Junior Achievement and OneMain Financial To Present Free Interactive Finance Event for BCPS Middle/High Schoolers and their Parents, Nov. 15 at CCBC-Essex

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Junior Achievement of Central Maryland (JA) and OneMain Financial will present the JA Personal Finance Experience for Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) middle and high school students and their parents, Saturday, Nov. 15, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the CCBC Essex Campus College Community Center - Upper Lobby (7201 Rossville Blvd., Baltimore, Md. 21237).

Also open to CCBC students, this free family event will feature a live budgeting and career simulation utilizing concepts from Junior Achievement’s JA Finance Park middle school capstone program which is taught in Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Frederick County, Howard County, Kent County and Queen Anne’s County public schools and the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Upon arrival at the JA Personal Finance Experience, students will be assigned a life situation that dictates their career and salary, and explains their family size and responsibilities. The life situation will impact budgeting decisions.

Students then will visit 18 stations representing areas of personal lifestyle expenses and work with JA staff and volunteers to determine how much of their budget to put toward the expense categories. The goal is for the students to balance their budget within $25 of their salary.

As students begin to work through the budget puzzle, a roaming volunteer will present them with a “lucky “or “unlucky chance” card, which will help them with expenses or hold them accountable for life’s little emergencies. Additionally, refreshments and prizes will be available throughout the day.

“Through the JA Personal Finance Experience, younger students will gain an appreciation of the tough financial choices adults have to make each day, while older students will learn how career, education and spending choices can have a direct impact on their success,” said Jennifer Bodensiek, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. “Additionally, families will learn how to support each other in making earning, spending and saving choices.”

For more information about the JA Personal Finance Experience, visit www.jamaryland.org or contact Chris Bugher at cbugher@jamaryland.org or 410-753-3295.

The Nov. 15 JA Personal Finance Experience and a second one taking place in Spring 2015 are offered though a partnership between JA, BCPS and One Main Financial to help students start developing skills needed for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and also hone the personal finance skills to be responsible adults.

OneMain Financial has given a $100,000 to integrate JA’s work readiness skills and career exploration programs at the upper elementary and middle school levels, and also support the BCPS Students and Teachers Accessing Tomorrow (S.T.A.T.) initiative, which aims to ensure that every school has an equitable, effective digital learning environment.

ABOUT ONEMAIN FINANCIAL
OneMain Financial is based in Baltimore and provides personal loans and one-on-one, local service from more than 1,100 branches nationwide. Since 1912, OneMain Financial has worked with customers to find the loan solutions that best fit their needs and budget. The company and its employees are proud to support the communities where they live and work. Additional information may be found at OneMainFinancial.com.

ABOUT BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Baltimore County Public Schools, home to 2014 National Teacher of the Year Sean McComb, serves 110,000 students as the nation’s 25th largest school system. Dedicated to producing globally competitive graduates, BCPS is expanding world languages instruction to elementary grades and integrating technology into curriculum and instruction through S.T.A.T. – Students and Teachers Accessing Tomorrow. For more information visit www.bcps.org.

ABOUT JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT
Junior Achievement of Central Maryland is 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 kindergarten through 12th grade students which focus on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Founded in 1957, the non-profit organization annually serves more than 42,000 students throughout Central Maryland. For more information, visit www.jamaryland.org.