JA of Northern Alberta & NWT Charter News JA CENTER NOW OPEN!!! State of the art site welcomes JA After School and one-day programs. Nov 20, 2006 - 8 months of planning... and 41 years in the making. Opening Day - November 20th, 2006. TODAY’S ALBERTA ECONOMY FACES UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY. But that opportunity comes with questions… questions like: What can be done to help keep kids in school? What can be done to connect youth to the business world? What can be done to help young people become workforce ready… so they can take advantage of those opportunities and lead successful lives? At a time when so many businesses were already supporting JA, the organization went back out to the community with an idea that would begin to answer those questions. That idea… was the Junior Achievement Center. In January of 2006, JA got busy with the plans and over the next few months amid the details of designing the center and dealing with builders and on top of managing the daily operations of the JA office, JA President Jay Ball worked closely with the board of directors, the Chamber and his amazing staff to pull together all the ideas, the funding and the technology needed for this one of a kind student environment. In the end, and in only 8 months…Junior Achievement raised $400,000 in commitments to make this dream a reality. Not bad considering that JA’s annual budget is only $500,000. (As a side note, it should also be known that amidst all the excitement and distractions of the new facility… the JA Team reached its annual campaign targets and pulled off its biggest student reach year since 2000.) November 20th, 6pm (The Hon. Gene Zwozdesky, Minister of Education for the Province of Alberta (center) presents plaque to local JA Board Chair - Darin Rayburn (left) and JA President - Jay Ball (right) at the Grand Opening ceremonies in the evening.) To our valued donors... we thank you. We thank you for your vision and your gift. Each contribution, regardless of size… is a gift of hope and inspiration and endless opportunity. Your names are permanently on display in the lobby of this center… and with that, you send a message for all to see that you believe: If we want to help Keep Kids in School, then you start here… If we want to teach kids to Dream Big, then you start here… If we want to inspire kids to Be Anything They Want… Change their Future and Discover their Potential... you start here… at the Junior Achievement Center! The JA Center... A move that makes sense… At JA, we believe that the highest quality business education is best delivered through the most positive and inspired environments. Neither through the classroom… nor through books alone is our message best delivered. The real Bridge between Education and Business occurs in the actual business environment. This is the foundation of a bold new initiative. Introducing... The Junior Achievement Center This unique learning site for school aged youth is located on the 2nd floor of the World Trade Centre Edmonton, the newly renovated, former CIBC bank building and heritage site. Owned by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, the entire building is devoted to international trade and commerce, and is located directly across from the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, in the heart of downtown Edmonton. Along with Junior Achievement, other tenants in the building include Edmonton Economic Development Corporation, Edmonton Tourism, a main floor Tourist Information Centre, Edmonton International Airport services and of course, the Edmonton Chamber offices. This is where kids get down to business! November 20th - 8:45am, (First Students Arrive! Grade 8 students from John D. Bracco Junior High in Edmonton take the elevator up to the Junior Achievement Center on the 2nd floor where they received the JA Financial Literacy program - "Dollars with Sense" sponsored by Servus Credit Union.) The JA Center is the first JA facility of its kind in Canada. The site is a fully functional, all grades, education environment in a business setting complete with professional boardroom tables and chairs! In the evening, the four separate student breakout rooms are used by high school students participating in the JA Company Program. These student start up companies are the heart of Junior Achievement. For day use and large class settings, the rooms are easily converted into 2 large boardrooms each with a capacity to accommodate 35 students. The environment is ideal for JA’s full day Stay in School and Financial Literacy programs, where schools bring their entire classes to the JA Center. Bringing the world to the JA Center! November 20th - 9:30am (Lori Anne Muenzer, 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist tells her inspiring story of “One Gear no Breaks” to 60 junior high students. Its the perfect way to kick off the opening of the JA Center!) Our state of the art visual communications set-up includes a system custom designed for JA. From electronic whiteboards to internet ready computers and 42 inch plasma TVs in each of the 4 rooms, the JA Center brings new life to JA programming in a business-like setting. Our HD Video Conference capabilities were designed specifically for interactive distance education. From volunteer training and program delivery to remote communities, to local achievers collaborating with other achievers from around the world, TANDBERG brings the world to the Junior Achievement Center. The JA Center was designed to inspire every student who walks through its doors to Stay in School and Dream Big about their future. The JA Center is where the next generation will discover their full potential. November 20th - 1pm, (JA Board Chair - Darin Rayburn, on the left, and Chamber Board Chair Jackson Van Der Ohe team up to deliver the first ever ESIS class at the JA Center. Here Darin demonstrates how "not" to behave in a job interview.) November 20th - 11am (Students work in groups while the story of Finning International provides the backdrop. Each student board room is themed in the corporate culture of business. Each room features a wall that showcases the historical timeline of the company along with corporate milestones and achievements. These messages link with JA curricula to provide a unique and relevant learning environment.) November 20th - 10am (Meanwhile in the Servus Credit Union room with their corporate values visible on wall, the students and teacher get ready to tackle the finer points of the JA Program - Dollars with Sense, a financial literacy program targeting grade 8 students. The program was taught by a local volunteer - Servus Credit Union Branch manager Mr. Gary Blair.) November 20th - 6:15pm (Ross Maund, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of Canada brings greetings and congratulations to over 120 local JA Board members, donors and community leaders at the Grand Opening of the JA Center.) November 20th - 9:15am (With media looking on, JA Board Chair - Darin Rayburn, on the left, and Chamber Board Chair Jackson Van Der Ohe greet the first bus delivering students to the World Trade Center Edmonton in downtown Edmonton.) November 20th - 9:00am (Jay Ball, President of JA Northern Alberta & NWT provides a sound bite to local media…outside in minus 10 degrees… while waiting for the buses to arrive.) November 20th - 9:30am (Melanie Rousseau, JA Sr. Program Manager gives a hearty welcome to the students moments after they arrive.) November 20th - 5:45pm (Chris Dawson - JA Company Program achiever, warms up the crowd with a tribute to the JA Center Donors.) November 20th - 12:00pm (Lori-Anne’s gold medal makes its way around the table helping students connect with her historic ride to the podium.) November 20th - 12:00pm (30 students from John D. Bracco Junior High, one of two classes receiving a JA program on opening day, pose for for a group shot with Lori Anne Muenzer and her medal.) November 20th - 5:45pm (Brennen Callihoo, a grade 9 student from King Edward Academy, proudly displays his JA Certificate while his buddies look on… .) November 20th - 8pm (Saving the best for last… at 8pm after all guests had left except for staff, four Achievers from the JA Company Program who generously stayed around to help clean up, cut the ribbon to make it official.) THE JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT CENTER COMMUNITY PARTNERS Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Wildrose Foundation ManCap Foundation LEAD SPONSORS Finning (CANADA) Servus Credit Union PCL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS Ascot Group Cowan Graphics Edmonton Journal IBM Canada Ltd. HP Inland Audio Visual McCallum Printing Group PolyVision (A Steelcase Company) RGO Office Products Edmonton Sharps Audio Visual TANDBERG Xerox SEED FUNDERS Eveline Charles Salons & Spas Focus Corporation Fountain Tire Gord & Delilah Mellot The Hardy Family Ian McDonald Radco Children’s Fund (Radostits Family)