Local Companies Join Forces to Bring Virtual JA In A Day to Life!

Author: Carla Crowe
Community Involvement
Published: Monday, 25 Jan 2021

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The spring 2021 semester is off to a busy start with JA educational programs being successfully implemented at schools across the greater Houston area. Our education team recently coordinated a virtual JA in a Day for 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders at Runyan Elementary School in Conroe ISD, with the help of several key business partners serving as volunteers. The school had never experienced a JA in a Day virtually before, but they embraced this new format to bring JA’s classic, kit-based programs to their excited students. Creating a virtual experience that was engaging and stimulating for all involved was key to making this a successful day! In order to facilitate this Becky Neeley, Program Manager (Conroe), recruited volunteers from four different local companies. We are grateful to volunteers from Exxon Mobil, CommunityBank of Texas, Woodforest National Bank and 5Point Credit Union who welcomed this opportunity to deliver JA programs virtually with great dedication. Their efforts were met with rave reviews from teachers, which included a 4th grade teacher sharing, “I actually loved the format for this year! It was very organized and easy to follow!”
Commitment to make an impact and passion were evident, as our JA volunteers shared personal stories about their career paths with students as part of the lessons. One of Runyan’s 2nd grade teachers shared the following about a particularly engaging volunteer, “She did a fantastic job with the students. I thought it would be extremely hard to keep them engaged for the entire day doing virtual lessons, but she was amazing. My students actually commented that it was fun and were disappointed when we had to stop at the end of the day.” Junior Achievement is extremely grateful for the incredible educators and volunteers who continue to provide meaningful learning experiences that help inspire our youth. A very special thank you to the volunteers from Exxon Mobil, CommunityBank of Texas, Woodforest National Bank and 5Point Credit Union for joining forces to make this JA in a Day a huge success and enriching so many young minds!