Complete your taxes with H&R Block and Junior Achievement gets $25! Just follow these three easy steps:

1) Click here to download our H&R Block Nonprofit Referral Form.

2) Give the Referral Form to an H&R Block tax professional when you prepare your taxes anytime between TODAY and April 18, 2012.

3) If you are a new H&R Block client, they will send JA $25!

Make an appointment today by calling 1-800-HRBlock or visit HRBlock.com.

Your support will give San Diego students the opportunity to benefit from Junior Achievement's financial education programs. Thank you for investing in tomorrow's leaders...today!

Job Shadow

For many high school students, the workplace is a foreign concept, but for our Junior Achievement students, it's like stepping into an exciting and interactive classroom thanks to our JA Job Shadow Program! Students from all over San Diego County are getting the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the various careers that make up a business and learn what skills are necessary for a successful career. They also participate in mock interviews, receive help with their resume, and possibly land a summer job at one of the 15 companies hosting Job Shadows this year!

Many thanks to the following organizations: AT&T, Tucker Sadler Architects, The Scripps Research Institute, PricewaterhouseCoopers, California Bank & Trust, Clear Channel, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego Regional Airport Authority, UPS, Air Group One, Randstad, SDG&E, La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Genentech, and Ernst & Young.

Hosting a JA Job Shadow is easy and we'll prepare you for the four-hour workshop so it can be a great experience for you and the students. As you can see from our pictures, our JA students are active learners in the real world! If your company would like to host a JA Job Shadow, please contact Bunmi Esho at besho@jasandiego.org or 619-906-4910.

JA Board Member Dr. Alan Spector Featured in UT - Retired Physician Helps Young Learn About Free Enterprise

I started volunteering at Junior Achievement of San Diego just after JA Biztown opened. JA Biztown is a miniature city that allows fifth graders the opportunity to learn how free enterprise works...... Click here to read the entire UT article.

For more information about Junior Achievement of San Diego, call (619) 682-5155 or visit jasandiego.org

When San Diegans give, they give BIG!

On December 14 and 15, the San Diego Foundation partnered with Junior Achievement to raise $22,386.47 to support JA's workforce readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial education programs!

In just 36 hours, our collective giving power was on display, evidenced by donations coming from 45 states and seven countries worldwide! Thank you to everyone who made this campaign successful. The giveBIG Campaign raised a whopping $2,108,990 for over 300 nonprofits in San Diego.

Volunteer Spotlight

We want to thank Paula Trovato of First Citizens Bank in El Cajon for her volunteer time in the El Cajon elementary and high schools. Paula just finished teaching the Be Entrepreneurial class, and she will be teaching Business Ethics at El Cajon Valley High School this spring. After her most recent experience, Paula commented, "The only regret I have is I wish I would have started volunteering sooner! The kids and faculty are so welcoming and appreciative--no matter what age group or JA program you are teaching. The experience is so positive and fun that I encourage everyone to try it once, and I promise you will be back!"

Ernst & Young A True Demonstration of Corporate Responsibility

On December 9, 2011, a flood of yellow t-shirts spotted the South Campus of Porter Elementary in Southeast San Diego. Over 45 Ernst & Young employees, all in yellow, spent the morning in the 20 kindergarten and first grade classrooms at Porter Elementary. JA Board Member Chad Whitehead, spearheaded the efforts of his colleagues to teach Junior Achievement in-class programs and even volunteered in a kindergarten class himself. By sharing their time and talent with over 400 students at Porter’s South Campus, Ernst & Young employees demonstrated commitment to their pillars of corporate responsibility: community engagement, education and entrepreneurship---all of which align perfectly with Junior Achievement’s mission and core values. Thank you so much to Ernst & Young for your ongoing support and for making our Junior Achievement Day at Porter Elementary a great success!

Board Spotlight

Alexi Siglin

Wells Fargo

Junior Achievement of San Diego welcomes Alexi Siglin, Finance Manager for Wells Fargo Bank, to our Board of Directors. Alexi has already stepped up to volunteer and will be teaching JA's Personal Finance at Sweetwater High School. Welcome to the JA team, Alexi!

New Arrival

Kimberly Tiernan, a dedicated member of our Board of Directors, and her husband Patrick welcomed Kourtney Marie Tiernan into their family, and that means Junior Achievement's family as well. Congratulations -- we are all so very happy for you both.

President's Message

Dear Friends of JA:

Last month, as I flipped the calendar to 2012, I got to thinking, "What if?" "What if every young person knew how to grab life's rudder and steer to their fullest potential?" "What if every young person had a mentor to help navigate along the way--a mentor with a map of how the real world operates?"

And so my New Year's resolution is simple: turn these what ifs into reality for the young people of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

As always, our mission is to empower our young people to own their success. Inspiring them to get there is our passion!

Wishing YOU a happy and successful 2012!

Joanne M. Pastula President/CEO

Volunteer Needs

JA Biztown

FEBRUARY 2012 - Tuesday, Feb. 21, Monday, Feb. 27, Tuesday, Feb. 28, Wednesday, Feb. 29

In-Class

San Diego Central

2:30pm - 3:30pm - Economics for Success - Julian Charter School - La Mesa/College Area

4th Grade - Sunset View Elementary School - Ocean Beach

1st Grade - Loma Portal Elementary School - Point Loma