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City of Coconut Creek, Florida—Junior Achievement of South Florida has been honored as Nonprofit of the Year by the South Florida Business Journal. Now in its 21st year, the awards program honors excellence in business across various categories, including by revenue, the H. Wayne Huizenga Startup Award, minority-owned, woman-owned and others.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by South Florida Business Journal as Nonprofit of the Year,” said Laurie Sallarulo, President/CEO of Junior Achievement of South Florida. “Receiving this award is a huge honor. We thank our donors, sponsors, volunteers, teachers and partners for their support as we continue to serve and inspire more than 50,000 students each year.

Nominations for the award are submitted online, and then a group of hand-selected advisers and the SFBJ editorial team vet the nominations to arrive at the winners and finalists. The honorees will be feted at an awards gala April 26 at Jungle Island in Miami, and featured in a special section in print and online April 27.

“This is one of my favorite signature events because it highlights many of South Florida’s winning companies,” Business Journal President and Publisher Melanie Dickinson said. “The editorial package is a valuable resource for our readers, as it illustrates how these companies achieved their success.”

About Junior Achievement of South Florida

Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) inspires and prepares youth to succeed in a global economy. JA provides real-world training in financial literacy including budgeting, spending, investing and the use of credit; offers cutting-edge skill-building opportunities that enable young people to explore meaningful, productive careers; teaches students how to start businesses; and introduces entrepreneurial values that strengthen workplaces. Last year, with the help of over 5,800 trained corporate and community volunteers, JA delivered over 20 various programs to almost 50,000 students in classrooms throughout Broward and South Palm Beach Counties and at the Lillian S. Wells JA World Huizenga Center at Broward College, a first-class facility housing JA BizTown and JA Career Discovery Park. For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit www.jasouthflorida.org.

About the South Florida Business Journal

City of Coconut Creek, Florida—After completing the 18 classroom lessons of the JA Career Discovery Park program, every 8^th grade student in Broward County Public Schools experiences a real-life learning experience in JA Career Discovery Park at JA World Huizenga Center at the Lillian S. Wells Foundation Pavilion, located on the North Campus of Broward College. JA Career Discovery Park is a simulated city of storefronts representing various industries and businesses, where students apply the personal finance and career knowledge they gain in the classroom. The JA Career Discovery Park storefront sponsorships support the program, allowing Junior Achievement of South Florida to provide this much needed financial literacy education to almost 25,000 students in just this one JA program.

Amongst the JA Career Discovery Park storefronts is Minto Communities. Junior Achievement of South Florida has been fortunate to call Minto Communities a storefront partner since 2012. Minto has donated $162,500 to date, and has positively contributed to the overall success and education of over 100,000 students. During the JA Career Discovery Park simulation, students gain invaluable knowledge about renting, buying or leasing a home, and the process of applying for a home loan in the Minto storefront.

“I love volunteering in JA Career Discovery Park and witnessing the students’ ‘aha’ moments when they begin to understand the importance of how to manage their finances,” said Steve Svopa, Minto’s Vice President of Operations, Florida. “Teaching the students in JA Career Discovery Park is incredibly rewarding, and our team always has a great time. Minto has truly enjoyed our partnership with Junior Achievement, working together to provide financial literacy education to every student.”

JA Career Discovery Park is a physical center, comprised of 16 local business storefronts within the 60,000 sq feet JA World building. During their day in JA Career Discovery Park, 8^th grade students engage in creating and maintaining a personal budget, while considering such factors as health care, real estate, car payments, shopping, banking, utilities and more.

“We are so grateful to Minto for their continued support of Junior Achievement. Without storefront sponsors like them, these programs would not be available to our students,” said Laurie Sallarulo, President & CEO of Junior Achievement of South Florida. 

About Junior Achievement of South Florida

Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) inspires and prepares youth to succeed in a global economy. JA provides real-world training in financial literacy including budgeting, spending, investing and the use of credit; offers cutting-edge skill-building opportunities that enable young people to explore meaningful, productive careers; teaches students how to start businesses; and introduces entrepreneurial values that strengthen workplaces. Last year, with the help of over 5,800 trained corporate and community volunteers, JA delivered over 20 various programs to almost 50,000 students in classrooms throughout Broward and South Palm Beach Counties and at the Lillian S. Wells JA World Huizenga Center at Broward College, a first-class facility housing JA BizTown and JA Career Discovery Park. For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit www.jasouthflorida.org.

About Minto Communities Florida

Minto Communities, based in Florida since 1978, has represented integrity, financial strength and enduring value for 40 years.  Minto builds exceptional new homes and communities to meet every lifestyle, with more than 25,000 new homes built in Florida in 44 communities throughout the state.  Minto is dedicated to continuous improvement in design, quality and customer experience. Applauded and recognized as an expert in the home building industry, Minto was awarded “Best Floor Plans” from Ideal-Living magazine.  

These are just some of the elements that set Minto apart as an exceptional home builder and community developer and have earned the company national recognition that includes consistently high rankings from Eliant Customer Service Surveys.  Minto has earned multiple national awards for community and home design, including Best Mixed-Use Community and Best Clubhouse from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for The Isles of Collier Preserve community in Naples, Florida; and Best Clubhouse from NAHB for the Beach Club at Harbour Isle located in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida.  

The Minto Communities team recently volunteered their time in JA Career Discovery Park and presented Junior Achievement of South Florida President/CEO Laurie Sallarulo (far left) with a $162,500 check as part of their storefront sponsorship contribution.

City of Coconut Creek, Florida—Junior Achievement of South Florida has been awarded one of Junior Achievement USA^®’s (JA USA) highest honors: the 4 Star Award. The purpose of the Star Award is to recognize staff and boards of JA Areas that meet Junior Achievement’s national standards in operational efficiency and through strong representation of the JA brand. Recipients must demonstrate growth in student impact and superior fiscal performance. Achievement against these criteria is certified through JA USA and audited financial statements.  

“These Star Award winners represent the best Junior Achievement has to offer,” said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. “They set the standard by which Junior Achievement’s success is measured at the local level. Their commitment and dedication to young people is reflected in their achieving this honor.”

As an organization, Junior Achievement understands that its effectiveness depends on how well JA Areas deliver the organization’s financial literacy, work-readiness, and entrepreneurship programs in local communities.

“We are thrilled to receive the 4 Star Award,” said Laurie Sallarulo, president of Junior Achievement of South Florida. “Bringing the status of Junior Achievement of South Florida from a 1 Star to a 4 Star area has been a huge accomplishment for the staff and board of directors. We thank our donors, sponsors, volunteers, teachers and partners for their support. We are committed to sustaining a healthy financial position so we may continue to serve and inspire almost 50,000 students each year.”

About Junior Achievement of South Florida

Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) inspires and prepares youth to succeed in a global economy. JA provides real-world training in financial literacy including budgeting, spending, investing and the use of credit; offers cutting-edge skill-building opportunities that enable young people to explore meaningful, productive careers; teaches students how to start businesses; and introduces entrepreneurial values that strengthen workplaces. Last year, with the help of over 5,800 trained corporate and community volunteers, JA delivered over 20 various programs to almost 50,000 students in classrooms throughout Broward and South Palm Beach Counties and at JA World Huizenga Center at Broward College, a first-class facility housing JA BizTown and JA Career Discovery Park. For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit www.jasouthflorida.org.

About Junior Achievement USA^® (JA)

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. Today, JA reaches more than 4.8 million students per year in over 100 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.