Junior Achievement of Georgia’s newest office at Lake Oconee has received notification that they are the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Mary Allen Lindsey Branan Foundation, administered by Wachovia Nonprofit and Philanthropic Services to supplement start up costs for the recent expansion into Greene, Putnam and Morgan counties.

“We are very excited and grateful for this support from the Branan Foundation and will use the funds wisely. The overwhelming request for Junior Achievement programs in our area has challenged us to raise $25,000 for the materials used in our classrooms,” said Pat Moslow, director of Junior Achievement of Georgia at Lake Oconee. “This grant will go a long way in providing those materials to our students.”

Junior Achievement programs reached more than 1,000 Lake Oconee area students this fall and estimates that more than 2,000 students will be reached this school year. Classroom instruction, JA Job Shadow experiences and career days have given area students access to information and knowledge they might not otherwise receive. Junior Achievement provides programs in the areas of financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship.

“All of our programs are delivered by volunteers from our business and retirement community. The response from our community has been heartwarming and we will continue to recruit volunteers to provide even more students with these worthwhile experiences in the future,” commented Pat Moslow.

Statewide, JA of Georgia serves more than 100,000 students annually, teaching them about entrepreneurship and personal financial literacy, as well as getting them to think about careers and understand the economic benefit of staying in school. JAs’ programs are aligned to the Georgia Performance Standards, enhancing what students are required to learn in the classroom. The role of the volunteer is to facilitate the program and to serve as a role model, sharing his or her experiences as it relates to the curriculum and bringing relevance to the lessons. All volunteers are thoroughly trained by JA before they enter the classroom.

To find out more information about becoming a volunteer, provide a JA Job Shadow experience, or to contribute to this worthwhile effort, contact Pat Moslow at 706-467-3918 or e-mail her at moslow@plantationcable.net.