/EINPresswire.com/ -- COLORADO SPRINGS, CO--(Marketwired - January 04, 2017) - January is "JA Alumni Month," according to Junior Achievement USA (JA). Since its inception in 1919, JA has helped inspire more than 100 million young people with its programs focused on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness. Now, JA is hoping to engage these former students, today's JA Alumni, as volunteers to inspire and prepare today's young people for success.

JA programs have been demonstrated to have a great impact on students. According to a survey of more than 700 JA Alumni conducted by JA USA, former JA students are 30 percent more likely to have a four-year degree, earn about 20 percent more that the average American, and are 2 ½ times more likely to be involved in starting a business. Additionally, about one-in-three (30%) JA Alumni say their involvement with Junior Achievement influenced their career decision and one-in-five (20%) work in the same career field as the JA volunteer they had in school.

Jack E. Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA, added, "Our alumni are an important constituent group for Junior Achievement. We invite anyone who had a JA program during his or her school years to reconnect with Junior Achievement. Our goal is to engage with alumni to help empower local students to own their economic success."

Interested JA Alumni can find out more about getting involved with JA by visiting JA.org/Alumni, or by contacting their local Junior Achievement office.

Approaching its 100^th anniversary, Junior Achievement empowers young people to own their economic success through volunteer-delivered programs focusing on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work-readiness. JA estimates that more than 100 million students have participated in JA programs since the organization's inception in 1919. Notable JA Alumni include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, comedian Amy Sedaris, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, and AOL founder Steve Case.

About Junior Achievement USA^® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches 4.8 million students per year in more than 100 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.6 million students served by operations over 100 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.