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For Immediate Release
State-of-the-Art Financial Literacy Center to Bring Financial Education to Thousands of Middle School Students in Virginia
More than 14,000 students a year will visit center to learn essential life skills
Fairfax, Va. (June 11, 2009) – Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area today broke ground at the future site of a 20,000-square-foot financial literacy center that will bring important life skills to more than 14,000 local middle school students each year.
Junior Achievement Finance Park is scheduled to open in early 2010 on the campus of Frost Middle School in Fairfax County. The financial literacy center is the result of a collaboration among Junior Achievement, Fairfax County Public Schools and Capital One Financial Corporation.
The facility will house an experiential learning center designed to bring to life financial literacy education for all 8th grade students in the Fairfax County Public Schools system as well as to other students from the Greater Washington area.
Inside of the center will be a mock miniature city, where students will learn valuable financial lessons such as budgeting and saving by experiencing first-hand what it is like to create a budget, purchase a car and a home, save for college education, and pay taxes. This experience will build upon an intensive, six-week classroom financial education curriculum students receive before visiting Finance Park.
"The ability to manage personal finances is a critical life skill that all students should learn," says Jack D. Dale, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools. "With the support of Junior Achievement and Capital One Financial Corporation, students will be able to visit this new facility to gain hands-on experience in managing money, paying bills, and saving for the future. We appreciate their support and contribution that will help prepare our students to be financially literate."
The new center marks the 15th Finance Park facility Junior Achievement has constructed across the nation, as part of its mission to help our nation's youth build financial skills for life.
"This project underscores Junior Achievement's commitment to building financial literacy education in the Greater Washington region and to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy," said Edward J. Grenier III, President and CEO, Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area. "Junior Achievement Finance Park is a shining example of the local community coming together to empower our region's youth with skills essential for their future success."
Capital One is the signature sponsor of the facility, and many other local businesses and organizations including BB&T, Gensler and Clark Construction have provided support vital for the success of this project.
"Capital One is proud to help bring a state-of-the-art financial literacy center to students here in Virginia," said Richard Woods, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Capital One. "As a local bank, we are committed to building a stronger community through innovative partnerships such as this one."
For more information about the groundbreaking ceremony on June 11 or the future Junior Achievement Finance Park facility in Fairfax County, please contact Steve Longley, Junior Achievement at (202) 777-4486 or via email at Steve.Longley@ja.org.
About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating youth about financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship through experiential, hands-on programs. In academic year 2007-2008, Junior Achievement reached over 9.25 million youth in 129 countries. Since 1919, JA has been the recognized leader in developing and delivering age-appropriate curriculum to help youth develop life skills and gain an understanding of business and economics. Our programs reinforce and directly correlate with state standards, providing a fresh perspective to classroom learning that generates excitement, facilitates learning, and engages all types of students. Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area will reach approximately 40,000 students in academic year 2008-2009 through in-classroom and after-school programs.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation, a financial holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a Fortune 500 company which offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Its subsidiaries, Capital One, N.A. and Chevy Chase Bank, F.S.B., have approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. We apply the same principles of innovation, collaboration and empowerment in our commitment to our communities across the country that we do in our business. At Capital One we recognize that helping to build strong and healthy communities – good places to work, good places to do business and good places to raise families – benefits us all and we are proud to support this and other community initiatives.
About Fairfax County Public Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is the nation's 12th largest public school system, serving more than 168,000 students in the most populous jurisdiction in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Students are educated in 196 schools, centers, and programs. Special programs include foreign language partial-immersion programs, a gifted and talented program, English for speakers of other languages, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. More than 93 percent of FCPS graduates go on to postsecondary education, and FCPS students consistently measure among the highest-achieving students in the nation. The school system employs more than 22,000 people, making it the second largest employer in the state of Virginia.
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