PLAYERS COALITION AND JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT USA® ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Players Coalition, the nonprofit co-founded by NFL players Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins, with athletes across 12 professional leagues, announced a partnership with Junior Achievement USA® (JA), a national nonprofit that equips young people and students with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve their own economic success. The partnership aims to engage Players Coalition members in educational initiatives with JA students that will focus on promoting economic empowerment through financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship.

"Junior Achievement is on the frontlines of the educational advancement of young people. With the support of Players Coalition, we can continue to raise awareness around these efforts and further close the gap in racial and economic disparities," said Players Coalition advocate and former Major League Soccer player Justin Morrow.

"The new partnership between Players Coalition and Junior Achievement will help students across the country to take greater ownership of their lives," said Junior Achievement Chief Marketing Officer Ed Grocholski. "By teaching and implementing critical life skills, we can ensure that each student has the opportunity to flourish in their communities."

In the past year, Players Coalition and JA have teamed together to inspire change in various markets where there is overlapping interest between the organizations. Players Coalition advocates Justin Morrow (MLS) and Anthony Walker (NFL) supported the Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland "Stock Market Challenge" that encouraged students to learn the fundamentals of stocks; Romar Dennis (PLL) recorded and shared two videos on the topics of credit and debt which were used as educational tools for students of Junior Achievement of Southern California; and Torry Holt (NFL) supported Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina by promoting the launch of the "Essential Employability Skills" virtual workshop series.

More recently in the state of Texas, JA participated in two separate social justice workshops hosted by Players Coalition in partnership with the Hope Initiative for student-athletes from Huston-Tillotson University and Texas A&M University- Texarkana. The town halls centered around financial inclusion and how the student-athletes can impact their local communities through volunteering and mentorship programming with respective JA chapters.

The new partnership will further evolve the collective goal of making an impact on social justice and racial equality within the country. Players Coalition and JA continue to support the economic advancement of students nationwide.

About Players Coalition

Players Coalition is an independent 501(c)(3) (charity) and 501(c)(4) (advocacy) organization, working with professional athletes, coaches and owners across leagues to improve social justice and racial equality in our country. Founded in 2017 by NFL players Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins, Players Coalition continues to grow exponentially with representation from more than 1,500 athlete advocates across 12 professional leagues.

About Junior Achievement USA® (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 2.5 million students per year in 103 markets across the United States, as part of 10 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

SOURCE Junior Achievement USA