While Americans as a whole are feeling less financial stress, making ends meet remains a daily struggle for millions — particularly women, millennials, African-Americans, Hispanics, and those lacking a high school education. These findings come from the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS), released last month by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation).

Recently, Junior Achievement was awarded a $7,500 grant from the Washington Forrest Foundation to support JA®’s K-12 financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs in Arlington County, Virginia. JA serves approximately 2,300 Arlington County students annually. Approximately 80% of those students are living and/or attending schools in South Arlington. 

This past week at the JA USA National Leadership Conference (NLC) in Indianapolis, Indiana, Sarah Dohl, Vice President of Communications for JA of Greater Washington was awarded the National “Rising Star” Award for outstanding impact on the organization.

The Rising Star Award, created in 2004, is given to mid-level staff members who are emerging leaders within the organization, and who demonstrate outstanding, measurable success in executing their responsibilities.

On July 28, 2016 at the National Harbor’s Gaylord Convention Center, Heath Carelock, Education Director for Junior Achievement of Greater Washington's JA Finance Park® Prince George's County, accepted a surprise $5,000 check from Synchrony Financial on behalf of Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.

In acceptance of the donation, Heath spoke before an audience of 400 financial professionals from across the country who were gathered for Synchrony Financial's Global Diversity Network Symposium. The teams in attendance sorted, organized, and donated 700 fully supplied backpacks which will be given to students in the DC area in the coming weeks in preparation for the upcoming school year.