October 2025

JA MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

JA SHARES CAREER EXPLORATION TOOLS AT TECH WEEK EVENT!

Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes (JAMGL) had the pleasure of attending the 2025 Student Tech Showcase at the Grandville Robotics Competition Center as part of Tech Week Grand Rapids.

Tech Week Grand Rapids is a week-long collection of technology and innovation events designed to showcase West Michigan's vibrant technology community. The 2025 Student Tech Showcase was one of many events hosted during the week that aimed to show middle school students new technology and the variety of opportunities the technology industry has to offer.

JA staff had a great time speaking with students and showing them how to use JA Here to Career, a career exploration tool that takes students' interests and pairs them with jobs they can explore in the future. Staff was also pleased to share with students what JA does to help prepare kids for the future.

Freedom Gallery Wall Installation

After a long ideation and design process our hands-on Freedom Gallery, sponsored by Kent County, is complete.

This interactive display walks visitors through the history of important documents including the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and bill of Rights with engaging graphics and interactive elements that bring these founding documents to life.

A huge thank you to Mac and Allyse Love at ArtxLove in Akron, Ohio for bringing this idea to life with their design and CEI for their fabrication! Another thank you to the GVSU Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies who will be providing mini copies of the documents to visitors.

Students are Back in JA BizTown and JA Finance Park for the 25-26 School Year!

Enroll your class in one of our immersive Capstone programs today! These hands on programs wrap up with a visit to either JA BizTown for elementary and middle school students, or JA Finance Park for high school students.

The Tom Fox Family JA BizTown is a fully interactive town that simulates the day-to-day functions of a thriving community, 5th and 6th grade students become both producers and consumers, responsible for running businesses, managing money, fundraising, advertising, voting, and more!

After a series of in-class sessions, students apply for jobs and then come to JA BizTown to experience running the town!

The Karl & Susan Hascall JA Finance Park is Junior Achievement’s capstone program for personal financial planning and career exploration. This program helps students build a foundation on which they can make intelligent financial decisions that last a lifetime, including decisions related to income, expenses, savings, budgeting and credit.

This educator-led classroom curriculum culminates with a visit to JA Finance Park, a real-world simulation where students put into practice what they’ve learned by developing a personal budget. This program meets the State of Michigan’s financial literacy curriculum requirements for high school students.

JAMGL Hosts First Board and Associate Leadership Board Meetings

JAMGL was excited to host our first Board and Associate Leadership Board (ALB) meetings of the new fiscal year!

The JAMGL board discussed JA USA's strategic direction as well as presented Jodi Havera, our immediate past Chairperson, with an award thanking her for her three years of service as Board Chairperson. Jodi continues to serve on the board as the Vice Chair of Finance.

New ALB members had the opportunity to meet returning members and explore our facility for the first time. We are incredibly grateful to work with such a great group of young professionals who all share the interest of advancing JA's mission throughout West Michigan!

Volunteer Spotlight

JA Staff Attends Regional Leadership Conference

Staff from four of our five district offices attended the Regional Leadership Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio!

This short, but action packed trip was an incredible time learning new leadership strategies, attending engaging workshops, and networking with other JA staff from across the country! Staff members returned feeling excited to apply their new knowledge to make this a great year of learning for students.

Upcoming Events

Join us for this year's SpartanNash JA West Michigan Business Hall of Fame for an evening of honoring a league of outstanding individuals.

This annual signature event recognizes our area's most accomplished leaders and celebrates the impact they have had on our community, economy, and quality of life.

Steve Downing, President and CEO, GENTEX (left), and Tony Sarsam, President and CEO, SpartanNash (right) will be inducted as laureates in the JA West Michigan Business Hall of Fame on Monday, October 27th.

Also being honored with the Edward J. Frey Distinguished Achievement award are John and Nancy Kennedy, and J.C. Huizenga with the JA USA Gold Leadership award.

There is still time to reserve your table or become a sponsor for this signature event! Questions? Contact Jay Ediger at jay.ediger@ja.org.

Join us at Celebration Cinema North on December 6th for a morning of family fun and viewing of Zootopia 2 at our Fall Movie Premiere event!

This event would not be possible without the support of our wonderful sponsors! Click below to become a sponsor or purchase tickets.

Work with us!

Join the incredible JA team! Offering a welcoming culture, a positive and flexible work environment, training, and a state-of-the-art facility in Grand Rapids. Check out the latest opportunities below and click on the job title to apply online:

District Director - Ishpeming

Assures the financial stability of the Junior Achievement operation to support operational and strategic plans and sustainability of the organization including the development and implementation of effective fundraising campaigns and other innovative approaches to raising funds, analysis of financial information, and development of a budget and management of financial resources to meet all organizational objectives.

Interested in working with us?

Please click on the job of interest above or visit our Indeed profile online to find and apply for a career at JA!