Wabash Valley elementary and middle school students recently stepped into the role of workers, consumers, and citizens in a simulated town offered through Junior Achievement in Wabash Valley’s BizTown and Finance Park programs.
These immersive experiences help students connect classroom concepts to real-world applications, introducing them to the idea that they play active roles in their communities and their financial futures.
Over the past four years, United Way of the Wabash Valley has awarded nearly $150,000 in grants to Junior Achievement in Wabash Valley to fund several programs that equip participants with essential financial management skills. An $80,000 commitment to JA Biztown and Finance Park helps ensure students from elementary school to high school are better prepared for those realities.
As students grow, so do the financial decisions they will face. In this program, students explore income, career pathways, budgeting, credit, insurance and investing, and they apply what they learn in a simulation that takes place on a creatively designed “Main Street” located at the Vigo County School Corporation’s Learning Lab.
JA BizTown and Finance Park participation have expanded rapidly, serving more than 4,300 youth across the Wabash Valley. Many students said the experience was transformative and helped them understand how education connects to income and how financial decisions shape long-term stability.
“Exposure to financial literacy is crucial to financial success long-term,” Executive Director Dorothy Chambers said. “I’m proud of the partnerships and initiatives we have supported to ensure that our families gain financial confidence that will last for generations.”
United Way’s investment in financial literacy grows beyond students to help entire households. Through Junior Achievement’s new Family Financial Literacy Workshop, funded by a $70,000 Financial Freedom for All grant by United Way, families receive practical education on budgeting, saving, taxes, credit and debt management.
This ongoing initiative spans Clay, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion, Vigo, and Clark counties. To ensure families can participate without barriers, financial literacy is also offered to children while their parents participate. This intentional design ensures learning happens across generations, strengthening the financial foundation of the entire household.
Eighty-five percent of adult participants reported a better understanding of budgeting and credit after completing the program. Topics such as taxes, debt, credit cards and credit scores were especially impactful, families said, leaving them with practical strategies to build a stronger financial future.
These programs represent more than individual learning opportunities. They form a comprehensive approach to building financial stability across generations. Through partnerships with Junior Achievement in Wabash Valley and local school systems, United Way of the Wabash Valley is helping create a continuum of financial education: a child gains early awareness of their future role in their community, a teen develops the skills to make informed financial decisions, and a family gains the tools to build lasting stability.
United Way of the Wabash Valley continues to strengthen the region, through both ongoing investments and past impactful initiatives, bringing partners together, removing barriers, and creating pathways to prosperity.
