The Esther B. O’Keeffe Charitable Foundation Donates $250K to Junior Achievement

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL – May 17, 2017 – The Esther B. O’Keeffe Charitable Foundation has generously donated $250,000 to Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast (JA).

“The Foundation’s continued investment in JA programs is making an immeasurable difference in the lives of children,” said Claudia Kirk Barto, president of Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast. “We are especially excited about what this gift will mean for the growth and development of our experiential JA BizTown.”

JA BizTown® - Mobile engages students in the role of workers and consumers in a series of classroom lessons that culminates in a day-long visit to JA BizTown, a fully-interactive simulated town.

Through daily lessons, hands-on activities, and active participation in the simulated community, students develop a strong understanding of the relationship between what they learn in school and their successful participation in a worldwide economy.

Clare O’Keeffe, a Palm Beach realtor, is actively involved with JA, ensuring that her family’s legacy continues to positively impact children. Her parents, Esther B. O’Keeffe, the second wife of surgeon and philanthropist Dr. Arthur O’Keeffe of Palm Beach, established the foundation in 1990.

A hands-on benefactor, Ms. O’Keeffe will be in attendance at Beacon Cove Elementary School in Jupiter on Thursday, May 18th at 10:00 a.m. as a part of JA BizTown.

The relationship began in 2013, when Ms. O’Keeffe visited a JA Summer Camp program and was immediately interested in the mission of the organization. Ms. O’Keeffe saw the elementary school students being taught how to balance checkbooks, how to make budgeting decisions and how to be financially responsible. She committed to become more involved and over the course of the year, participated in many of the programs, including JA BizTown, JA in a Day, and Watch a Rising Star (Scholarship competition).

In 2014, the Esther B. O’Keeffe Charitable Foundation joined the Chairman’s Club of JA, the most prestigious circle of the organization’s donors. The Foundation committed $500,000 over two years to support the growth and expansion of the mission of JA.

Continued Kirk Barto, “we are very excited to see where the future leads for these students.”

To learn more about Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast, or JA’s BizTown programming, please visit www.juniorachievement.com or call (561) 242-9468.

About Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast (JA): Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast (JA) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on preparing young people to succeed in a global economy through programs that center on work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. JA programs are taught by volunteers in the classroom and after school in over 120 schools and organizations throughout Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Hendry counties. Junior Achievement builds partnership between the business and education communities to provide the curriculum and the volunteers who serve as role models to students to help prepare them for their future. Junior Achievement programs are funded through contributions from businesses, individuals, foundations, and special event fundraisers. For more information please visitwww.JuniorAchievement.com.