reception desk is somewhat like that of what you would think constitutes a receptionist’s duties; however, my job is surely much more special and different than the assumption.
I am privy to the viewing of genuine, sheer excitement on the faces of every student that walks through our doors each day. When the buses pull up to the front of the building I hear the student’s clap and yell with enthusiasm. They make their way in to the building where I see their faces beaming, wide-eyed, and eager; overhear them whisper to their friends, “This is going to be awesome!”
Throughout the day, I hear them in their businesses, working diligently. I then see them at the end of their day here; they exit with smiles, loud repeats of “Thank You!”, and reassurances of their initial thoughts, “that was awesome!” Intermingled throughout, “I wish I could come back here everyday” and often, “I wish I could live here!” My perspective is by far the best part of my job and the reason we all do what we do, here at JA!
The staff of Junior Achievement of South Florida had a great few days off. We were able to reflect on how thankful we are for all of the many volunteers, donors, committee members, and Board of Directors who spend countless hours supporting JA in all different ways. This time of the year goes by so fast but we want to make sure to say thank you. The students in Broward and South Palm Beach Counties thank you too!
BizTown was where all the action was on Friday August 10th. Sixty children from Handy and the Florence Fuller organizations had an unforgettable experience at this one day camp. The children were divided into five groups (The Ventricles, Arteries, Valves, Atriums, and Veins). Throughout the day the groups rotated from five stations. Station one was “Heart Healthy Snacking”. The chefs from the Tenet Healthcare FMC Campus whipped up a yummy, healthy, snack for the children. In this station, the chefs explained the healthy ingredients as they were preparing the recipe. Station two was “Rope Jumping and Pulse”. Mr. George Kress and Miss Georgia Lechoczky along with their staff from Walgreens organized fun jump roping exercises. After the group finished exercising, the Walgreens team took the children’s pulse. This allowed the children to see that as we exercise, the heart works harder to pump more blood through the body. Station three was “The Model Heart”. This was a heart education station where the groups learned how the heart works and then asked questions to the medical staff from Tenet Healthcare FMC Campus. During this station, the groups also went outside to observe and learn about a fire truck as well as an ambulance. Station four was “Stayin Alive”. At this very important station the BSO taught the children how to perform CPR. This was an amazing station; the children really enjoyed practicing on “Little Annie” (the child size CPR kit supplied by American Express) to the song “Stayin Alive”. Lastly, Station five was “Planting Ideas”. At this station the children learned about planting vegetable and fruit plants in there own backyard. The groups loved learning about all the different plants that Susan from Flamingo Road Nursery brought. Each child was given a plant to bring home to start their very own garden. I can’t forget the Coconut Creek Parks and Recreation Department who got them all “movin!” All the children enjoyed the active games they played. Before the children left, they were all smiles as they received a bag full of goodies to help them stay healthy. It was a fun ending to a great day!!
The new fiscal year is off to a running start, making all the hurdles and going for the GOLD!!! In July, JA South Florida received $12,500 from Carnival Corporation & plc for summer camp scholarships, $2,000 from Comerica to support JA Finance Park, and $10,000 from New York Life Foundation to support JA Finance Park and to deliver JA Success Skills and JA Personal Finance to underserved youth. Wells Fargo let us know that they will be providing $20,000 to support JA BizTown and JA Finance Park at JA World Huizenga Center. And $5,000 was received in August from TD Charitable Foundation to support JA Personal Finance for underserved high schoolers. Thanks to all our supporters, JASF is shaping up to be the big winner in providing students with the tools and information they need to be winners!
If you are a company in which we could apply for a grant, please email Blaire Lapides at blaire@jasouthflorida.org.
The summers here at Junior Achievement used to be very slow and there was rarely a week that everyone on staff was in the office. I hear we even used to have summer hours. Since moving into this amazing building summers have been flying by. And even though its the end of July and we don’t have a special event until the end of August – things around here are crazy. We have lined up all of our event dates for this year and have already started putting all of the pieces together. So get out your calendars –
Bowl-A-Thon: August, September, and October
Limited Partnership Dinner: November 5, 2012, $275 per ticket
JA World Uncorked: January 19, 2013, $150 per ticket
Business Hall of Fame: February 6, 2013, $225 per ticket
South Florida Invitational: March 4, 2013, $5000 a foursome
Contact Anna Parker if you’d like more information about any of our special events at anna@jasouthflorida.org.
I was instructed to blog about a JA event by our Director of Communications. It was a reasonable request, since the National Leadership Conference for Junior Achievement is a Worldwide event that has previously provided some very interesting stories. But alas, although I was going to share comments and maybe pictures from Grand Rapids, Michigan….this blog is about never making it out of the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.
My travelling partner, a co-member of our JA team, fractured her ankle just 2 days prior to the event. High heels. Stairs. Speed. Knowing her as I do and acting in my natural state of cruel and sometimes humorous sarcasm, I immediately began to preach that her “natural state of travel” - including about 4 tons of excess luggage, could not be the case for this trip – because I was going to be pushing her and pulling it. She, who is one of the sweetest people in the world, started to visualize the trip with me – and her ankle (both painful) and decided to stay home. I thought it was a smart decision. She cancelled her reservations and emailed JA USA to let them know.
Next morning at the airport, “no such confirmation number” was displayed on the screen of the Self Help Kiosk when I entered the information. Inadvertently, both reservations were cancelled – and now the flight was booked. The new arrival time would mean I’d miss a couple of the seminars that would benefit our JA area the most. (I think I said the conference was in Grand Rapids.) Now, I decided to stay home. It was a smart decision.
My travelling partner was going to receive recognition in Grand Rapids for 20 years of employment with Junior Achievement. That was one of the reasons we had planned to make the trip – to celebrate her accomplishments. She and I have been at JA for 20 years together. She is part of my family. And truthfully, grand rapids describes the last 20 years.
So we will celebrate her accomplishments with our local JA team very soon. She is going to be fine.
The National Leadership Conference 2012 photo (below)
This July approximately one hundred kids ages 10-14 attended our third annual JA BizTown Summer Camp. With an aim to inspire and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and business owners, our wonderful staff guided campers through the ins and outs of the “real world” that awaits them; from applying and interviewing for a job to running a small business and tending to its loan, we provided a crash course in the essentials needed to be not only a financially literate member of society, but creative and exciting one too. We also welcomed a cadre of talented local professionals from the Broward Sheriff’s Office to the Humane Society of Broward County, each offering an illuminating real world view. Another important component of the camp was a focus on charitable giving: the concept of a non- profit sustained by responsible citizens, corporations and their leaders is, after all, how JA South Florida is made possible, and we’re dedicated to paying it forward!
We are working on the Taste of Coral Springs that will benefit Junior Achievement, Coral Springs Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, and North Broward YMCA Family Center. The committee includes representatives from each of the non-profits, the City of Coral Springs and other individuals who are committed to giving back. This is the 3rd year I have been involved and although it is a lot of work, it is lots of fun working with everyone.
JA is responsible for securing the restaurants and beverage vendors. The YMCA handles everything about the silent auction and the Cadet Squadron handles the setup and breakdown of the event, the City of Coral Springs handles the website (up and running but being redesigned!) and tickets, and the Sun-Sentinel/Forum Publishing Group handles the publicity. Of course, there are lots of other moving parts, but we all chip in and get it done.
This year’s event features a Disco theme, so expect lots of platform shoes and polyester! Lots of great food and spirits from ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Cold Stone Creamery and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Coral Springs Melting Pot, Dino’s Pizza Company, Marola’s of Coral Springs and Fra Diavolo Restaurants, Mythos Greek Taverna, Perfect Game Sports Grill, The Whale Raw Bar, Whole Foods Market – Coral Springs, and World of Beer to name a few. Get ready to party with DJ Joey Scott inside from 5:30 to 8:00 and s in the courtyard, the live bands are Jeff Frank and Lori Weaver (6pm to 7pm), the Castaways (7pm to 8pm) and Studio 54 (8pm to 9:30pm).
Call me at 954-979-7109 for email me at blaire@jasouthflorida.org if you have any questions. You can purchase tickets by visiting: www.tasteofcoralsprings.com.
