Partner Spotlight

This month, we’d like to highlight our partnership with TJX and the TJX Foundation, who have supported JA of Greater Fairfield County for many years. Their annual support of our organization, as well as our JA Golf Classic, has been instrumental in helping us further our mission and make a meaningful impact in our community. We thank them for their partnership and are looking forward to continuing this for many years to come.

Support throughout the years from The Raymond P. Lavietes Foundation has allowed JA of Greater Fairfield County to continue delivering JA curriculum to our students in the Valley area. One of our prominent experiences that funds from Lavietes have helped support is our High School Heroes program, where our high school students become role models for the younger students and improve their presentation and public speaking skills. This past school year, we had students from Ansonia High School and Derby High School participate in this program. We are grateful for the Lavietes Foundation’s support over the years and for helping us bring impactful programs to the Valley region.

In November 2021, Junior Achievement of Greater Fairfield County was awarded a $255,000 grant funded by the City of Bridgeport through the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act, in which we received financial support every year through 2024. Through this support, we have been able to expand on our program delivery in the Bridgeport area. This included new partnerships with Black Rock School, Catholic Academies of Bridgeport, and Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, and more, as well as continuing to work with other longtime partners including Bullard Havens Technical High School, Harding High School, Access4Kidz, Beardsley Elementary School, and Kolbe Cathedral High School. We thank the City of Bridgeport for their commitment to the young people in their community and making sure that they have the resources to be set up for long term success.

Wells Fargo has been a loyal supporter of Junior Achievement of Greater Fairfield County for over ten years, through their financial and volunteer support. Most recently, we partnered with Wells to bring a select group of students from Central High School in Bridgeport on the experience of a lifetime. The student experience was a culmination of a series of sessions facilitated by JA and led by Wells Fargo volunteers, where the students learned about key aspects of financial literacy and the economy. The students visited the WF offices in Hudson Yards, New York City, where they visited the trading floor and engaged with various employees. Thank you to Wells Fargo for being a model partner and helping us fulfill our mission of helping young people develop the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities.

Synchrony Financial has been a loyal supporter of Junior Achievement and our mission as the leading sponsor for the Golf Classic for several years. Additionally, we are grateful to have had professional expertise from Synchrony, with two board members who are currently on our Board of Directors and Emeritus Boards. Thank you, Synchrony, for your outstanding support and partnership!

The Wiener Philanthropy is committed to offering opportunities for youth to build brighter futures, making them a perfect partner for Junior Achievement. Since 2016, their generous support has empowered JA to continue developing and delivering innovative, impactful programs to meet the changing needs of the communities we serve. These programs have included JA Inspire: Here to Career, our High School Heroes program, Women in Business panel discussion, and more. 

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) is a model partner for JA. As a loyal JA supporter for over ten years, BI contributes through their charitable foundation and with dedicated employee volunteers. In the 2022-23 school year, dozens of BI employees gave their time for a very successful JA in a Day at Westside Middle School Academy in Danbury and for an engaging healthcare career panel at Danbury High School. We are so grateful for BI’s commitment to JA, our mission, and our students!

Aquarion has been an outstanding partner to Junior Achievement for many years. From their board participation (Peter Fazekas serves on our Board of Directors, and George Logan is on our Emeritus Board) to their volunteering in the classroom, Aquarion employees continue to engage with JA students and support our mission. Aquarion’s generous financial contributions also help to bring experiences like JA Inspire: Here to Career to more students in our community. With our local offices housed in the Aquarion building, we are proud to call them our neighbors and our partners.

The Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation, Inc. and The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, Inc. have been longstanding generous supporters of JA of Greater Fairfield County and have positively impacted thousands of young people in greater Fairfield County. Funds from Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation, Inc. have helped support many programs, including our JA Inspire: Here to Career yearlong program, which was comprised of a series of events and mini camps. Through this cohort-based, comprehensive program, high school students experienced JA sessions focused on skills assessment and career planning; learned from guest speakers and industry panelists about career pathways; and took part in workshops on interviewing and resume writing. As part of their JA Inspire: Here to Career program, Bullard-Havens Technical High School students in Bridgeport were visited by JA volunteers from Yale New Haven Hospital. The Yale New Haven Hospital volunteers served as guest speakers, sharing information about their careers in healthcare and the paths they took to get there. Students heard from high-ranking healthcare professionals from the Nursing Operations, Pathology and Clinical Laboratory, and Clinical Engineering departments. One volunteer commented, “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak today. It was a pleasure for me to hopefully inspire some young minds and help them along their journey. I think I saw a few light bulbs go off myself.”

Pitney Bowes has been a loyal and generous partner to JAGFC for many years, supporting our programs, Hall of Fame events, and student experiences. They have also provided committed volunteers in the classroom and on our board. Andrew Gold, Chief Human Resources Officer, at Pitney Bowes is a dedicated member of JAGFC’s Board of Directors.  

“Pitney Bowes and our employees are delighted to support JA and their efforts to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. “ says Kathleen Ryan Mufson, Vice President, Global Citizenship & Philanthropy and President, Pitney Bowes Foundation. “We congratulate the entire JA team for their dedication, and we applaud all of the students for their active participation in this enriching learning that builds financial literacy, work-readiness and entrepreneurship skills.”

We are thrilled to be a partner with Social Equity Council and the United Way of Coastal and Western Connecticut. JAGFC was awarded a grant through the Community Investment Grant Program, to support “organizations serving Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIA) within the Cities of Bridgeport and Stamford to exclusively fund the development, expansion, and support of projects that uplift communities and strengthen families disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs.” The funds will be used to sustain our Bridgeport Future Leaders program at the Smilow-Burroughs Clubhouse of the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club.

JA of Greater Fairfield County has been the recipient of several multi-year grants of general operating support from the Valley Community Foundation over the past several years. This enables us to bring programs like JA Inspire Virtual, our virtual career exploration experience to students in the Valley. In the spring of 2021, we held our first ever JA Inspire Virtual, and hosted over 1,500 students and community partners throughout the three months that the fair was open. Students had the opportunity to visit virtual career booths and learn more about local companies and careers throughout, as well as educational opportunities in our area. They also heard from industry professionals in the auditorium and Entrepreneur Hub. Now in its second year, this experience allows for our students to start thinking about what they want their future to look like and expose them to careers they may not have even known were possible.

“My experience can be summed up into two words: empowering and inspiring.” – Seymour High School student.

During the summer of 2021, JA of Greater Fairfield County was selected as a partner on a Summer STEM Enrichment Program with the Greater Bridgeport STEM Learning Ecosystem and several other Bridgeport organizations. JA of Greater Fairfield County received a grant of $30,000 from the Connecticut State Department of Education, via United Way of Coastal Fairfield County, as a part of this initiative.

Students from Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders (BCYL), Cardinal Shehan Center, PT Partners, Access4Kidz, and Fairchild Wheeler experienced JA Inspire Virtual, our virtual career exploration event. Through JA Inspire Virtual, students had the opportunity to visit virtual company booths to learn about local businesses and careers within those organizations. Students also had the opportunity to visit the virtual auditorium, where they attended webinars from industry professionals, as well as the Entrepreneur Hub, where they heard from local entrepreneurs on their journey to becoming business owners.

BCYL Success (College and Career Bound) and Access4Kidz participated in JA Personal Finance, where students learned about various money management strategies.