Title 1 schools in Gwinnett County and Norcross will be recieving $10,000 as part of the $35,000 that Kaiser Permanente is awarding to Junior Achievement of Georgia.

For Gwinnett, the funds will go toward school programs that focus on financial literacy, entrepreneurship and workforce readiness, which Junior Achievement concentrates on. More than a 650 students in kindergarten through 12th grade will have the opportunity to learn valuable life skills, according to a news release.

"As part of Kaiser Permanente’s generous gift, 181 students at Meadowcreek Elementary School in Norcross participated in JA’s volunteer-led entrepreneurship, financial literacy and workforce readiness programs," said Jack Harris, president of Junior Achievement of Georgia, in the release.

Aside from Meadowcreek Elementary, Norcross has eight other Title 1 schools: Norcross High, Meadowcreek High, GIVE Center West, Summerour Middle, Beaver Ridge Elementary, Norcross Elementary, Rockbridge Elementary and Stripling Elementary.

Junior Achievement programs teach students basic business and money management skills needed for success in the business world, according to the release. All of Junior Achievement’s programs are taught by volunteers who serve as business role models.

In Junior Achievement’s 2012 Teens and Careers Survey, less than half of the teens said they are “very confident” they will someday have their dream job, and a significant majority (71 percent) would consider giving up their dream job for one that paid a higher salary. With such a minimal number of teens very confident in the prospect to acquire a dream job, it is vital that students have the tools necessary to land these jobs—tools they can acquire through JA programs.

"Junior Achievement's vision is for all of our students to be prepared leaders, providing higher standards of living in their own communities," said Harris. "By providing students with a glimpse into the business world, we are increasing their awareness of the opportunities available to them. At Junior Achievement we believe this exposure will increase the likelihood that a student chooses to stay in school and continue to strive for success. There is no question that the entire community benefits from encouraging students to work hard to achieve their goals."

To find out more about Junior Achievement’s programs, visit www.georgia.ja.org.

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