JA Colonial Group Discovery Center reaches capital goal for construction in Savannah

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - WTOC is getting an update on a project that aims to help young students learn about business and personal money management.

In less than a year, the Junior Achievement Colonial Group Discovery Center will open to students on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus.

Once finished, the JA Colonial Group Discovery Center will teach 15,000 middle schoolers a year from eight to nine school systems around the area about personal finance and how to run a business.

The program for sixth graders will be called JA BizTown, where students will be introduced to what it’s like to run a business. Inside the Discovery Center will be 18 different stores in a mini-city where students will work for one of those companies in simulation.

The other simulation is JA Finance Park, which will cater to seventh and eighth graders, and teach personal finance.

This will be the fifth JA Discovery Center in the state once completed.

Camille Russo, Vice President for Junior Achievement of Georgia said, “The exciting thing about this one that is here on the Georgia Southern campus, is that in addition to JA staff, they will also get to interact with 15 interns a day who are coming from Georgia Southern.”

Russo said those interns will be Georgia Southern students selected into the Dulany Waters Leadership Scholars program.

The last portion of funding needed for the Discovery Center was actually secured this week thanks to a contribution from Georgia Ports Authority. And construction on the new Discovery Center will begin in just under two weeks.

Donors who contributed a total of $3,778,931 toward the Discovery Center are:

Colonial Group, Gulfstream, Georgia Ports Authority, Southern States Educational Foundation, Don Waters, Jeff & LeeAnn Kole, International Paper, Shaw Industries, Bill & Linda Daniel, Savannah Economic Development Authority, Marcus Foundation, The Solomons Family, WTOC, Bob & Beverly Meng, Celia Dunn and an anonymous donor.

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