Junior Achievement Of Oregon & SW Washington's JA Discovery Center Celebrates Grand Opening -11/13/23
Portland, Ore., Nov. 13, 2023 – On November 8th, Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington celebrated the Grand Opening of its JA Discovery Center in Hillsboro. The festivities represented the culmination of months of hard work, dedication, and support from staff, partners, sponsors, and the City of Hillsboro. This new site, located in the Civic Center Plaza in downtown Hillsboro, will alternate between our two JA Capstone programs, JA BizTown and JA Finance Park, both of which promote hands-on experiential learning and provide students with real world financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship education. The Grand Opening event was our chance to express our gratitude to our JA supporters, donors, storefront sponsors, the NW Regional ESD, and the City of Hillsboro without whom this endeavor would not have been possible.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what we have accomplished here in Hillsboro with the opening of our new JA Discovery Center. What began back in 2020 with an email from Raya Cadiz of the Hillsboro School District, asking about ways to collaborate and make our programs available to students in the NW Regional ESD, has come full circle tonight,” said Barb Smith, President and CEO of JA of Oregon & SW Washington. “Our potential impact will grow from 27,000 students to over 42,000 with the opening of this center.” JA programs encompass JA Finance Park, JA BizTown, and our In-Class programs.
Along with representatives from many of our sponsors, we cut the ceremonial red ribbons together to honor the work and dedication each storefront personifies. In December, the JA Discovery Center will welcome its first students to the JA Finance Park Capstone Program and JA BizTown will come to life with its first group of students in January.
“Since the opening of JA BizTown on Foster Road 16 years ago, the JA team has worked to overcome the logistical challenges for student in the Northwest part of Oregon who want to participate in our Capstone programs. The opening of the JA Discover Center brings the opportunity within reach for these students,” said Dave Weber, President of the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington.
About Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington
Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington is a non-profit organization whose core purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. We work in partnership with school and business communities to improve student knowledge in the areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy with an emphasis on serving marginalized youth in the highest needs schools.