"I heard about volunteering with JA from one of my co-workers at IBM. I was really nervous about speaking in front of a whole class and was worried about how I would do as a teacher. However, JA’s teaching program was really easy to follow and every week it was hearing the kids say "You’re coming back next week, right?" that made it all worth it. After the kids left for summer vacation I received a package from their teacher and inside was a book of thank you letters, one from each fourth-grader. They each recounted various lessons we had learned and games we had played. As I read each of their letters I realized how in just six weeks I saw one of the greatest joys of teaching, helping children get excited about learning."
Layla Bonnot
IBM
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience as a Junior Achievement volunteer. It is extremely fulfilling to
know that my engagement with the students through the educational lessons is having a positive impact on
their perspective about community, business, and economics. Nothing beats the feeling of appreciation I receive each
time I enter the classroom to host a JA session and the students overwhelm me with their excitement about the
program. I know my participation and the program is making a tremendous difference."
Melissa Hardt
Oracle Corporation
"I had a wonderful and gratifying experience teaching with JA!
As a financial advisor I felt the material was right on target in helping
children learn about the importance of education and saving. It was
fun to see their faces light up when they knew answers to questions.
The partnership between Junior Achievement and Merrill Lynch is a
great one, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate."
Joseph M. Prisco Jr.
Merrill Lynch
"As a Junior Achievement volunteer, it's not about how it makes me feel, for me,
it's all about the kids and what they get out of the program. That's why I keep
volunteering year after year."
Jerry Glen
Verizon
"My 'JA experience' is something that I will not soon forget. The children, some
with tears in their eyes, were sad to learn that our 'JA experience' had
concluded and urged me to come back to their second grade class the next year.
As I walked out of the class the kids explained that they needed to learn
more about business, and that they knew the difference between a want and
a need because of JA."
Matthew Webb
United Parcel Service
"My involvement as a Junior Achievement volunteer has brought significant joy
to my life. Through JA, I go directly into the classroom and teach business
literacy and workplace concepts to kids, helping to make the business world come
alive for them."
Melissa Schuessler
PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
"This was the single most inspiring day that I have had in a decade. The children are wonderfully engaged in the JA program and the teachers were very supportive and appreciative. If I were asked to do this five or ten times a year I would do so."
Clarke Havener
Russell Reynolds Associates
"The kids were very engaged. They especially enjoyed the activity when we built a gas station from a sole proprietorship to a corporation. ... I loved the experience and would be happy to do it every year. It's a great, organized, and fun program. I was glad to participate. Thanks so much for the experience."
Yale M. Pats
Accenture
"The children in our second grade class were absolutely wonderful. They kept asking us to say when we were coming back. I have an enormous amount of respect for teachers! They are truly awesome! I would love to be a JA teacher!"
Janice J. Walker
Bank of America
"Overall the experience was very positive. The preparation was enough to make any type of personality be successful in reaching out to the children on some many different levels."
Alissa A. Wulff
Beers & Cutler
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