On September 11, 2018, Georgia United Credit Union proudly held its storefront ribbon cutting ceremony at the Mike and Lynn Cottrell Junior Achievement Discovery Center at North Georgia. The Georgia United storefront is part of a simulated economy where middle school students take active roles to learn how to manage their personal finances and how to run a business. In addition to the storefront, the credit union sponsors the facility’s board room and learning hub, where volunteers meet to prepare for the students arrival. Georgia United is a longstanding partner of the immersive financial literacy program and has donated over one thousand volunteer hours each year to work with students at the Junior Achievement (JA) Discovery Centers located in Atlanta and Gwinnett County.

Debbie Smith, Georgia United’s president and CEO stated, “We’re excited to work with the students at this new location and help them understand how to use classroom concepts in real-world situations. Giving the students the opportunity to apply their knowledge while making independent decisions empowers them to believe in themselves and to make positive choices later in life.”

Located at 1150 Lanier 400 Parkway in Cumming, the JA Discovery Center provides middle school students the opportunity to take part in simulated economies to learn financial concepts while increasing their communication and creative thinking skills. Sixth grade students will interact within a simulated economy known as JA BizTown with the goal of successfully running a business. Seventh and eighth grade students will interact within a simulated environment named JA Finance Park to experience their personal finances first-hand through topics such as saving, investing, budgeting, maintaining a household and pursuing a career.

The new JA Discovery Center anticipates serving 15,000 students from schools in Calhoun City, Dawson County, Forsyth County, Gainesville City, Hall County and Lumpkin County. This marks the first hybrid facility in the state that combines both JA BizTown and JA Finance Park.