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METLIFE FOUNDATION HONORS EIGHT JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OPERATIONS FOR INNOVATION

Colorado Springs, Colo. – JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) announced that eight Junior Achievement operations – six United States and two international – have won the 2008 MetLife Foundation Entrepreneurial Award. The awards were announced July 16 at the JA Worldwide Leadership Conference in Miami, Fla. Presented annually since 2001, the award recognizes Junior Achievement operations that demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit and innovation in achieving sustainable results for their primary stakeholders – students, schools, volunteers, and donors. Each winner receives a cash award of $25,000 to expand its work, and JA Worldwide shares best practices throughout the organization.

The eight award-winning offices and their winning initiatives are listed below.

• Junior Achievement of Central Florida, Civic Engagement Partnership
• Junior Achievement of Eastern Massachusetts, JA Connect
• Junior Achievement of Eastern Oklahoma, SOS—Skills of Success
• Junior Achievement of North Florida, JA Girl$
• Junior Achievement of Romania, Be a Leader Program
• Junior Achievement of South Dakota, Distance Learning and Participation Initiative
• Junior Achievement of West Central Florida, JA Diploma-see
• Pretasi Junior Indonesia, Economics for Life

"JA operations play a vital role in providing young people with the knowledge, skills, and role models they need to succeed in a global economy," said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. "We are pleased to join JA Worldwide in honoring eight operations whose exemplary innovation and entrepreneurship is helping them to reach more young people with high-quality, effective programs."

"Innovation and entrepreneurial thinking drive positive results in our organization and in the business world," said Sean C. Rush, president and chief executive officer of JA Worldwide. "The winners of this year's awards provide strong role models in demonstrating leadership and creative thinking—skills that JA programs teach thousands of students around the world every day."

The winners were selected from 65 applications received from 47 JA operations in 12 countries. A panel of judges, including JA Worldwide board members and a MetLife Foundation representative, selected the winners.

About MetLife Foundation
MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Grants support health, education, civic and cultural programs. The Foundation has supported JA programs since 1979. In addition to sponsoring the Entrepreneurial Award since 2001, the Foundation has provided major funding for development and implementation of JA Exploring Economics™, a new program that teaches high school students fundamental economic concepts. The Foundation also awards grants to local JA operations where MetLife has a major employee presence, and employees volunteer. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.

About Junior Achievement® (JA)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 139 individual area operations reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional 4.3 million students served by operations in 118 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

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