COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Junior Achievement USA^® (JA) today announced a $121,500 gift from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) that will help deliver financial literacy programming to young people in four JA Areas across the United States.

"We are thrilled to receive this gift on behalf of America's students," said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and chief executive officer of Junior Achievement USA. "MassMutual has given tangible proof of its practical commitment to giving young people advantages through financial literacy."

The $121,500 gift will facilitate up to 40 classes from the available JA curriculum to help young people gain the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. Additionally, MassMutual employees will serve as JA volunteers, teaching the JA curriculum and sharing their personal and professional experiences with students.

"It is critical to teach our children the skills they need to manage their finances. Learning to make smart financial decisions early in life can help them make the transition to college and financial independence later in life," said Nick Fyntrilakis, vice president, Community Responsibility.

The Junior Achievement mission is a direct correlation with MassMutual's mission to help families become more confident in their financial decisions and empower them to take control of their financial situations. Financial literacy is currently not required schoolwork in many of the nation's schools.

According to the Council for Economic Education's "Survey of the States 2011: The State of Economic and Personal Finance Education in our Nation's Schools," only 13 states require its schools to teach personal finance skills to its students.

"Personal finance management is an essential life-building skill.  With college debt at all-time high, students must understand how financial decisions can impact their future.  We are so excited that this partnership will help empower more students to make a connection between what they learn in school and how it can be applied to their lives as they grow older," said Kosakowski.

The MassMutual grant is supporting the delivery and implementation of four different JA programs across the United States beginning now through April 26, 2013.

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 4.2 million students per year in more than 120 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.8 million students served by operations in 120 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

About MassMutual
Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyholders. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyholders consistently since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company's strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

For more information, visit www.massmutual.com or find MassMutual on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+.

SOURCE Junior Achievement USA