Schedule Your Colorado Gives Day Donation Today
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When you give to JA on Colorado Gives Day, the value of your donation is boosted by the FirstBank Incentive Fund, a $1 million incentive to increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving.
Make a difference now, by scheduling your Colorado Gives Day contribution today to be processed on Colorado Gives Day!
Share your support and encourage friends and family members to schedule their JA Colorado Gives Day contributions by posting the
I Gave Early badge on your social media pages.
We appreciate your investment in JA! Click here to help motivate, educate and inspire our young people!
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Colorado Business Hall of Fame
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Mark your calendar for the 28th Annual Colorado Business Hall of Fame. The 2017 laureates will be inducted on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center. The event is generously underwritten by UMB Bank.
For details about this event or to purchase a table or tickets, contact Ellie Jordan at 303-628-7366.
2017 Laureates
Sue Anschutz-Rogers
Joe Blake
Terry Considine
Curtis Fentress
George & David Griffith
Ronald Moore |
12th Annual JA Stock Market Challenge Corporate Event
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Jodi Rolland, Colorado State and Denver Market President for Bank of America, presents the trophy to the winning team from SM Energy
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The JA Stock Market Challenge corporate event, presented by
Bank of America
and sponsored by Husch Blackwell, raised $217,000 and engaged more than 350 adults in competing for the highest net worth and highest portfolio growth.
In the end,
SM Energy took home the trophy for highest net worth. The McDonough's Dream Team from
Charles Schwab was recognized for their 346% rate of growth.
Proceeds from the corporate event ensure that area high school students can participate in the student version of the JA Stock Market Challenge at no cost.
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Join JA's Young Professionals Group
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| Members of JA Engage attended the JA Stock Market Challenge, presented by Bank of America |
JA Engage now has a formal way for you to show your support for our mission of helping Colorado's youth thrive in their future business careers. We invite you to become a member of our group with a simple monthly recurring donation of only $10. There are many benefits to JA Engage membership, including:
- Exclusive access to meet and greet opportunities with Denver business leaders
- Networking with like-minded young professionals and JA staff members at networking events (discounted fee for members)
- Priority access to JA Engage volunteer opportunities that allow you to work directly with Colorado students, ensuring a succesful future
- Opportunity to apply for participation in the JA Engage Board of Directors
Click the "membership" option here to join!
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JA's 2015/16 Annual Report is now available at JAColorado.org.
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PEBC Superintendent Forum
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JA is proud to be a silver sponsor of the 2016 Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC) Superintendent Forum to be held on Wed., Nov. 16 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
This event provides a unique opportunity to hear directly from superintendents representing Colorado's diverse communities, discussing critical education topics that impact student achievement. Click here to register. |
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The JA Apple Society was created to thank and recognize our amazing classroom volunteers for their dedication to JA's mission. This exclusive recognition is earned through a steadfast commitment to engaging with students multiple times a year. Volunteers receive a special gift after reaching 250, 500, 750, 1,000 and 1,500 students.
To date,
11
enthusiastic volunteers have each shared their time and talent presenting JA programs to 1,500 or more students.
| Joe Acker |
Hermann Li |
| Tanya Apel |
Paul Natale |
| Cindy Baroway |
Pat Reinsbach |
| Gail Daughterty |
Angela Rothe |
| Thomas Durkin |
Elizabeth Shoeman |
| Gary Fox |
Laurie Thomsen |
| Megan Kuhnen |
Susan Zapata |
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Robin Wise
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The JA Stock Market Challenge student events are exciting, inspiring and highly educational. If you have ever attended one of these events, you know that they are also very, very loud. We are thrilled to offer experiences for students that fuel this kind of passion for learning. To hear students shout, cheer, and sometimes groan, while navigating the ins and outs of investing is music to my ears. But what really warms my heart is all of the quiet work that goes into making these types of experiences possible.
When you look away from center stage, behind the "JA curtain," there are thousands of people who quietly show up time and time again to ensure that students are prepared for a bright future. Their selflessness is expressed in countless ways and its impact can be felt
throughout every aspect of our work. For example, you might not know that Jake Jabs believes so strongly about the importance of financial literacy and entrepreneurship that he donates 6,000 square feet in the Thornton American Furniture Warehouse to house JA Finance Park. And, we may not have told you that our dedicated JA board members do much more than provide resources to the organization - they generously share their vast business experience and knowledge and serve as trusted advisors to JA staff. And would you believe that several of our JA Business Week company advisors sacrifice an entire week's worth of vacation time to mentor teenagers? I could go on and on, but this message would start to sound, well, noisy.
The energy and enthusiasm we create for our mission is often loud - and that's a good thing. After all, our message of hope and opportunity is truly exciting. However, next time you hear about or experience a JA program or event like the JA Stock Market Challenge, take a moment to peek behind the curtain and applaud the amazing individuals who are quietly, selflessly making success possible for our young people.
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| The JA Stock Market Challenge is an Investment in the Economic Futures of 1,300 High School Students |
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Students from 38 high schools competed in this year's JA Stock Market Challenge |
Students from 38 Colorado high schools converged to compete at 2016 JA Stock Market Challenge, presented by
Bank of America, on Nov. 3 and 4. The JA Stock Market Challenge is a live stock market simulation game, featuring teams of students who compete to see who can grow their initial $500,000 investment into the largest net worth mock stock portfolio.
Students apply what they learned in the JA Take Stock in Your Future classroom lessons about individual equities, the impact of the economy, geopolitical events and market sentiment, all against the backdrop of competing with their peers.
The challenge offers a taste of what it's like to build a portfolio, manage risk and experience its performance in a compressed period of time. All the energy and excitement of the stock trading floor is simulated in this interactive high-tech event.
"Gaining an in-depth understanding about our economy is a key element to personal financial health and growth," said Jodi Rolland, Colorado State and Denver Market President for Bank of America. "We're proud to partner with nonprofit organizations like Junior Achievement to create fun and exciting financial learning opportunities for our youth and, in turn, continue to build thriving economies in the Denver community."
Following are the teams that took home the top trophy in each session. The combined net worth of these teams was an impressive $6,872,867.
1st Session: Rock Canyon High School
2nd Session: Rock Canyon High School
3rd Session: Boulder High School
4th Session: Vista PEAK Preparatory
This year we will also be hosting a JA Stock Market Challenge in Fort Collins! The corporate event will be held on Nov. 10, and the student events will be held on Nov. 11. For more information, contact Elizabeth Winn at 303-319-6435.
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| Students from Mountain Communities Visit Denver Businesses, Gain Financial Know-How |
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Steamboat Middle School students learn about careers and the world of work |
Throughout the 2016/17 school year, students from mountain communities will visit Denver to participate in the JA Destination Success program.
Participating students visit three Denver-area businesses to gain insights into the workplace and the skills needed to succeed. For example, d
uring the first JA Destination Success program held on Oct. 21 and 22, Steamboat Springs Middle School students partnered with
Comcast
,
Noble Energy
and
Root Sports
. Professionals from these organizations took students on a tour of their companies, introduced them to a variety of people who work in different roles, shared the goals and challenges of their businesses and answered students' questions. A variety of Denver businesses will participate in the program throughout the year.
After participating in the job shadow experiences, JA Destination Success students visit
JA Finance Park to learn about personal financial management. They are given life scenarios and asked to establish a budget and make financial decisions about everything from housing, energy and food, to education, entertainment and savings.
Students spend their second day in Denver participating in JA Start it Up or JA Going Global at the Auraria Campus. Auraria is home to the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and Community College of Denver. Students also tour the campus and get a feel for college life. Read on
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Retired teacher lends experience to JA volunteering
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Susan Zapata shines as an exceptional JA volunteer
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From finance directors and accountants, to CEOs, engineers and IT professionals, Junior Achievement (JA) volunteers come from all types of professions and share a wide range of skills, experiences and perspectives. For retired teacher Susan Zapata, that experience includes 30 years of teaching K-6th grade students in Des Plaines, IL, and nearly 10 years of teaching students in Europe and the Middle East.
After retiring from her job in Illinois, Susan traveled to Europe where she spent four years at the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, teaching 6th grade students and serving as an assistant principal, curriculum coordinator, staff developer and English teacher. She also taught for four years in Kuwait, teaching 1st and 2nd grade children a variety of subjects. After returning to the United States, Susan's passion for young people and for helping them learn had her back in the classroom after only nine months - this time as a JA volunteer.
"It was natural for me to volunteer with JA and to teach kindergarten, first and second grade classes. I love JA's first grade curriculum, and the kindergarten program is amazing," said Susan.
Susan is one of JA's top volunteers, having taught 93 JA classes to date, and inspiring 2,221 students. Read on
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| JA Finance Park Sparks Interest In Personal Finance |
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With the help of volunteers, JA Finance Park students learn how to budget for utilities
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Following their JA Finance Park experience, students report new attitudes and energy around saving, spending and managing money. In fact, 81% of students express that what they learn at JA Finance Park will help them with their personal financial goals.
JA-Rocky Mountain thanks its presenting sponsor Empower Retirement and its energy industry sponsors for helping to ignite student passion for managing money!
JA Finance Park Energy Industry Sponsors
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