The Power of Leadership

MAY 2023 NEWSLETTER

This Month's Highlights:

Board of Directors Engaged and Empowered at Retreat
JA Volunteers are Awesome
JA and Symphony Get Creative
Internship Changed Aglantis' Life
Dressed for Success -- Start Summer Internships in Style!
Fun-Filled Day for 700+ Students and Their Families

This past month, we celebrated Mental Health Awareness Month, a national event to bring attention to the importance of mental health. The world has experienced extraordinary changes over the past few years, and the future wellbeing of our country, community and workforce depends on how we support and invest in the next generation.

As Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) focuses on preparing youth for the workforce, we must pay attention to the effects of the traumas they have experienced in recent times. This may affect their affect their lives and their ability to work and perform their jobs in the future. We must also address the shortage of mental health professionals the field is experiencing.

To address both awareness of mental health resources and career pathways in the mental health field, JA has partnered with the Children's Services Council of Broward and The Celia Lipton Farris & Victor W. Farris Foundation. This fall, both JA BizTown and JA Finance Park will have interactive "storefronts" to promote mental health resources and careers to every 5th and 8th grader in BCPS and participating charter and private schools.

This is an excellent example of community partners coming together to address critical issues. JA is proud to be part of the solution!

My Best,

Laurie Sallarulo

CEO

Board of Directors Engaged and Empowered at Retreat

This month, the JA Board of Directors participated in an empowering overnight retreat to re-energize their commitment to the organization's work and provide valuable guidance and direction as we plan for the future.

The key to a successful board is passion and engagement. There is no shortage of that at JA! "This is the best board in South Florida. We challenge each other to be the best, debate each other on how best to move the organization forward and energize each other. We all have the same purpose, which is to serve the youth of our community," said Board Chair Andrew Koenig at the celebration dinner.

We're excited for the year ahead as the JA board and team work together to prepare youth with the skills and mindsets to succeed in the future.

The board also welcomed its newest members:

Jeff Bishop - Ryder System, Inc.
Kim Campos - Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company
Matthew DiGregorio - Lockton
Wendy Liebowitz - JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Congratulations and thanks for your commitment to Junior Achievement!

MEET OUR BOARD

JA Volunteers are Awesome!

JA volunteers don't get paid to be awesome - they just are!

Each year, over 5,000 remarkable individuals contribute their time and skills to JA, without any expectation of a monetary reward. Their willingness to share their career journeys, use their passion to spark the fire in one young person or give their time to help JA be successful, is what truly makes them awesome. They are the "secret sauce" that brings JA programs alive!

While April was Volunteer Appreciation Month, we hope our volunteers and mentors know how much we appreciate and value them all year long. We look forward to celebrating their awesomeness next month at a "funky" event in their honor.

BECOME A JA VOLUNTEER OR MENTOR

JA and Symphony Get Creative!

Teaching youth about careers in the arts field can be an exciting and enriching experience. A newly formed partnership between The South Florida Symphony Orchestra and JA will do just that when they join their JA BizTown neighbors with a cool storefront.

“We will be the first full JA storefront that focuses on the arts, while teaching students financial literacy,” Jacqueline Lorber, CEO and JA Alumni, said. “I never imagined I would one day become the CEO of the South Florida Symphony, but here I am. JA helped me get on the right track, learning great skills. We are proud to be able to bring this program full circle in my life and make it relevant for every single 5th grader in the Broward County school system."

CONTINUE READING HERE

An Internship Changed Aglantis' Life

"Participating in the Junior Achievement programs was the best decision of my life. They were created to help students like me. JA helped me develop work skills, create a resume and land a summer internship at the Jack & Jill Center, where I worked as a Health and Safety Intern. It was my first job, and I walked away with a new perspective on the future. I can now genuinely say that I'm excited to become an adult and look forward to what the future holds. Thank you, JA!" said Aglantis Jean-Francois

If you are an innovative company that knows that hiring for attitude over experience is the way to build your team, then we encourage you to partner with JA! JA's Career Bound high school students are ready to work - they bring energy, fresh perspective, tech savvy and a desire to learn.

Ready to build your team? Let's partner! Reach out to Patricia Josue at Patricia.Josue@JASouthFlorida.org.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Dressed for Success -- Start Summer Internship in Style!

In April, JA welcomed students from our Career Bound program to come shop in a pop-up clothing store at JA BizTown. Racks of new and gently used business attire were waiting for eager students looking to begin dressing for success as they kick off their summer internship experience -- the clothing was FREE of CHARGE! Thank you to everyone who donated clothes to our drive.

JA would like to give a huge shout out to the U.S. Polo Association and Boston Proper for donating more than 200 pieces of brand new clothing! This event helped our students feel confident and workforce ready.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CAREER BOUND

Fun-Filled Day for 700+ Students and Families

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” - Churchill

Check out some of the highlights from JA's Books, Bucks and Backpacks event, presented by CITY Furniture.

A partnership with Broward County Public Schools, hundreds of elementary and middle school students and their families came to JA World for a day of fun-filled activities. JA provided supplies to help them make the most of their summer break, including healthcare resources, summer safety tips, academic retention materials, financial literacy tools, backpacks and school supplies.

Thanks to all of our sponsors and community partners!