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Junior Achievement and WorkNet Pinellas students partner to help build shelters for the homeless
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13th Annual Bright House Networks Invitational Golf Tournament Raises $630,000 for Junior Achievement
Tony Dungy Honored for Community Involvement and Support
 
CLEARWATER, FL (May 5, 2010) – Bright House Networks, a longtime supporter of Junior Achievement (JA), wrapped up their most successful golf event held May 2 and 3 at Innisbrook Resort, raising over $630,000 for Junior Achievement of West Central Florida.
 
“We are proud to support Junior Achievement in its efforts to educate young people in our community," commented Mike Robertson, Tampa Bay Division President for Bright House Networks. "JA’s programs teach our students valuable lessons that they will use in their future careers and in life, and we are happy to provide assistance that will help JA reach even more students."
 
Bright House Networks has been the title sponsor of the Bright House Networks / Junior Achievement Invitational since 1998 and has grown its support of Junior Achievement every year in its thirteen year history.   The cumulative donations throughout the event’s history have directly benefited over 160,000 bay area students.
 
“Young consumers must help rebuild our economy on a stronger foundation, and they need financial education and skills to meet the challenge. JA has the educational programs in place, ready to go—and these valuable resources supports the students now!” said Pam Muma, Chairman of the Junior Achievement Board. "The generous support from Bright House Networks helps JA in our mission to impact even more of Tampa Bay area students with valuable educational programs."
 
About Junior Achievement® (JA): Junior Achievement inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. Junior Achievement of West Central Florida, the area’s largest and oldest business and education partnership, serves twelve counties through volunteers who will inspire more than 68,000 students this school year. For more information, visit www.jawcf.org



School board may name road for state Sen. Crist
05/13/2010
Tampa Tribune - Online
UNIVERSITY AREA - The Hillsborough County School Board will consider Tuesday naming a road on district-owned property for a local political figure.

The road, which is between two retention ponds on the property housing the Bowers/Whitley Career Center and Muller Magnet Elementary School, would honor state Sen. Victor Crist and be called Victor Crist Drive. The road now has no name.

The request came from leaders at the schools and the adjacent facilities on North 22nd Street at the Hillsborough County Health and Social Services Center and the Junior Achievement Center.

Tony Colucci, principal of the career center, said they wanted to honor Crist, who has "been instrumental in the University Area" redevelopment. Over the years Crist has secured funding for the various public buildings and programs in the blighted area.

"He has done tremendous work and his term is up this year," Colucci said.

Crist, who has also served as a state representative, is reaching term limits this year. But to keep his political career going he has filed as a candidate for the Hillsborough County Commission's District 2 seat, which is up for election in 2012.

Colucci said other ideas tossed around to honor Crist included planting a tree or erecting a monument with his name.

He said Richard George of Junior Achievement suggested the road naming and Colucci worked with the school district administration to have the board consider the idea. He said it would not change the address of the schools or other buildings, thus causing expenses in letterhead stationery and other items.

Crist, 52, has been active in the University Area for almost 30 years. He has served for about 22 years as president of the USF Area Community Civic Association and for 13 years as the founding chairman of the University Area Community Development Corp.

The University of South Florida graduate said he became concerned about the community "because I lived there for nearly a decade while in school and after graduation. I saw a need and was drawn to the challenge."

"I'm surprised," he said of the proposed naming. "I'm honored and humbled by their gesture."

Yama Gooding, Bowers/Whitley program adviser, assisted Colucci in submitting the documentation to the school board.

"We decided on the name Drive instead of Lane because he has a drive that never ends and does not stay in one lane," she said in an e-mail to the Tribune.

Correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached at (813) 259-7662.
 




NEWS RELEASE:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2010
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Richard George, President
Junior Achievement of West Central Florida
 (813) 207-0217 ext 27; (727) 530-0884 ext. 27
Cell (727) 430-0965
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
Junior Achievement Recognizes Outstanding Partners
TAMPA, FL (March 5, 2010)─ Junior Achievement of West Central Florida (JA) recognized its outstanding partners last evening at Hall of Achievement Celebration Dinner sponsored by  Busch Gardens, Outback Steakhouse, and Bright House Networks.  JA has over one thousand business partners who provide nearly six thousand business volunteers annually to inspire 68,000 students.
 
Gus A. Stavros was inducted into the inaugural Hall of Achievement for his partnership with JA Worldwide bringing JA BizTown and JA Finance Park programs to over quarter of million students annually throughout the United States and Japan. David Wilbanks, Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network received the Junior Achievement Legacy Award for his twenty-five years of volunteer service to Junior Achievement. 
Junior Achievement also recognized three of its most outstanding partners, AAA Auto Club South, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and WorkNet Pinellas.
Pam Muma, Chairman of the Junior Achievement of West Central Florida Board of Directors, “Junior Achievement depends solely on passionate volunteers to deliver our programs to over 68,000 students annually and it is wonderful to celebrate these individuals and businesses’ donation of time, talent and treasure.”
 
Receiving the Junior Achievement National Bronze Leadership Award were; Dave Castel of Tampa, Superintendent of the Pinellas County Schools, Julie Janssen, Scott Price, Director at A-lign CPA’s, LLC,  Jack Rybicki, Principal of Larson Allen LLP and Fred Zielinski, Director of Culinary Operations at Busch Gardens, Tampa. Receiving the National Silver Leadership Award were; Craig Campbell, Vice President for Holland Construction. Michael Lewis, Senior Vice President at Progress Energy and County Commissioner for the Pinellas County Karen Seel.  
Junior Achievement recognizes individuals and businesses throughout West Central Florida who share a strong belief and commitment to entrepreneurship and the free enterprise system. These passionate leaders and business partners deliver work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurial education to kindergarten through twelve graders.

About Junior Achievement:  Junior Achievement inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy. Junior Achievement of West Central Florida, the area’s largest and oldest business and education partnership, serves twelve counties through volunteers who will inspire more than 70,000 students this school year. For more information, visit www.jawcf.org
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MBA Students Become Teachers with Junior Achievement

Published: May 3, 2010

 A group of UT MBA students left their desks and took to the front of the classroom, becoming teachers to students at nearby Stewart Middle Magnet School.

The volunteers spent the morning teaching budgeting, personal finance and insurance as a program of Junior Achievement, the largest and oldest nonprofit organization that teaches the principles of market based economics and entrepreneurship to students in grades kindergarten to 12.

“It is important that our community is involved in educating children,” said Carla Prescott, senior education director for Junior Achievement. “Having the MBA students involved shows that what you learn in school is relevant and important in the real world.”

H.L. Prindle III, an MBA student with a concentration in management, had volunteered with Junior Achievement through his undergraduate alma mater’s alumni club. As the vice president of business development for UT-GOLD, the University’s Graduate Organization of Leadership and Development, Prindle thought, “Who better to teach economics-related lessons than MBA students?”

“It doesn’t take a lot to make an impact,” said Prindle ’10.

Not only does it give the middle schoolers an interaction they might not otherwise have, Prindle said, it gives the graduate students an opportunity to develop their leadership skills.

“It feels good to be able to teach kids new lessons and life skills,” said Felicity Carey ’11, a Marketing of Science in Accounting student who previously volunteered with Junior Achievement with UT’s Beta Alpha Psi, an honorary organization for financial information students and professionals. “The students have a good time too.”

The goal of UT-GOLD is to further enrich and develop the lives of all graduate students, and this is just one opportunity, said Prindle. Another is a recent leadership forum where several high-powered businesspeople, including Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, interacted with about 90 attendees on what it means to be a leader. UT-GOLD members have also volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House and participated in an ALS walk.

“Part of UT-GOLD’s mission is to be out in the community,” said Emily Ghosh ’10, an MBA student and president of UT-GOLD, who was excited to be volunteering with Junior Achievement. “We’ve been blessed to go to school and to graduate school. To show these students who may not be as fortunate that it’s possible is really rewarding.”

Prescott said the UT students are role models who show that college is attainable and worth striving toward. While the school is less than 2 miles away, the distance in opportunity between UT and the middle school is much greater.

Stewart is a Title I school, which means the majority of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The number of economically disadvantaged students account for 73 percent of Stewart’s population.

 

  


 

 


 

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Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame

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Special Events
Third Grade ‘Our City’- play video
What role does a third grader play in the life of a city? On Friday, April 9, approximately 360 students took on several roles as they discovered how builders, business owners, reporters and others contribute to the life of a city, where people live, work, play and go to school.

To bring the Junior Achievement’s “Our City” program to schoolchildren, Pinellas County Commission Chair Karen Williams Seel – a Junior Achievement board member – challenged elected officials and community leaders to join her in the first annual Junior Achievement “Our City” Day.

In response to Seel’s “Our City / Pinellas County Challenge,” nearly 40 elected officials and community leaders led 18 third grade classes in the four-hour event. With two to each team, the leaders involved the third graders in activities that examined the role of builders, restaurant owners and newspapers. They learned the importance of civic planning to a city’s economic development. They role played simple financial transactions and learned why banks are an important part of a city.
“The Junior Achievement ‘Our City’ program studies careers, the skills people need to work in specific careers and how businesses contribute to a city,” said Seel. “This program is tailored for our elected officials and their staff to participate and educate our young people on our collective role.”

The three schools chosen to participate in this program were Sexton Elementary School in St. Petersburg, Mildred Helms Elementary School in Largo and Skycrest Elementary in Clearwater.
 


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