Junior Achievement (JA) of Talbot County hosted a networking breakfast this past Wednesday for financial advisors (FAs) in Talbot County to learn more about the organization and their mission to teach students financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness skills. Twenty-two financial advisors representing a majority of the brokerage and wealth management firms in the county attended the event at the Talbot Country Club.
“This event was a great opportunity to connect local professionals to the work that Junior Achievement is doing in our community,” shared Jayme Weeg, President of Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore. “We have been thrilled with the response and hope that the financial advisors in attendance become advocates and volunteers for JA. Our children desperately need these skills and with the engagement of our professional community we can continue to grow JA’s impact in Talbot County.”
Junior Achievement (JA), a national organization dedicated to educating students about business and finance, has been active in Talbot County since 2011. Led by an advisory board of local professionals chaired by Geoff Oxnam of Easton Utilities, JA’s presence in Talbot County has been growing and the organization is currently working with 200 students at Easton and St. Michaels High Schools and hopes to expand to 500 students by the end of the year with the addition of a Middle School curriculum throughout the county.
“We’ve enjoyed early successes in Talbot County thanks to wonderful partnerships with the local school system, town and county officials and the greater professional community,” continued Weeg. “We hope that through events like this we can recruit more volunteers, donors and advocates that can tell the success stories of this program and help us grow to the next level.”
A long-term goal of the organization is to transform a portion of the old Cadmus building in Easton on Idlewild Avenue, donated by developers Gillis-Gilkerson, into Achievement Park – an experiential learning facility that will give Junior Achievement students a variety of capstone experiences. In addition, the Talbot County Advisory Board plans to host additional breakfast events to connect with other professional groups in the community in the coming months.
About Junior Achievement of Talbot County
Junior Achievement (JA) of Talbot County, based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is a branch of a national organization dedicated to educating students about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness skills. The organization’s mission is to ensure that every child in America has a fundamental understanding of the free enterprise system. Through grants, donations, school sponsorships, and special events, JA of Talbot County provides educational opportunities for students completely free to schools. To learn more about supporting JA of Talbot County, visit www.easternshoreja.org or call 410.742.8112.
In photo: Financial Advisors representing BB&T, GWN Securities, Knade Financial Group, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Multi-Financial Securities, Primevest Financial, RBC Capital Markets, Robert W. Baird, Wells Fargo and Wye Financial and Trust with Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore President, Jayme Weeg, Talbot County Advisory Board President, Geoff Oxnam, and Mayor Willey of Easton, at the FAs for JA Event on October 24, 2012.