Supporting Confident Kids: Junior Achievement Sets High Bar with Schools, Teachers and Students
“Kids are scared about their future,” says Colleen Gerace, District Director at Junior Achievement (JA) of Northern Michigan. “Our goal is to help them feel good about themselves – inspiring them by building their skills to succeed with a commitment to stay in school and excel. A tall order but one we’re honored to support.”
Gerace and her three-person JA team step up to that task in a 14-county northern Michigan region with resources, programs and projects for teachers, parents and volunteers to help students build life and career skills with one focus being Financial Literacy, now a Michigan law supported by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. In 2022, Whitmer signed legislation mandating that public school students take a personal finance course and earn one-half credit to build financial skills like budgeting, saving and investing.
“The intent of the Legislature and Governor were a perfect, bi-partisan fit with JA’s goals throughout Michigan – from urban to rural,” says Gerace. “Unfortunately, State funding for Junior Achievement to help teachers and school fulfill the State mandate has been eliminated for 2025, at least for the time-being. Last year, we served more than 3,500 in our rural fourteen county region. We are searching for funding to support delivery of JA services so schools and students do not take a step backward which happened when the Covid pandemic radically changed education for two years.”
Photos of some of the past years’ participants in the JA Youth Summit; Junior Achievement supporter and local talk show host, Ron Jolly, has generously featured Northern Michigan JA District Director Colleen Gerace (right) on his Morning Show News Talk on WTCM several times now; Kelli Mann, right, JA Program Coordinator, poses with Principal – and lucky bingo prize winner! – Kevin Weber from Bedford Highschool at a recent Michigan educational conference.
Gerace says there are three important ways that everyone can support JA’s mission.
“First, we have an exhaustive menu of options for schools and parents with guides and activities to support learning and leadership,” she said. “Second, we welcome in-person or virtual volunteers to work with students in their communities using tools that are tried and tested for their use. And, we have an ongoing need to expand on the funding that supports delivery of our services throughout our region from Manistee to Traverse City to Petosky, Mancelona, Gaylord, Cadillac and many communities in between. We need government and philanthropic support in any amount now more than ever.”
JA currently serves a staggering 4,205 students in northern Michigan with a total of 176 classes running or scheduled to being in Spring.
Kelli Mann, JA Program Coordinator, oversees programs and services in Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska and Otsego counties that serve 3,000 of the 4,205 students with 115 classes. Some of the schools she supports include Traverse City Central, Mancelona Elementary, Gaylord Intermediate, Lake Ann Elementary, Central Grade School and North Ohio and South Maple Elementary to name a few.
“Last year, we served more than 3,500 in our rural fourteen county region. We are searching for funding to support delivery of JA services so schools and students do not take a step backward which happened when the Covid pandemic radically changed education for two years.”
All of the school JA programs are run by teachers or classroom volunteers and Mann ensures that everyone in charge has the training and materials needed.
The list of how JA has benefited Michigan is as long and diverse as the character of the counties that make up Gerace’s region.
At Traverse City Central, teacher Becky Harvey has used JA curriculum for students to create a corporation with staff and to manufacture a charcuterie tray that they sell with a focus on profitability. This real-world experience is typical of JA programming.
On March 11, 2026, a JA Youth Summit will convene 9-12th graders at Blue Bridge Event Venue with the goal of creating a business of their own. About 100 students will work in groups with mentors to develop a business with a plan to support it and wrap up by making a 30 second commercial, all judged by a three-person panel of small business experts with prizes for the top three.
“Everyone who participates in the Summit is a winner,” Gerace says. “It’s an intense day of creativity packaged into a collaborative setting – it’s a wonderful day of learning through creating a real live business.”
Mann helps recruit the 100 students and volunteer mentors needed to help the students pull together their startup business plan and presentation that they give to Summitt attendees.
“There is joy in what I do,” says Mann. “Still, there is a cloud of concern hanging over us due to the absence of financial resources due to State budget cuts. We hope and feel that philanthropy can step up and help us fill the gap.”
The virtues of JA experiences are echoed by many, including Deanie Schwannecke, a Business Development Coach for Venture North Funding and Development who provides consultation to Venture North clients on establishing sound procedures and systems for managing business financials, including forecasting.
“I believe financial literacy is an imperative for all small business owners to succeed,” she said. “It’s a survival skill that can’t be overlooked; it will strengthen both short-term operations and long-term stability and directly impacts profitability, sustainability and growth.”
“Students who participate in JA are great future candidates for capital and consulting support if starting up a business or working in a small business in northwest Michigan are in their plans,” said Laura Galbraith, President of Venture North. “We place high value on the character and skills of the business owner in making decisions about allocating our services and financial management experience a is certainly a key factor.”
For more information on this year’s JA Youth Summit - including volunteer opportunities - contact Kelli Mann: kelli.mann@ja.org
For media inquiries:
Contact: Tim Ervin - Ph: 231-794-0089 - Email: timervinassoc@gmail.com
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