Bill is congratulated by his wife Cheryl, daughter Elizabeth, Jay Ediger, VP of Development and Lisa Hegenbart, Director of Education at the JA Worldwide Leadership Conference in July of 2007

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

September 12, 2007

For More Information Contact:

Amy Callaway

Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes, Inc.

(616) 575-9080 ex. 24

amy.callaway@ja.org

Award given each year to top JA franchise president for
generating revenue and student impact.

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Bill Coderre, president of Junior Achievement of The Michigan Great Lakes in Grand Rapids, Mich., has been awarded the nonprofit organization’s 2007 Charles R. Hook Award. The Hook Award is bestowed to one U.S. JA executive annually, and is the top honor for JA presidents who demonstrate superior results in promoting the growth and development of Junior Achievement in their area. The award was presented to Coderre during a ceremony at the JA Worldwide Leadership Conference on July 14^th in Washington, D.C.

Coderre was one of six finalists for the 2007 Hook Award. Each finalist was judged on his or her effectiveness in achieving impact, generating revenue, building sustainability, and improving efficiency. Finalists were also accountable for their actions in demonstrating JA’s values of respect, integrity, and excellence. Candidates for the award must have at least 10 years of service to Junior Achievement and a minimum of five years as a JA president, including three years as chief staff officer in their current area.

“I am so pleased and honored to receive this award, which recognizes the efforts of a tremendous staff, thousands of volunteers and our board of directors,” said Coderre. “It is through their tireless work that JA is able to inspire and prepare thousands of West Michigan  students to succeed through JA’s entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy programs.”

Coderre was first exposed to Junior Achievement as a Jr. at Bishop Hendricken7High School in Warwick Rhode Island.  Upon graduating high school, he became a JA volunteer throughout his college years.  At the end of his junior year at Bryant College, then college president William O’Hara asked Bill if he was interested in a paid internship with Junior Achievement.  Bill stated that his internship “excited him about the potential for a career with Junior Achievement.”  “Working for JA has truly been an avocation as well as a vocation.”

Coderre has been president of JA of the Michigan Great Lakes since 1999, and began his JA career in 1983 when he started as a program manager in Providence, R.I. He has served in a variety of positions, including president in Charleston, S.C., from 1990 to 1999. Since Coderre became the JA president in Grand Rapids, JA programs have grown 119 percent. His area is projected to reach more than 59,800 students in 2006-2007. In addition, Coderre has increased his operation’s net assets by 149 percent to over two million dollars.  

Bill is married to Cheryl and they have one daughter Elizabeth, who is a sophomore at Catholic Central High School.  Bill is a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, and is immediate past president of the St. Thomas the Apostle Education Commission.  St. Thomas the Apostle School was awarded the 2007 “School of Distinction” designation by the Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools.  St. Thomas is one of only two school statewide that has received this first time ever award, which was given on the basis of St. Thomas’s exemplary efforts in ongoing school improvement.  In addition to his service at St. Thomas, Bill is an active member of the Grand Rapids Economic Club, and has served the last two years on their essay contest committee.

“Bill’s efforts throughout his JA career have been exceptional,” said Gerald M. Czarnecki, president and chief executive officer of JA Worldwide. “The recipients of the Hook Award represent JA’s ‘best of the best,’ and Bill is truly deserving of this honor. His work has meant a strong and successful operation in the Grand Rapids area, and I sincerely congratulate him on receiving this prestigious award.”

The Hook Award is named after Charles R. Hook, an industrialist who served as president and chairman of Junior Achievement during the 1940s and 1950s. Under Hook’s leadership, Junior Achievement grew from a regional program in the northeastern U.S. into a national organization.

About JA Worldwide™ (Junior Achievement)

JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers educational programs that focus on three key content areas: entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy. Today, 140 individual area operations reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more than 3.5 million students served by operations in 114 countries worldwide. Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes is the 18^th largest JA operation in the United States.  For more information, visit www.ja.org. 

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