Delivery of Junior Achievement’s financial literacy, entrepreneurship and career and work readiness programs is projected to reach more than 1,600 Chautauqua County kindergarten through 12th grade students this school year.

Support from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Holmberg Foundation, Lenna Foundation, Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation and the United Way of Southern Chautauqua; as well as Cummins Jamestown Engine Plant and Blackstone Advanced Technologies LLC will provide the cornerstone funding for Chautauqua programs.

The local community will provide volunteers necessary to support Junior Achievement’s delivery model. Rebecca Johnson, program coordinator for Junior Achievement in Chautauqua County, will recruit and train volunteers to enter local classrooms to deliver Junior Achievement’s economic education and workforce preparation programs.

In the 2017-18 school year, Junior Achievement programs were delivered by volunteers in Bush Elementary School, Carlyle C. Ring Elementary School, Fenner Elementary School, Robert H. Jackson Elementary, Samuel G. Love Elementary, Sherman Central School, Southwestern Elementary, Temple Primary School, Falconer Jr/Sr. High School, Jamestown High School, Job Shadow programs with students from Brocton Middle/Senior High School, West field Central School, and after school programs through Eastside YMCA TEAM, Erie 2 BOCES, and Jamestown YMCA.

Junior Achievement volunteers come from all walks of life; many are employees of local area businesses and organizations, as well as community members and college students.

The following are organizations that supported classroom volunteers in the past year: Blackstone Advanced Technologies LLC, Chautauqua County Education Coalition, Community Volunteers, Courier Capital, Cummins Inc.-Jamestown Engine Plant, Deppas Insurance Agency, Falconer Printing & Design, Gaylene’s, Jamestown Area FCU, Jamestown Business College, Jamestown Community College, Jamestown Public Schools, Jamestown Renaissance Corp., Junior Achievement of WNY, KeyBank, Media One Group, Merrill Lynch, Monofrax, Northwest Savings Bank, NYS Laborers, Phillips Lytle, Prendergast Library, Sodexo, Southern Chautauqua FCU, The Legend Group, The Resource Center, Tim Hortons, Wegmans Food Markets and Weinberg Financial Group.

“The mentoring support provided by volunteers is critical to helping students make the connection between what they are learning in school and how it translates into the ‘real’ world of work,” said Laurie Mahoney, Junior Achievement of Western NEw York president.

To volunteer, email Rebecca Johnson at rjohnson@jawny.org. For more information about Junior Achievement, visit www.jawny.org.