Junior Achievement awarded $40,000 Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation grant

Junior Achievement awarded $40,000

Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation grant

Grant furthers career readiness programs for Southwest Florida students

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Nov. 4, 2022) – Southwest Florida’s middle and high school students will be better prepared to transition into the working world thanks to the work of Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida (JA) and a $40,000 Workforce Development grant the organization received from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation. The foundation has generously supported the efforts of JA with annual grants for six consecutive years.

"Thanks to the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, we will provide about 18,000 students in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties with the knowledge and skills needed to develop as the next generation of business leaders,” said Angela Fisher, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida. “Mentoring and real-world experience offered through JA programs give the students a head start and help to ensure their success.”

JA offers both public and private school students the opportunity to network with local business mentors who guide lessons and inspire young people by sharing their experiences and serving as role models who stress the importance of education and life skills. JA also works with after-school programs and special at-risk groups. The grant will help fund JA Inspire, JA work readiness programs, including JA Career Connect, JA Career Exploration Fairs, JA It’s My Future, JA Career Success, JA Job Shadows, JA Career Speaker Series, and JA Economics For Success.

Preparing young students helps them transition into adulthood with proven lessons that promote financial literacy and capability, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship. Alumni have a track record of earning a college degree, have confidence in managing money, and achieve career success. Many have started their own business.

"Junior Achievement is among many outstanding organizations," said Mary Beth Geier, Florida Director of the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation. “The work they do prepares the next generation and will impact our region for years to come. We couldn’t be more proud to support them in their mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed.”

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, or to help support Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida, please visit www.JASWFL.org, call 239-225-2590, or email info@jaswfl.org.

About the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation

The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation was created in 2004 by Best Buy founder, Dick Schulze, to give back to the communities where Dick and his family grew up – in Minnesota, where he built Best Buy to become the world's largest consumer electronics retailer, and in Florida, where he now maintains a permanent residence. The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation creates grant partnerships with organizations that generate transformational results in human and social services, education, and health and medicine.

About Junior Achievement USA®

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 2.5 million students per year in 104 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. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

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.