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As we’re now one month away, I wanted to tell readers today about an exciting new event that Junior Achievement of NEPA is hosting on April 18th.

You may have heard about it already on the pages of this newspaper, on social media and in conversations with others. It’s starting to get some buzz because it will affect thousands of people – mostly students, but employers, too – in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

JA Inspire is a live and virtual event, with the live portion happening for one day at Mohegan Sun Pennsylvania. More than 60 businesses are slated to man booths during the career exploration day and show high school students what’s available to them in the local labor market.

The JA mission is to enable students to succeed in a global economy through financial literary, career readiness and real-world experiences. JA Inspire is in line with the overall mission and should have a powerful impact on students.

While Junior Achievement has hosted JA Inspire before, this is the first time it will be live and interactive with in-person engagement.

A huge amount of thanks to Ruth Corcoran, the event chair; Susan Magnotta, JA NEPA president; and Brandy Lewis, JA NEPA director of operations. It’s remarkable what they’ve accomplished in a short amount of time with few resources, and I especially want to thank Ruth for championing the cause and organizing all of the details so effortlessly.

Additionally, there are sponsors propelling this initiative forward. By contributing to this event, companies are encouraging students to want to work, and most importantly get excited about it.

Much gratitude to DiscoverNEPA Powered by Mericle – the presenting sponsor. Additionally, there are industry champion sponsors M&T Bank, Geisinger, Highmark, Building Blocks Learning Center and Procter & Gamble that we are extremely grateful for.

I’ve personally been working with my friends at Axelrad Screen Printing in Wilkes-Barre who have been generous in producing low-cost drawstring bags for students to keep materials in and save as a memento.

While it’s been an awkward few years not having JA programming in classrooms, this will be a big step forward in bringing engaging JA programs back to the forefront of education in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

You’ll hear more about this event in the coming weeks, but for now thanking the people making it possible is imperative.

THANK YOU to every person involved. Our students will thank you, too.

Mike McGinley is a Times Leader columnist who is often called a man about town. E-mail him thoughts at [email protected].