Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina was recently awarded a grant of $25,000 from the UPS Foundation, which drives global corporate citizenship and philanthropic programs for UPS (NYSE:UPS). The grant funds will allow Junior Achievement to bring financial literacy, entrepreneurship and workforce readiness programs to over 1100 students in eastern North Carolina. Trained corporate and community volunteers will bring the lessons to life by sharing their personal and professional experiences in an estimated 45 classrooms. Through this grant each class will receive five to seven in classroom lessons. The grant also funds job shadow opportunities for high school students in the area.

“The UPS Foundation is honored to support Junior Achievement's efforts to help young people understand the economics of life," said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation. "Our goal is to fund powerful programs that make a lasting difference to the global community."

“We are thrilled to have the continued support of UPS as we strive to provide financial literacy programs to more students throughout eastern North Carolina” said Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina President Bebee Bason Lee.

About Junior Achievement

Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that facilitates partnerships between schools, corporate supporters, classroom sponsors and volunteers to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy by teaching financial literacy, workforce development and entrepreneurship to students in grades K-12. JA volunteers use hands-on experiences to help young people understand the relevance to see how what they are learning in the classroom applies in the real world.

Junior Achievement of Eastern NC serves students in an 18 county area - Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, Nash, Orange, Person, Pitt, Sampson, Wake, Wayne and Wilson counties.

About The UPS Foundation:

Established in 1951 and based in Atlanta, GA, The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its backing clearly impacts social issues. In support of this strategic approach, The Foundation’s current philanthropic approach focuses on four areas that represent the purpose of our mission and reflect UPS's corporate values and expertise: volunteerism, diversity, community safety and the environment.

In 2013, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $102 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.