(Bridgeport, CT) – Junior Achievement of Western CT and of Junior Achievement of Southwest CT, serving the youth of CT for more than 75 years, announce their decision to consolidate operations. The new organization is called “Junior Achievement of Greater Fairfield County (JAGFC)”. The merger allows resources to be leveraged to better serve the community, increasing the impact for area youth. JAGFC will provide Junior Achievement’s signature programs to students throughout Greater Fairfield County and the Valley.
Heading up the new organization is Bernadine Venditto, JAWCT’s president for the past ten years. “Merging these two offices will allow us to be more efficient and increase our impact in the local communities,” Venditto said. “I am very excited to be working with Janet Ursone, Southwest CT’s former president,” said Venditto. Ursone added, “We are fortunate that both organizations have talented and dedicated employees and Boards of Directors. The merger coincides with the 100th anniversary of the JA national organization and positions us to educate students for the next 100 years.”
Junior Achievement (JA) is the world’s largest organization dedicated to providing students, grades K-12, with the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success. JA programs are delivered, free of charge to schools, by corporate and community volunteers. Programs focus on financial literacy, workplace readiness and entrepreneurship and provide an important and practical supplement to the standard classroom curriculum. Founded in 1919, JA annually reaches almost 5 million students in 107 markets throughout the US. Internationally, JA is provided in 100 countries reaching 10 million students.
For more information on how to get involved with Junior Achievement as a volunteer, sponsor or school, please call 203-382-0180 or go online to www.jawct.org