Ameren partners with Junior Achievement

Ameren Illinois recently presented Junior Achievement (JA) of the Heartland with a $3,000 check to support JA’s core-mission programs offered to schools throughout Bureau, Henry, LaSalle, Lee and Whiteside counties.

During the 2016-17 school year, more than 8,000 students, grades kindergarten through high school, will benefit from a JA program. Junior Achievement of the Heartland provides financial literacy, work-readiness, and entrepreneurship programs to area schools at no cost. Community partners, like Ameren Illinois, support these programs by providing financial and volunteer resources.

Daetta Jones, division director for Ameren Illinois, said, "Ameren Illinois is proud to support Junior Achievement of the Heartland. Their work to economically empower youth in areas such as entrepreneurship and financial literacy helps students achieve success for themselves and their community."

“We are grateful for Ameren’s investment in Junior Achievement’s mission in their service area,” said Julie Dillie, development director for Junior Achievement of the Heartland. “It is through partnerships like this that we are able to fulfill the demand for JA in local schools and prepare students for life after graduation.”

Through Junior Achievement programs, students are able to bridge the gap between concepts taught in the classroom and how they apply to the real world. Program evaluations demonstrate that students participating in JA improve their 21st century skills, such as decision-making, problem-solving, critical-thinking, and teamwork. They also improve skills that make them more competitive in the workforce, including financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills.

Junior Achievement of the Heartland serves 24 counties in eastern Iowa, western Illinois and Grant County in Wisconsin. More than 56,000 kindergarten through high school students benefit from JA programs each year. Visit www.jaheartland.org for more information.