Flashback to the 80s

Author: JA Lincoln
Community Involvement
Published: Monday, 07 Jun 2021

Sharing

Image caption: 50th Anniversary Logo

2021 is a major milestone for Junior Achievement of Lincoln, and we’re celebrating all year long! This is our golden anniversary, marking 50 years of serving the students of Lincoln and beyond.

Over the next several months, we are looking back to see where we've come from since 1971. Each month, we're focusing on a different decade to showcase stories of the people and organizations that have shaped Junior Achievement of Lincoln over the years.

This month, we’re flashing back to the 80s!

For a full rundown of what JA of Lincoln looked like in the 1980s, visit this page: https://lincoln.ja.org/about-ja/opportunity/celebrating-50-years-of-junior-achievement-of-lincoln

As Junior Achievement of Lincoln continued growing the JA Company Program that was founded in the 70s, the organization was working hard behind the scenes to grow its foundation. As more local businesses continued to sign on to support JA's mission in the 1980s, the JA Board of Trustees was established to support the JA Board of Directors, and JA of Lincoln was selected as one of the four best JA operations in the country.

JA of Lincoln Trustee Marc LeBaron is Chairman and CEO of Lincoln Industries and also one of the key figures in JA of Lincoln’s success. He began his relationship with JA as a high school classroom volunteer, and later went on to become President of the Board of Directors and then a Trustee. He believes deeply in the JA mission and the impact it creates, and says “We always tend to think our generation was the smartest generation in school. After spending time with young people in the classroom, I always walked away with a great sense of how smart and capable kids are today. It gives me great confidence in the future of our country and our people.” Read more about Marc here: (https://lincoln.ja.org/news/blog/celebrating-50-years-of-junior-achievement-of-lincoln-marc-s-story)

JA of Lincoln also took a major step forward in the 1980s by creating in-school programs led by a community volunteer, expanding to become a kindergarten through 12th grade in-school program organization. The first programs were piloted in fourth grade at Arnold Elementary and Economics at Lincoln East.

Retired principal Coni Schwartz was there at the very beginning, as the 1984 coordinator at Arnold Elementary School. She says, “I knew the curriculum could be enriched for both students and teachers if additional resources were available to promote and inspire economic understanding and success - for self, families, community, city, region, nation, and the world! Having insight and relationship to and with several business leaders involved in Junior Achievement, and when asked whether I thought Junior Achievement could promote economic understanding by and for elementary children, the answer was a definite YES!!!” Read more of Coni’s unique perspective on the building of JA of Lincoln into the program it is today here: (https://lincoln.ja.org/news/blog/celebrating-50-years-of-junior-achievement-of-lincoln-coni-s-story)

Even amid all that growth, the JA of Lincoln Company Program continued running strong throughout the 80’s, impacting an average of 450 kids a year who formed about 18 student companies annually. Mike Zinniel, now Associate Accountant III at Nelnet who continues to support JA of Lincoln as part of the Bowl-a-thon and other fundraisers, was on one of those teams as a student at Lincoln Northeast in the 80s. About his JA experience as a student, he says, “It taught me the basics about running a business, and making & selling a product.” Read more about Mike’s experiences (which include winning a JA scholarship) and why he stays involved here: (https://lincoln.ja.org/news/blog/celebrating-50-years-of-junior-achievement-of-lincoln-mike-s-story)

These three individuals are just a few of so many people and organizations that have been integral to JA of Lincoln growing and thriving for the last 50 years, and we can’t wait to introduce you to more of them over the coming months. Here’s to the next 50 years of building a better future, one classroom at a time!