City of Coconut Creek, Florida—After completing the 18 classroom lessons of the JA Finance Park program, every 8th grade student in Broward County Public Schools experiences a real-life learning experience in JA Finance Park at JA World Huizenga Center at the Lillian S. Wells Foundation Pavilion, located on the North Campus of Broward College. JA Finance Park is a simulated city of storefronts representing various industries and businesses, where students apply the personal finance and career knowledge they gain in the classroom. The JA Finance Park storefront sponsorships support the program, allowing Junior Achievement of South Florida to provide this much needed financial literacy education to almost 25,000 students in just this one JA program.
Amongst the JA Finance Park storefronts is Minto Communities. Junior Achievement of South Florida has been fortunate to call Minto Communities a storefront partner since 2012. Minto has donated $162,500 to date, and has positively contributed to the overall success and education of over 100,000 students. During the JA Finance Park simulation, students gain invaluable knowledge about renting, buying or leasing a home, and the process of applying for a home loan in the Minto storefront.
“I love volunteering in JA Finance Park and witnessing the students’ ‘aha’ moments when they begin to understand the importance of how to manage their finances,” said Steve Svopa, Minto’s Vice President of Operations, Florida. “Teaching the students in JA Finance Park is incredibly rewarding, and our team always has a great time. Minto has truly enjoyed our partnership with Junior Achievement, working together to provide financial literacy education to every student.”
JA Finance Park is a physical center, comprised of 16 local business storefronts within the 60,000 sq feet JA World building. During their day in JA Finance Park, 8th grade students engage in creating and maintaining a personal budget, while considering such factors as health care, real estate, car payments, shopping, banking, utilities and more.
“We are so grateful to Minto for their continued support of Junior Achievement. Without storefront sponsors like them, these programs would not be available to our students,” said Laurie Sallarulo, President & CEO of Junior Achievement of South Florida.
About Junior Achievement of South Florida
Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) inspires and prepares youth to succeed in a global economy. JA provides real-world training in financial literacy including budgeting, spending, investing and the use of credit; offers cutting-edge skill-building opportunities that enable young people to explore meaningful, productive careers; teaches students how to start businesses; and introduces entrepreneurial values that strengthen workplaces. Last year, with the help of over 5,800 trained corporate and community volunteers, JA delivered over 20 various programs to almost 50,000 students in classrooms throughout Broward and South Palm Beach Counties and at the Lillian S. Wells JA World Huizenga Center at Broward College, a first-class facility housing JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit www.jasouthflorida.org.
About Minto Communities Florida
Minto Communities, based in Florida since 1978, has represented integrity, financial strength and enduring value for 40 years. Minto builds exceptional new homes and communities to meet every lifestyle, with more than 25,000 new homes built in Florida in 44 communities throughout the state. Minto is dedicated to continuous improvement in design, quality and customer experience. Applauded and recognized as an expert in the home building industry, Minto was awarded “Best Floor Plans” from Ideal-Living magazine.
These are just some of the elements that set Minto apart as an exceptional home builder and community developer and have earned the company national recognition that includes consistently high rankings from Eliant Customer Service Surveys. Minto has earned multiple national awards for community and home design, including Best Mixed-Use Community and Best Clubhouse from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for The Isles of Collier Preserve community in Naples, Florida; and Best Clubhouse from NAHB for the Beach Club at Harbour Isle located in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida.
The Minto Communities team recently volunteered their time in JA Finance Park and presented Junior Achievement of South Florida President/CEO Laurie Sallarulo (far left) with a $162,500 check as part of their storefront sponsorship contribution.
