Southwest Indiana Junior Achievement Office Honored

August 8, 2012

News Release

Evansville, Ind. -- Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana has been awarded one of Junior Achievement USA®’s (JA) highest honors, the Platinum Summit Award. The award is given to local JA offices that have reached outstanding success in financial health, program quality, management effectiveness and program growth. The Platinum – highest level (9+ years) refers to the number of consecutive years that a JA operation has received the Summit Award.

Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana, which serves nearly 23,000 students throughout Southwestern Indiana and Southeastern Illinois, was recognized for this accomplishment recently at the Junior Achievement National Leadership Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In addition, Ms. Theo Boots, president of Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana (Evansville), was named the 2012 recipient of the Junior Achievement Karl Flemke Pioneer Achievement Award. The award is given to first-time JA presidents who have demonstrated outstanding contributions and achievements to the organization and have held their position for at least two years and fewer than four years.

Amy Boardman, Senior Program Manager was awarded the organization’s “Rising Star” Award. The award is given to mid-level staff members who are emerging leaders within the organization and who demonstrate outstanding, measurable success in executing their responsibilities. Nominations were submitted by Junior Achievement local area office presidents across the country; four award recipients were selected by a panel comprised of Junior Achievement USA executives and operations staff.

Over the last four years, the organization has increased student reach by 38 percent and expanded high school programs by 37 percent to achieve an overall market share of 28 percent. The Board and staff are working diligently to strategically plan for an additional 10 percent student growth to help meet community demand in the coming 2012 – 13 school year.

"These Summit Award winners represent the best Junior Achievement has to offer," said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and chief executive officer of Junior Achievement USA. "They set the standard by which Junior Achievement’s success is measured at the local level. Their commitment and dedication to young people is reflected in their achieving this honor."

"We are thrilled to receive the Platinum Summit Award," said Dwight Hamilton, Junior Achievement Board Chair for Southwestern Indiana. "We thank our more than 800 classroom volunteers and hundreds of corporate partners who joined with our board and staff to empower thousands of young people to own their economic success, plan for their future and make smart academic and economic choices.”

About Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana (JASWIN)

Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana provides in-school and afterschool programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. The organization’s purpose is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, understand business and economics and improve the quality of their lives. The mission of the organization is to ensure that every child in their service territory has fundamental understanding of the free enterprise system. JASWIN serves 13 counties and nearly 23,000 students in Southwestern Indiana and Southeastern Illinois and began in 1964. For more information, visit www.jaswin.org.

About Junior Achievement USA™ (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches four million students per year in more 120 markets across the United States, with an additional 6.5 million students served by operations in 117 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

Source: Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana