MetLife Foundation Provides Funding to Junior Achievement for New Partnership with VolunteerMatch to Promote Mentorship and Economic Empowerment of Youth
(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) April 13, 2011 - Junior Achievement USA™ (JA) will be able to empower more young people in 2011 to own their economic success, by engaging volunteers through VolunteerMatch, thanks to MetLife Foundation support. This week, JA announced that it has received funding from MetLife Foundation to recruit volunteers for its 126 local area offices via VolunteerMatch, the award-winning Web service that helps connect volunteers with opportunities to get involved. Through increased access to the VolunteerMatch network, JA will be able to expand its volunteer base and potentially engage thousands of classroom mentors for its K-12 programs focusing on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
JA service opportunities will be posted at both the Junior Achievement website, www.ja.org, and at www.volunteermatch.org, which welcomes millions of visitors each year and has driven more than five million referrals since 1998. In addition, the partnership provides Junior Achievement with access to engagement metrics and analysis to drive its volunteer recruitment efforts, increase student reach, and ultimately boost local economies by inspiring a skilled workforce and competitive new entrepreneurs.
“VolunteerMatch will connect JA with community-minded adults who are concerned about the economic future of our students and our communities, and who want to make a difference right now. Thanks to MetLife Foundation for its generosity in funding a program to spark action and innovation,” said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and chief executive officer of Junior Achievement USA.
According to Dennis White, president & CEO of MetLife Foundation, “Junior Achievement will be able to leverage VolunteerMatch’s outstanding reach into the community with JA’s consistent need for new and returning volunteers to staff its excellent programs. This partnership will enhance JA’s positive impact on the target areas of youth, education and economic development.”
“As a former Junior Achievement volunteer myself, I’m delighted to see MetLife Foundation helping to invest in Junior Achievement’s capacity to attract its next generation of volunteers,” said Greg Baldwin, president of VolunteerMatch. “We hope that other companies and foundations will adopt the model shown by MetLife Foundation and help more nonprofits get the support they need to succeed.”
About Junior Achievement (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 126 individual area operations reach four million students in the United States, with an additional 5.8 million students served by operations in 123 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.
About MetLife Foundation
MetLife Foundation was created in 1976 by MetLife to continue its longstanding tradition of contributions and community involvement. The goal is to empower people to lead healthy, productive lives and strengthen communities. Underlying the Foundation's programs is a focus on education at all ages and a commitment to increasing access and opportunity. The Foundation makes grants in health, education, civic affairs and culture. More information is available at www.metlife.org.
About VolunteerMatch
VolunteerMatch is a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities by helping good people and good causes to connect. Its award-winning online service, www.volunteermatch.org, makes it easy to find a way to make a difference by location, expertise, or availability. VolunteerMatch provides many of the nation's most recognized businesses, campuses and organizations with Web-based solutions to facilitate and track volunteer engagement at local and national levels. The VolunteerMatch network regularly welcomes more than 190,000 visitors each week and has become the preferred volunteer recruiting service for tens of thousands of participating nonprofits.
VM13154
