On Thursday, November 5, 2015 Junior Achievement hosted its inaugural ‘Toast of Fort Wayne’ event at Sweetwater Sound, Inc. The event brought together more than 100 local business and government VIP’s and a windfall for Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana.

Thanks to the generosity of Rick & Vicki James and the James Foundation, Junior Achievement will have the opportunity to offer matching funds to support JA for multiple years. This gift is being used throughout JA’s 30 counties to stimulate greater investment to grow more programs and impact over 126,000 students.

Keynote speakers included: Doug Wood, President PNC Bank and Junior Achievement Board Chairman; Rick James, Chairman and CEO Metal Technologies; and Mike Eikenberry, Dean of the Doermer School of Business at IPFW. John Hopkins, COO of Sweetwater Sound, Inc. hosted the event and welcomed guests.

Students from Huntertown Elementary shared why they loved their JA BizTown® experience and students and Guidance Counselor, Brad Ratliff from Northrop High School, shared how the JA Finance Park® program has impacted them. Attendees saw the value of the locally produced JA Career Exploration Guide as they explored the HOT regional careers, local and state educational opportunities and low cost of living we enjoy compared to Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington DC.

To learn more about how you can inspire success in the next generation, or partner with Junior Achievement, call 260-484-2543 or visit www.jani.org.

Serving more than 126,000 pre-kindergarten through high school students in 30 northern Indiana and Michiana counties and into 1 county in Ohio each year, Junior Achievement is dedicated to educating and inspiring young people to succeed in a global economy. Partnering with more than 3,300 educators and 5,500 positive adult role models who volunteer their time, JA’s in-school, JA BizTown, and JA Finance Park economic education programs focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. These experiences empower young people to own their future economic success.