This past school year has been incredible for JA, thanks to you. our volunteers and supporters who did such a fantastic job in the classrooms, on the bowling alleys, on the links and elsewhere.

Southington High's Future Business Leaders of America members volunteered at
JA In A Day programs at Flanders Elementary and Strong Elementary in Southington in April and May

In a year filled with many highs and a few lows, we added a dynamic new associate, Alyssa Griswold, to our program staff enabling us to bring JA to a number of new schools; reached significantly more students than last year; welcomed hundreds of first-time volunteers; added several new companies, large and small, to our ranks of corporate benefactors and, sadly, said good-bye to two of our staunchest friends and supporters who passed away - Bill Bromage and Bob Walker.

By The Numbers

Here are your statistics from the the 2009-2010 school year:

• In The Classroom: Over 2,500 of you volunteered almost 9,000 hours of your time in 1,537 classrooms reaching more than 30,000 students.
• Achieve-a-Bowl: More than 530 of you ( compared to 478 in 2009) from 20 companies (14 in 2009) bowled more than 16,000 frames in seven Bowlathon events this spring. Special recognition goes to MetLife which nearly filled a bowling alley two nights in a row
• Governor’s Classic: A total of 34 foursomes, up from 29 in 2009, played 2,300+ holes. More than 60 volunteers from board companies and other community organizations helped make the June 7 event at Tumble Brook Country Club successful.
• Business Halls of Fame: More than 400 guests attended (combined) the March 24 event at The Hartford Club and the April 28 event at The New Haven Lawn Club honoring local business men and women who have set exemplary standards in their business and personal lives.

Programs

And what a year it was. JA Program staff did a great job in recruiting new volunteers to bring JA to dozens of new schools such as Clinton Avenue School in New Haven and St. Anthony School in Winsted.

We welcomed new companies into our ranks. Covidien in North Haven, for example, sponsored a JA In A Day at Ridge Road Elementary (North Haven) and more than 45 Covidien employees volunteered for the first time. Elsewhere, Northeast Utilities did the same in Waterbury, Enfield and Middletown as did BlumShapiro in West Hartford.

With help from our corporate sponsors, hundreds of students attended three special conferences funded through a grant from the Walmart Foundation: The Youth Financial Education Institute May 14 gave 20 elite high school students (nominated by their school and selected by an application process) the opportunity to spend a day with faculty from the University of Connecticut School of Business. The Youth Financial Education Institute May 27 at Quinnipiac University included workshops on personal finance topics, such as budgeting, credit cards and investments, as well as a keynote speech by Mike Hydeck, news anchor for WFSB-TV and a JA supporter. More than 300 high school students attended. In addition, we sponsored a conference on entrepreneurism on May 21 at Gateway Community College attended by 145 Grade 7 and 8 students from New Haven schools.

Development

Through direct contributions and event participation, our funding initiatives achieved great success. Take, for example, Our Partners in Achievement breakfast on May 19th. 126 guests raised nearly $70,000 in gifts and pledges (a number which includes funds from company matching gifts programs). The program, which is also a great networking opportunity, included talks from students, an educator, a volunteer and staff members. Outstanding!

Altogether, thanks in large part to the efforts of Jeremy Race, Director of Development, our donors this past year contributed approximately $1,200,000.

Impact

As you may know, we routinely survey teachers who have had JA in their classrooms. We're happy to report that they continue to give us high marks. Results from this school year show that:

• 89% believe the JA program enhanced their students’ entrepreneurial skills
• 93% believe the JA program increased their students’ knowledge of financial literacy and basic business concepts
• 82% believe that because of the JA program, their students are better prepared for the future workforce

This marks the 3rd consecutive year in which JA teachers have been surveyed and over this period the three-year averages remain significantly high with results at 94% (entrepreneurial), 95% (financial literacy) and 86% (workforce readiness).

Going Forward

For us at JA, the 2010-2011 school year has already begun. We're planning our programs, setting up JA In A Day schedules, getting ready to solicit volunteers and funders - all those behind-the-scenes things that must be done, and done early, to ensure successful programs.

We're looking forward to working with you again to bring JA's promise of hope to as many of Connecticut's students as possible.