Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland

Our inaugural She Leads women-focused mentorship initiative, led by Larresea Goodman, celebrated a year of growth, transformative relationships, and empowerment yesterday. The day was not only filled with lots of pink, but also an abundance of affirmations, motivation, and even a few dance moves.

We are forever grateful to all of the professional women who devoted their time to becoming mentors for the over 50 young women in our community who participated in this program. Your time and dedication to your mentees have given them a lifelong connection and invaluable life tools.

Special thank you to these community partners for helping make yesterday's celebration possible:

Chase
Cross Country Mortgage
University Hospitals and Lisa Griffin, MBA,CCCM
Queen IAM and Dameyonna Willis

Are you interested in becoming a mentor for the 26-27 academic school year? Reach out to Larresea Goodman here or by email: [email protected]

View all photos and a full list of mentees and mentors here: https://sites.google.com/view/sheleadscle/home

📸: Tyler Adams

🚨BREAKING NEWS: The Financial District has officially moved from Wall Street to Prospect Avenue in Downtown Cleveland. (Well, at least for a day. 😉)

This week, we hosted JA Stock Market Challenge in our new JA Experiential Learning Center. Teams of three–four managed $1 million in mock stock where they bought and sold shares in a fast-paced, 60-day simulation (one day per minute) to achieve the highest return on investment.

Congrats to Chagrin Falls High School for sweeping the top three spots:
🥇 BTA
🥈 Abe Has a Varsity Highlight
🥉 We Run Neo

Thank you to our partners for helping us make this event happen twice each year and giving our local students the financial confidence to succeed:
RSM US LLP
The Veale Foundation
Charles Schwab
Fifth Third Bank

Special thanks to Marco's Pizza (Marco's Franchising, LLC) of Brooklyn (7411 Memphis Ave, Brooklyn, OH 44144) for providing the pizza and lunch for our students.

SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE EVENT HERE: https://lnkd.in/d9SMTN7Z

📸 Tyler Adams

Huntington National Bank, you know how to Bowl-A-Thon! 🥳

On Saturday, Huntington sold out Fairview Lanes for a day full of family, food, and fundraising. Thank you for being a valuable partner in our mission to give each student hope-filled futures.

Interested in getting your company involved with Bowl-A-Thon? There's still time! Learn more here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/2026bowl-a-thon/

Our new JA Experiential Learning Center is more than just a home for JA Finance Park presented by KeyBank. Yesterday, it was the epicenter of robust career chats, inspirational workshops, and in depth business and IT career exploration for Polaris Career Center students.

Special thank you to Kyle Robinson (Esquire CLE) and Deniz Gurkan (Kent State University College of Aeronautics and Engineering) for leading yesterday's impactful workshops. Additionally, we want to thank the following organizations for participating in yesterday's Career Chats:

Cleveland Development Advisors
Cleveland Guardians
Downtown Cleveland
Fortress Security Risk Management
Sherwin-Williams
KeyBank
Unison Risk Advisors
Vocon
You Enjoy My Donuts (https://lnkd.in/gmzf9rHZ)

📸: Tyler Adams

SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE: https://sites.google.com/view/polariselc/home

Please join us in welcoming our newest members to the Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland Board of Directors. Each of these individuals have made a lasting commitment to helping us build hope-filled futures for our local students.

Keith Ahearn, Superintendent, Fairview Park City Schools
Cathy Goskey, Marketing Campaign Manager, Heinen's Grocery Store
Vince Liuzzi, President/Managing Director, Transworld Business Advisors
Allen Schramm, Senior Vice President, Strategic Sourcing, Regions Bank

Our mission is possible because of individuals like these. Thank you!

The way Greater Cleveland students prepare for their futures was forever changed yesterday. Our new JA Experiential Learning Center is officially open, and we are excited to welcome in this era of education with all of you.

Yesterday, Incarnate Word Academy's students became the first of tens of thousands of students to experience the ELC's flagship program, JA Finance Park presented by KeyBank. They were taught how to manage money by making real-world budgeting and financial decisions in a simulated adult-life experience led by our local industry partners.

Thank you, KeyBank, for being the presenting sponsor of our JA Finance Park, and to all of these local industry partners for helping us bring true career-connected learning to life yesterday and for years to come:

Charles Schwab
Chick-fil-A Restaurants
Citizens
Heinen's Grocery Store
KeyBank
The Lubrizol Corporation
Sherwin-Williams
State Farm
Union Home Mortgage Corp.
The UPS Store
The Veale Foundation

We'd also like to thank:

Justin M. Bibb, Michele Pomerantz, and Jaden Baxter for your official proclamation on behalf of the City of Cleveland.

Richard Starr and Lamont Johnson for your belief in our mission in your ward.

Ohio Representative Sweeney and Ohio Senator Antonio for your official commendations on behalf of the State of Ohio and general assembly.

Greater Cleveland Partnership and Selina Garcia for your community support and helping us cut the ribbon with your appropriately-giant scissors.

Heinen's Grocery Store and Jackie Shultz alongside Chick-fil-A Restaurants for providing breakfast to all of our ribbon cutting ceremony guests.

Marco's Pizza (Marco's Franchising, LLC) of Brooklyn (7411 Memphis Ave, Brooklyn, OH 44144) for providing the pizza and lunch for our students.

K&D Group for your enormous support and hospitality as we dug our new roots into your home.

Vocon for your vision and bringing our learning center to life through your planning and architecture.

Junior Achievement USA's ELC team Caleb Schillace, Mia Wilson, and Julian Arias for your programmatic support and ensuring the launch of our new learning center was memorable for our local students.

Our board of directors, volunteers, and entire staff for your dedication to making this learning center a reality for our local students.

SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE: https://lnkd.in/grpfv77h

📰 PRESS RELEASE: We are officially knocking on the door of history. How Greater Cleveland students prepare for their futures will be forever be changed starting next Thursday.

Special thanks to KeyBank for being the presenting sponsor of our JA Finance Park, and to all of these local industry partners for helping us bring true career-connected learning to life in our new home, the JA Experiential Learning Center:

Charles Schwab
Chick-fil-A Restaurants
Citizens
Heinen's Grocery Store
KeyBank
The Lubrizol Corporation
Sherwin-Williams
State Farm
Union Home Mortgage Corp.
The UPS Store
The Veale Foundation

Read the full story here: https://cleveland.ja.org/news/blog/ja-experiential-learning-center-comes-to-cleveland

Is there a better way to celebrate Women’s History Month -- a month dedicated to celebrating the contributions of women to history, culture, and society -- than with a powerful women-led program in collaboration with Cleveland Museum of Natural History?

Junior Achievement's She Leads mentorship initiative is a transformative year-long program that connects 50 professional women with 50 young women in grades 7–11. This initiative is more than a mentorship opportunity, and this event captured so much of what makes it special.

We are beyond thankful to Kaitlyn Nader and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History team for helping us empower the young women in our community with influence, insight, and motivation to own their success. Special thank you to Meenakshi Sharma, Nicole Burt, PhD, Caitlin Colleary, and Emma Finestone for leading an incredible panel discussion.

Want to learn more about our She Leads program? Reach out to Larresea Goodman here: [email protected]

It's true: Education in Greater Cleveland is about to change forever with the launch of our JA Experiential Learning Center and JA Finance Park on March 26, and you can help make it happen.

We are looking for volunteers who want to help students step into this fun, fast‑paced simulation where they learn to budget, make real‑world financial choices, and build hope-filled futures. No teaching background needed -- just enthusiasm.

It’s an energizing, rewarding day filled with laughs, lightbulb moments, and the joy of seeing students discover what’s possible. Be part of something meaningful and make an impact that lasts far beyond the classroom.

Sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CAEAB2CA0FE3-61618187-finance

To learn more before volunteering, contact Wendy Mark ([email protected])

Thank you, Councilmember Richard A. Starr, for making the frigid trip downtown to see our new JA Experiential Learning Center.

Councilman Starr got a glimpse of what our immersive, career-connected learning format is going to look like for the young people in his district and all of Greater Cleveland starting March 26. We are excited to continually work alongside him to create hope-filled futures for our community.

This new era of JA will bring financial wellness and career readiness impact to new heights through programs like JA Finance Park, and we thank Councilman Starr for his belief and support to help us get there.