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Toyota Financial Services Gifts $100,000 to Junior Achievement
Posted February 6, 2012
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Furthering its support of Junior Achievement of Central Maryland (JA), Toyota Financial Services (TFS) has pledged a $100,000 gift over three years that will directly enable the non-profit to provide financial literacy and work readiness education for 7,500 at-risk Maryland students.
"We applaud Toyota Financial Services' efforts to improve financial education among Maryland's young people," said Jennifer Bodensiek, president of Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. "Their continued investment will help local students learn the skills necessary to lay the groundwork for a lifetime of fiscal success and empower them to own their economic success."
Since 2009, TFS has provided JA with cash donations and in-kind supplies for students. Additionally, over 100 TFS employees have volunteered at JA during the past two years, and an additional 25 to 50 are expected to volunteer in 2012.
"Toyota Financial Services is very excited to expand our partnership with Junior Achievement," said John Ridgeway, corporate manager, for Toyota Financial Services' Customer Service Center located in Owings Mills. "JA brings together students and volunteers, like our employees, for educational programs that are engaging and hands-on, and it is that type of experiential learning that really sticks with the kids."
The $100,000 gift will support the acclaimed JA BizTown elementary school capstone program and the new JA Finance Park middle school capstone program.
JA BizTown
Taught in 80 schools throughout Central Maryland, JA BizTown is an experiential economic simulation that helps fourth through sixth grade students prepare for and become productive citizens. The program culminates in a visit to a 10,000-square-foot replica of an American city at JA's Owings Mills headquarters that features its own retail stores, bank, newspaper, restaurant and city hall with modern office technology, equipment and supplies.
In the 2010 school year, TFS opened a shop in JA BizTown that "employs" a CEO, CFO, lender, credit manager and customer service rep. In addition to reviewing leasing contracts and credit reports, JA BizTown "citizens" can build their own Scion and learn how the selection of options affects pricing.
JA Finance Park
Supporting new state financial literacy requirements and filling a void of limited resources at the middle school level, JA Finance Park is a comprehensive economics education program that helps students to build a foundation to make intelligent, lifelong, personal financial decisions.
Currently debuting in Howard County Public Schools, Baltimore City Public Schools, Kent County Public Schools and Archdiocese of Baltimore schools, the program culminates in an online personal finance simulation where students apply learned concepts in a life-like "virtual" community. Students are assigned a unique "life situation," including marital status, number of children (if any), education, employment and income.
Teachers, parents and local business people mentor students as they use bank services; contribute to charities; purchase housing, transportation, furnishings, food, health care and other expenses; make investment decisions, create a spending plan, and balance their personal budgets.
"Toyota Financial Services' relationship with JA BizTown serves as a catalyst to improve financial education amongst our youth, and the efforts by Junior Achievement through JA Finance Park are aligned with our vision for making lives better in the community in which we serve," said Ridgeway, noting that TFS will be a shop sponsor in both JA BizTown and JA Finance Park Virtual.
About Toyota Financial Services
TFS is the finance and insurance brand for Toyota in the U.S., offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust and extended service contracts and other payment protection products through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS). TFS provides retail and wholesale financing, retail leasing, vehicle protection plans and other financial services to authorized Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers, Toyota forklift and Hino dealers as well as Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A. dealers, affiliates, and their customers in the United States (excluding Hawaii). TFS is part of the worldwide financial services operations for Toyota Financial Services Corporation (TFSC), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). With headquarters in Torrance, Calif., three Customer Service Centers, three Regional offices and 30 Dealer Sales & Service Offices across the United States, TFS employs 3,300 associates and has managed assets totaling nearly $92 billion. For more information, please visit www.toyotafinancial.com.
About Junior Achievement of Central Maryland
Junior Achievement of Central Maryland is 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 kindergarten through 12th grade students, which focus on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Founded in 1957, the non-profit organization annually serves more than 20,000 students each year throughout Central Maryland. For more information, visit www.jamaryland.org.
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