Junior Achievement of Lyon County, board resident

Editor's note: The United Way of Southwest Minnesota is in the midst of its annual campaign. The Independent will periodically publish guest columns from representatives of programs the United Way helps to fund.

Junior Achievement of Lyon County and Murray County benefit greatly from United Way of Southwest Minnesota grants. JA of Lyon County first received a start-up venture grant in 2003 from United Way of Southwest Minnesota to purchase JA curriculum kits for 13 elementary classes at Holy Redeemer in Marshall. Our program has grown since that time to connecting with approximately 1800 students in 83 classes of 9 schools located in four different Lyon County communities.

United Way of Southwest Minnesota community impact grants enable us to expand the JA curriculum into more schools as we continue to build our donor base of business and individual contributors.

Junior Achievement was founded in 1919 by Theodore Vail, president of American Telephone & Telegraph; Horace Moses, president of Strathmore Paper Co.; and Senator Murray Crane of Massachusetts. It has grown into a worldwide organization in its 90-year history. Junior Achievement is dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through hands-on programs. The core purpose of JA is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

The backbone of the organization is the volunteers who go into the classrooms to teach the JA curriculum. Volunteers come from all walks of life and include business people, retired people, college students, and parents. Being a JA volunteer and interacting with the first and second graders at Marshall's Park Side has been very rewarding for me. Students in these grades learn economic concepts about families and communities. The hands-on activities included in the JA curriculum kit make for fun, active learning. Currently, we are seeking volunteers for our classrooms. If you would like to learn more, please contact me at 507-532-5337 or donnaswenson@yourwaytofun.com.

The local Board of Directors of JA of Lyon County and Murray County are grateful to the United Way of Southwest Minnesota for its generous part in funding our programs. Ultimately, it is the financial support of businesses and individuals to our local United Way that creates opportunities to advance the common good right here where we live.