THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 7, 1996 TAG: 9602060133
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
After 27 years at the same location on Azalea Garden Road in Norfolk, Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads has moved to new quarters in the Koger Executive Center off Kempsville Road near the Virginia Beach city line.
The move, which took place in late January, from a building filled with classrooms to a suite of modern offices, reflects changes in the programs and philosophy of Junior Achievement.
``Junior Achievement has changed in the last 10 years from an after-school experience to an in-school experience,'' said Charles N. Lovelace, local president of Junior Achievement, who lives in Kempsville. ``Two years ago we introduced in Hampton Roads the elementary school program; JA is now in grades K through 12. The bulk of what we do is taking business persons into the classroom. The need for facilities for the after-school program has declined.''
On Jan. 30, the signs were still up out front and on the side of the Azalea Garden Road building that had been built by Junior Achievement in 1968, several years after the program came to Hampton Roads. The building was home to generations of high school students who gathered in the evenings to form companies, and develop and sell products or services, all under the watchful eye of volunteer advisers from the business community. Ecolochem Inc., an industrial water treatment business, has purchased the building and, after renovations, plans to use it for its human resource and training center.
``We decided to sell the building because our staffing needs have changed,'' Lovelace explained. ``Owning a building costs money. All of our money comes from the business community, and we decided to put it into programs. The demand for our programs exceeds the supply. Two years ago our elementary program was in 65 classrooms; now we're in 138. The bad news is that, in our franchise territory, there are 200 elementary schools. That's a lot of classrooms that we're not in.''
Despite doubling the size of Junior Achievement's programs over the last four years, there are, Lovelace says, more than 100,000 students that the program is not reaching. Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads serves an area that includes 11 school districts, extending from Williamsburg to Elizabeth City, N.C. The program is funded by contributions from some 400 businesses, ranging from $25 to $10,000 a year.
``We are one of the few truly regional delivery systems,'' he said.
The proceeds, more than $200,000, from the building's sale have been used to start an endowment fund to provide for the continuation and expansion of Junior Achievement's programs, Lovelace said. Future plans include a fund-raising campaign to double the endowment.
By the year 2000, Lovelace says he hopes to be reaching 20,000 students with Junior Achievement's message about business education, work-force readiness, decision-making skills and the importance of staying in school. This year he expects to reach about 7,500 students, surpassing last year's record of 6,556.
``We don't charge the schools,'' Lovelace said, ``and we provide all the materials, and recruit and train the volunteers. The only restriction to explosive growth is dollars.''
The new location, while smaller than the old, has ample space for Junior Achievement's three full-time and four part-time employees, plus a large open area with a long table, suitable for use as a training center or conference room.
The new location also has windows.
``We didn't have any windows in the old building,'' Lovelace explained. ``They're a welcome addition.''
Last week three staff members were busily unpacking boxes, trying to establish a sense of normalcy in the new quarters, while two other staffers finished clearing out the old facility. Junior Achievement's biggest special-event fund-raiser, its Bowl-A-Thon, involving 1,800 to 2,000 bowlers, takes place the last weekend in February and the first two weekends in March. MEMO: Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads Ind. is now located in the
Gloucester Building, 17 Koger Executive Center, Suite 111, Norfolk, Va.
23502. The new phone number is 455-9500.
ILLUSTRATION: Photos by DAWSON MILLS
LEFT: Sue Stanley and Kim Brant, right, pack up at Junior
Achievement's former location on Azalea Garden Road.
ABOVE: Charles N. Lovelace, left, local president of Junior
Achievement; J. Ewing Brown and Tina Hodges get to work at the new
location in the Koger Executive Center.
by CNB