LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada, an organization dedicated to providing financial education to K-12 students, has received a monetary gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
JASN will receive part of a total of $38.8 million donated to Junior Achievement USA, including 26 JA operations of the nonprofit's 100+ chapters in communities across the country.
Scott's donation is the largest gift from a single donor in Junior Achievement's 103-year history.
“We are overwhelmed by MacKenzie Scott's incredible generosity and amazing gift that will help our efforts in providing the invaluable financial education curriculum we deliver to local students,” said Michelle Jackson, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada. “MacKenzie's investment recognizes the great work taking place in our community because of the passion and commitment of business leaders, educators, volunteers, and other partners who support our work, in addition to the dedication of our nine-member staff. This donation will allow us to make even better use of other community investments to positively impact the lives of the thousands of young people we serve.”
During the past several months, Scott has been making substantial donations to youth development organizations.
Why? Scott noted in a recent blog, “Communities with a habit of removing obstacles for different subsets of people tend to get better for everyone.”
Jackson added, "This sentiment echos Junior Achievement's vision of a world where young people have the skills and mindset to build thriving communities, and we are committed to making this a reality.”
Jackson continues that JASN seeks to use the funds to continue “bringing entrepreneurship to life, demystifying financial concepts, such as budgeting and taxes, and making planning for future careers exciting for young people."
