Junior Achievement partnerships provide school supplies to over 700 SWFL students in need

Organizations team up for school supply drive after Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Feb. 7, 2023) – Thanks to the generosity of the Southwest Florida community, Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida (JA), in partnership with various community organizations, held a school supply drive and recently replenished supplies for more than 700 young learners in need at several Southwest Florida schools. After Hurricane Ian hit the region late in September, many children and families were displaced and lost their personal possessions.

“We are fortunate to live in such a caring and generous community,” said Angela Fisher, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida. “The smallest gestures can have such a huge impact. Some of these families lost everything. Providing much needed supplies allows these children to keep moving forward. It gives them one less thing to worry about and helps them return to some sense of normalcy as they focus on learning in school.”

JA accepted donations from Oct. until Dec. 31, to help replenish supplies needed as Southwest Florida students and teachers impacted by Hurricane Ian returned to class. Donations of supplies were delivered to Tice Elementary School in Fort Myers, on Nov. 9; Golden Gate, Tice, Franklin Park, and Orange River Elementary Schools on Dec. 9; and Poinciana and Herbert Cambridge Elementary Schools on Dec. 16. An additional delivery is scheduled for early February at Edison Park Elementary School. The supplies will reach a total of more than 700 students in need.

JA 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. Locally, JA has been impacting the region’s future workforce for over 28 years. One of its newest and exciting programs, JA Inspire, aims to launch 10,000 8th grade students from Lee and Collier County middle schools on an interactive career exploration on April 26 – 28, at FGCU’s Alico Arena. To help support Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida and the future of local children, please visit www.JASWFL.org or call 239-225-2590.

About Junior Achievement USA®

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 more than 2.5 million students per year in 104 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

Locally, Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida partnered with classroom business volunteers during the 2021-2022 school year to provide nearly 135,000 hours of instruction to nearly 14,800 students in 589 classes throughout Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties. For more information on Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida, visit www.JASWFL.org, call (239) 225-2590 or email [email protected].