Over the years, our agency—Leavitt Group Northwest—has worked with many meaningful organizations in our community, but our partnership with Junior Achievement of Washington truly stands out.
Junior Achievement is a global nonprofit dedicated to helping young people build the skills they need for economic success, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. One of their facilities is right here in Auburn, and we’ve been fortunate to support many events there over the years. It’s an incredible place—one that brings learning to life in a way textbooks just can’t.
Each year, more than 35,000 students walk through the doors of the Auburn Junior Achievement facility, supported by over 2,000 volunteers. Inside, students can experience a taste of working life. Through programs like BizTown and Finance Park, they spend the day running an entire town, taking on real-world roles and making real-time decisions.
When Nationwide decided to step away from its longtime storefront partnership, Junior Achievement of Washington reached out to us. We had expressed interest over the years, and we were honored to be considered. From there, we worked together to remodel and rebrand two storefronts for Leavitt Group Northwest—one for BizTown and one for Finance Park.
BizTown is designed for grade school students, who take on roles ranging from mayor and police officer to CEO and retail clerk. In our storefront, they operate a functioning insurance agency, complete with a CEO, insurance agent, claims specialist, and manager. They visit other businesses in the town, sell insurance policies, bill local companies, and manage cash flow, all while learning how insurance fits into a real economy.
Finance Park focuses on financial literacy and budget planning for high school students. Each student is assigned a life scenario, complete with a career, salary, and family situation. They move through the town making decisions about housing, transportation, food, savings, and insurance. Through our storefront, they learn how insurance helps protect their finances and plan responsibly for the future.
What makes Junior Achievement of Washington so special is how tangible the learning is. Students leave with a better understanding of how communities function, how money moves, and how their choices matter. It’s engaging, and it sets them up with knowledge they’ll carry into adulthood.
We truly value our partnership with Junior Achievement and the opportunity to support the incredible work they do. The facility, the programs, and the people behind them are nothing short of amazing, and we’re proud to play a small part in helping educate the next generation.
