The Perdue Henson JA Center

Imagine a gleaming new structure, a place where students get to be an adult for a day, learning the basics of financial literacy; a place where a handson, interactive, state-of-the-art student experience awaits; a place where, once the student leaves, they’ll have an invaluable understanding of how to manage the day-to-day finances so necessary to be successful in life.

Across the country, there are 58 cities, like Atlanta, Washington, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Baltimore, and Wilmington – to name a few – where facilities like the one we envision building here exist.

But we all know career success found in those cities exists right here on the Shore. We want to keep our students here and allow them to further develop our area to make it an oasis for all.

We envision years from now, parents and children, and even grandparents, sitting around sharing their experiences at the Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center, valuing the lessons they learned that helped shape their careers and futures.

It takes a village to raise a child, and the same can be said about providing a major educational facility to over 10,000 students.

As a non-profit organization, Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore relies heavily on the kindness and generosity of others. Throughout the year, JA hosts fundraisers, participates in national donation campaigns like Giving Tuesday, and seeks funds to ensure our students find success both in and outside the classroom.

When building a 25,000 sq. ft. regional facility that will serve students across the Shore, every penny counts.

The Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center is estimated to cost around $6.5 million. The Henson Foundation and Perdue Foundation kicked off our campaign with extremely generous donations of $1.25 million apiece, blasting us out of the gates with $2.5 million.

Even if you don’t have children in the school system, your contribution would be funding educational advantages for our future leaders. Doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, restaurant owners, law enforcement personnel and so many more careers will see a field of qualified candidates seeking employment directly because of the work done at the Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center.

Our mission is to empower the next generation – and this is how we do it!

And you can be a part of it!

PROGRAMS

Following its opening in 2023, the Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center will specialize in two core programs designed to provide real-life scenarios.

JA BizTown®

The program JA BizTown is a fully interactive, simulated, free-market facility where students in Grade 5 become business leaders, consumers and employees for a day.

Prepared through 13 in-school lessons of JA curriculum, students work in one of 18 JA BizTown storefronts such as banking, city services, and insurance, learning what it takes to run a successful business, manage personnel and business finances, and work as a team.

JA Finance Park®

JA Finance Park was designed to teach middle and high school students about personal finance and career exploration through 13 lessons of in-classroom instruction culminating in a day-long simulation at the facility.

Students apply learned concepts in a real-life setting and receive a “life scenario” which includes a family, job/income, and other pertinent factors.

JA Finance Park® Advanced & JA Career Center

JA Finance Park - Advanced is the high school version honing in on each student’s specific career interests while allowing students to create their life situation, rather than be told which life situation they must endure in their first interaction with the program.

With the JA Career Center, high school students will engage in a third component of the JA Center, customized to their pathway with a focus on career readiness. Students can expect to learn more about regional jobs, apprenticeships and internship, take part in a leadership lab, participate in augmented reality and virtual reality company tours and training, and familiarize themselves with artificial intelligence.

Thank You

For Being A GAME CHANGER!

Frank Perdue Richard A. Henson

For the past 35 years, the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the Richard A. Henson Foundation, and their families have continued to support Junior Achievement’s mission. The long-term support and continued increase to meet demand has allowed Junior Achievement to create a sustainable and strong foundation in which to continue its growth in the future!