On May 5th & 6th, over 1000 associates from H-E-B hosted their annual Bowl-a-Thon to benefit JA and once again generated the greatest amount of pledges in south Texas by a bowl-a-thon organization - $116,000! Many thanks to the donors, bowlers, team captains, bowl-a-thon coordinator Tiffany Ruiz, and JA board member Jorge Elizondo for another successful event. Congratulations to Kristal Moths and the Shelf Edge Leadership department for raising a record $21,260.35.

If you are interested in participating in this high-energy, team building event, please contact Angie Suarez-Pella (210.490.2007 x115). You'll make a striking difference!

It would take a teen making minimum payments more than 9 years and almost $2,000 in interest fees to pay off a $1,000 balance on a credit card with an 18 percent annual interest rate. And, as teens get older, they tend to own credit and debit cards in increasing numbers, according to the 2006 Interprise Poll on Teens and Personal Finance conducted by JA Worldwide and the Allstate Foundation.

Poll results show that more than 10 percent (10.3%) of respondents indicated that they own credit cards. Showing the unfortunate results of credit mismanagement, which can affect a person’s credit history for up to ten years, the fastest growing group of bankruptcy filers is 25 years of age or younger, according to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

JA is a Solution Provider
Recently the Texas State Board of Education approved two JA programs for inclusion on the supplemental list for the personal financial literacy requirement mandated by state legislators under HB492. The two programs are "JA Economics” and “JA Personal Finance.” This allows Junior Achievement the opportunity to work with our education partners to help inform students of the pitfalls of debt and provide tools to help them build bright financial futures. To learn more about how you share your experiences as a JA volunteer, please contact Veronica Avila (210.490.2007 x119).

During the month of May, Junior Achievement of South Texas hosted “JA in a Day” programs at two area elementary schools. On May 23rd & 25th, a total of 1,510 students at Leon Valley and Ed Cody Elementary schools learned about business, entrepreneurship, and the economics of life. Thanks to the enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers from Clarke American and Chase Card Services, who have proven to be positive role models and catalysts for student success, these youth experienced an entire day of learning the necessary skills for their futures. The time invested by these companies brings excitement and relevance to classroom learning and the vision each student has to reach his or her potential.

For more information on JA in a Day, please contact Veronica Avila (210.490.2007 x119). Together we will help our students achieve their goals one day at a time!