Hello, buenos dias! Welcome to Monthly Dividends, our new newsletter. Once a month, we’ll be rounding up all of the news, announcements, and opportunities coming out of Junior Achievement of Greater Miami. We think of dividends as a bonus, beyond the expected -- and that's what we hope the students we serve will take away from Junior Achievement. I hope you enjoy discovering the many incredible accomplishments that our staff and students are reaching every single month, beyond our wildest expectations.

Around this time each year, I’m thinking about my children going back to school. Buying backpacks, meeting the new teachers, setting intentions, trying to guess what they might learn and experience throughout the year in their new classrooms. But I know that this sense of hopeful aspiration isn’t a reality for everyone, and that not every local family has achieved the dreams of financial stability that make schooling and education a given. 

My kids are grown now, but as JA Miami’s new CEO, I’ve come to see all of the local youth we serve as my own. That’s why it’s my mission to provide as many students as possible with the tools that they need to thrive in the global economy, no matter their economic status. 

Last school year, our 359 community volunteers impacted almost 38,000 students in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, thanks to our amazing partnerships with their school districts and leadership teams. This year, we’re committing to more: at least 40,000 students served by 500 volunteers. 

I’ve seen firsthand how a solid Miami education can change a student’s life trajectory. When we teach students how to earn and save money, give them advice on higher education or vocational training and career paths, or show them that they can start their own business, we’re giving them more than just a free lesson. These are the tools they’ll use to break generational poverty cycles. 77% of the students we reach come from low-income households, and our programs provide the boost they need in order to go on to college, or find the right job, and stay in Miami long-term. 

It’s my personal mission, shared by the entire staff here, to make this education free and available to anyone who wants to learn. This is why we’re setting our intention for the year here (in pen, not chalk!) to grow and expand.

We greatly appreciate your partnership in this mission as board members, philanthropists, volunteers, educators, and community supporters. Thank you for being here and doing this with us. It’s going to be a fantastic year. 

Best,

President and CEO, JA Miami

Each July, our Popular Bank Bowl-a-Thon hits the lanes at BirdBowl Miami. This year, the local staff’s campaign goal is $100,000 to support free financial literacy education – and they’re almost there! Pictured here are JA Miami board members Israel Velasco, Florida Region Executive at Popular Bank, and Rick Brattland, with their sprawling team of family, friends, and even a few young bankers-in-training. Thank you so much to Israel, Minnie Moreno, and the rest of the Popular Bank Miami staff – we appreciate your generosity, and love seeing you every year!

• We’re thrilled to once again be a 5-Star Award recipient from Junior Achievement USA! This is the highest level of achievement within our network, and awards superior performance and commitment to excellence. 

• We’re also one of three finalists for the NOVO Awards, given by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit Business Committee, for Innovative Program Excellence. We are always innovating, and look forward to working more closely with the Chamber’s Trustees and the Nonprofit Committee in the future. 

• Three of our Junior Achievement Company Program teams made it to the JA National Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC this summer, celebrating the top projects from around the United States. Representatives from Water Warriors (Northwest School of the Arts), BioBlend Fertilizer (Southwest Miami High) and Vis-à-vis (Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High) got to pitch their businesses to real investors, network with other finalists, and see the capital city with their mentors from our Education team. 

Save the date for the 9th Annual Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge at Akerman in Brickell City Centre! Join us on October 17, 2024, for our yearly exercise in trading skills. 



This year’s program will teach over 2,500 Miami high school students how the stock market works and about the necessity of teamwork, then test their financial savviness. It culminates in a fast-paced live event where the city’s top teams will need to answer the (literal) million-dollar question that professionals are constantly asked: How would you invest $1,000,000?

We’re looking for sponsors and volunteers to help support this important program and event! Please go here for more information on how you can partner with us to create lasting skills and memories for 2,500 local students.

• City National Bank of Florida has been nominated for seven categories in the Daily Business Review’s “Best Of” list. Vote for them here (questions 22-28) any time in the month of August and help them win this recognition for the 13th year in a row!

• Miami Today’s The Achiever column profiles our CEO, Lourdes de la Mata Little.

Here at JA Miami, it’s our mission to teach kids about money – how to earn it, save it, spend it, and share it. Throughout the school year, our volunteers are truly the people who make it all happen! The more people we can train to teach our curriculum in classrooms, the more students we can impact.



A volunteer finds the best ROI of all: a high five from a student who got the answer right.

We very much appreciate everyone who has signed up to volunteer this year, and we're always looking for more! If that's you, please go here to sign up for a training session and to learn more about these flexible opportunities to give back to the community.