Your Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio office started our new fiscal year on July 1 with big plans - both immediate and long-range. In this newsletter, we introduce you to two new District Managers (Megan Beebe and Helene Moncman) who've joined our staff and will be great additions to our team.

 

One of the new employees was brought on board to replace John Cain who left JANCO for another opportunity, and the other represents an expansion of our staff.  We are committed to bringing the important tenants of Junior Achievement - Entrepreneurship, Work Readiness and Financial Literacy - to as many young people in our 12-county area as possible.

 

We currently reach about 11% of the students in our region, so there is room for growth. And all of us, from those who've been JA associates for nearly 30 years to those who've been with us for three weeks, are dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy.

 

Won't you join us as we grow our student reach throughout North Central Ohio? An increase in your financial and volunteer support of Junior Achievement will help us meet this year's goal of 1,540 classrooms. Thank you!

 

 

Michael Gaffney
President

 

For fourth grade students at Bucyrus Elementary School, a class trip to the GE Lighting Bucyrus Lamp Plant brought the entrepreneurial lessons learned through the JA Our Region® program to life. The partnership between GE and Junior Achievement provides students with the opportunity to explore a professional environment while witnessing firsthand what it takes to be a successful manufacturer and employee.

During the two-and-a-half-hour tour, students witnessed the assembly line in action, learned about the importance of a well-functioning supply chain and discussed business management and the role of human resources. The JA Our Region Program, which is made up of five volunteer-led, in-class sessions, introduces students to entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurs use resources to produce goods and services in a region.

"It's a coordinated program that teaches work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. The employees teach it and the kids love it. It's very interactive, and it gives the students firsthand experience in what it's like to work in an operation like this. It bridges the gap," said Cheryl Thomas, District Manager for Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio.

Complete coverage and video footage of the tour can be accessed online via the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum.

Educators, place your 2015-16 JA program requests before the school year begins! Programs are filled on a first come, first served basis in accordance with volunteer and funding resources. Signing up now will provide JA program staff more time to schedule your program and match it with a trained volunteer.  REQUEST A JA PROGRAM

On the evening of June 9, forty employee teams from twenty-three Giant Eagle, Inc. store locations throughout Northern Ohio came together for the 2015 Giant Eagle JA Bowl-a-Thon. In addition to some friendly bowling competition, participants had the opportunity to win great prizes through the raffle drawing. Top prizes included passes to Country Concert, Indians Premium Seating Tickets and Cedar Point park passes. A 50/50 drawing was also held. In total, over $15,000 was raised in support of JA programs which will directly benefit more than 600 local students! The raffle prizes and a buffet of snack foods were provided by the following vendors:

-Pepsi Beverage Co Canton	-Glazer	-Heidelberg
-Pepsi Beverage Co Akron	-House of LaRosa	-Keebler
-Massillon Utz	-Tramonte	-Entenmann's
-The Coca Cola Company	-Superior Beverage	-Frito Lay
-Rampant / Heidelberg	-Budweiser Canton	-Nabisco

The strength of this partnership lies in the generosity of the Giant Eagle, Inc. corporation and the dedication of its employees and store leaders, particularly that of Fairlawn store manager Joe Kolacsky. Since 2012, Joe has served as coordinator of the Giant Eagle Bowl-a-Thon, rallying fellow co-workers and store vendors alike in support of Junior Achievement. Under Joe's careful leadership, the event has raised nearly $54,000 and supported more than 2,000 students. We greatly appreciate the hard work of Joe and all those who participate in the annual event. Thank you!

Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio recently welcomed two new staff members to the Education Team. Helene Moncman and Megan Beebe will be working closely with educators and volunteers to ensure the successful implementation of JA programs throughout Holmes, Medina, Summit and Wayne Counties. In total, the Education Team will work collaboratively to reach more than 1,540 K-12 students during the 2015-16 school year.

Helene Moncman joined the JA staff late in June of 2015. She is a District Manager covering Holmes, Medina and Wayne Counties. Her goals will be to manage and g row the programs and to expand the footprint of JA in those counties. Helene has 12 years of experience with volunteer recruitment, training and management as well as fundraising and event planning. Pr ior to coming to JA she worked for both the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association with a focus on special events and development.

Helene lives in Canton, Ohio and has two children, John and Alana.  Helene enjoys making jewelry, reading, cooking and spending time with family and friends. Many people would be surprised to know that Helene loves scary movies! 

Megan Beebe joined the Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio Education Team as a District Manager serving Summit County in July of 2015. She recruits, trains and coordinates volunteers and teachers to place JA programs in various school districts throughout the county. Prior to this position, Megan worked as an Administrative and Marketing Specialist at a consulting firm in North Canton. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Literature.

One fun fact about Megan is that she has adopted two dogs from PAWSibilities, Humane Society of Greater Akron: Chubbs the puggle and Stanley the pug.

We are thrilled to have two such talented individuals join the team. Welcome to JA, Helene and Megan!  

High School Volunteer:  Robert Devol, Wayside Furniture

Middle School Teacher:  Felecia Ervin, Bucyrus Middle School

Volunteer Coordinator:  Samantha Goldmeier, FirstMerit Bank

JA in a Day Coordinator:  Carla Koleski, KeyBank

High School Teacher:  Richard Lee, Wooster High School

Volunteer Coordinator:  Julie Lindemann, MTD Products, Inc.

Volunteer Coordinator:  Renee List, FirstMerit Bank

Fundraising Coordinator:  Sarah Mayle, FirstMerit Bank

Elementary School Volunteer:  Stephanie Pack, Westfield Insurance

Fundraising Coordinator:  Lindsay Sobecki, Allstate Insurance Company

Middle School Volunteer:  University of Akron Career Field Placement Office

Volunteers embody the heart of Junior Achievement. Taking a message of opportunity and boundless potential to a classroom in your community, no matter what your profession, is JA in action. And it works!  

 

Join JA as a volunteer for the 2015-16 school year and tell kids how you took chances and shot for the stars - so they can do the same! SIGN UP 

JA teachers and volunteers, do you have a great story from your Junior Achievement experience? If so, we want to hear from you! Share your memorable student quotes, breakthrough moments or classroom pictures from your JA program and it may be featured on the JA of NCO Facebook page or a future
newsletter. Contact [email protected].