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Kohl's Donates $1.5 Million to Junior Achievement of Wisconsin

Donation to expand technology-based learning opportunities available at JA Kohl's Education Center

Kohl's Donates $1.5 Million to Junior Achievement of Wisconsin

Donation to expand technology-based learning opportunities available at JA Kohl's Education Center

Published 06-04-13

Submitted by Kohl's Department Stores

 Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) today announced the renewal of its partnership with Junior Achievement (JA) of Wisconsin with a donation of $1.5 million over three years to support and expand the JA Kohl’s Education Center. The additional funding will allow Junior Achievement to increase the use of technology in the JA Kohl’s Education Center to offer more unique opportunities for local schools and teachers to combine classroom learning with real-world situations, providing hands-on activities and full simulation experiences to enhance what students learn in a classroom. The program offers Milwaukee-area fourth through twelfth graders a unique, hands-on opportunity to learn work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The donation comes from Kohl’s philanthropic program, Kohl’s Cares®, which sells special merchandise, including plush toys and books, and donates 100 percent of the net profit to benefit children’s health and education initiatives nationwide.

“We are pleased to continue our partnership with Junior Achievement and facilitate the growth of the JA Kohl’s Education Center,” said Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Kohl’s applauds Junior Achievement’s commitment to providing excellent educational experiences that empower students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to the real world, and Kohl’s is proud to be in a position to support such a valuable program for local students.”

Kohl’s $1.5 million donation will help fund the following program enhancements over the next three years:

  • The addition of Tablet Technology will incorporate social media by allowing students to tweet their thoughts to guided questions in real-time through the simulation. This enhancement will also allow teachers to incorporate these tweets into post-visit classroom discussions.
  • The addition of Electronic Debit Cards into the students’ shopping experience will expand students’ ability to manage their purchasing experience and allows them to learn more about the purpose and services of financial institutions.
  • The addition of a Digital Shopping Kiosk will introduce students to the e-commerce experience and is reflective of real world purchasing options. With a digital shopping kiosk, students will be able to purchase an item “online” which will be delivered to the student later in the simulation. Junior Achievement of Wisconsin will be the first program in the country to expand learning through the introduction of kiosk shopping technology into its simulation.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Kohl’s as it will enhance the learning applications offered to local students through the JA Kohl’s Education Center,” said Tim Greinert, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin’s president. “Financial literacy and work readiness are crucial life skills and, through this best-in-class programming in the JA Kohl’s Education Center, we’re able to engage students early on in meaningful and memorable ways to arm them with the skills they need as adults.”

Through an initial $3 million donation from Kohl’s Cares in 2010, Junior Achievement created the JA Kohl’s Education Center, a one-of-a-kind facility providing Milwaukee-area fourth through twelfth grade students with unique, hands-on opportunities to learn real-world budgeting, financial literacy skills and entrepreneurship through two age-specific learning labs:

  • JA BizTown™: Created for fourth through sixth grade - connects education to the workforce when students run a “real” city economy as workers, consumers, and government officials. This program includes a Kohl’s branded store where students act as consumers and producers as part of their hands-on learning experience.
  • JA Finance Park™: Created for seventh through twelfth grade - is a financial literacy program where students complete personal finance transactions and create long term financial plans. Upon arrival at JA Finance Park, students are given a specific simulated life story which includes age, family information, occupation and income. They then must navigate through the park and its storefronts managing their finances and constructing a workable household budget.

Since 2000, Kohl’s Department Stores together with Kohl's Cares have combined to give more than $55 million to support charitable initiatives in the metro-Milwaukee area, including more than $4.5 million to Junior Achievement to help provide unique educational opportunities for Wisconsin’s children. To date, the Kohl’s Cares cause merchandise program has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide.

For more information on Kohl’s philanthropic efforts, visit www.kohls.com/cares. For more information on the JA Kohl’s Education Center and JA Capstone Programs, visit wisconsin.ja.org.

About Kohl’s
Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (facebook.com/kohls) or Twitter (twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (pinterest.com/kohls) and Instagram (instagram.com/kohls).

About Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement of Wisconsin is dedicated to educating students about work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. The organization prepares young people for the real world, showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, create jobs which make their communities more robust, and apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace. Over 165,000 students in the state of Wisconsin put these lessons into action every year and learn the value of contributing to their communities. To become involved, please visit wisconsin.ja.org or call (414) 577-3800.

Kohl's Department Stores logo

Kohl's Department Stores

Kohl's Department Stores

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (facebook.com/Kohls) or Twitter (twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (pinterest.com/Kohls) and Instagram (instagram.com/Kohls).

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