Edible Arrangements® Executive Brings Junior Achievement Program to Dunbar Hill School in Hamden

Hartford, CT – (April 10, 2018) – A former student of Dunbar Hill School in Hamden, now an executive at Edible Arrangements corporate headquarters, will return to the school next month with over 20 volunteers to provide the school’s first-in-a-decade Junior Achievement (JA) program.

Somia Farid, Director of Canada Business for Edible Arrangements® (Edible), is helping organize the April 13 “JA in a Day” program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade at Dunbar Hill. Using the JA curriculum, which focuses on empowering young students to own their future economic success, the participants will enjoy a fun-filled and interactive curriculum with Edible volunteers who will provide lessons in entrepreneurship, career readiness, and financial literacy.

The group from Edible, which includes many of the company’s senior executives, will work side by side with teachers in 12 classrooms, reaching about 250 students.

“It’s clear that Edible Arrangements remains committed to Connecticut communities and we are honored to partner with them on this important initiative,” said Jeremy Race, president and CEO of JA of Southwest New England.

Designed to give companies the opportunity to sponsor a school in their community, “JA in a Day” allows Edible volunteers to teach 5 lessons throughout the day with a different focus for each grade level. Lessons include topics such as: how to create a business plan and the importance of entrepreneurial skills in helping students prepare for future careers or start businesses of their own.

Ms. Farid is a member of JA’s New Haven Advisory Board and looks forward to returning to her former school, where her cousin is a current student, in partnership with JA. Her father, Edible Arrangements founder and CEO Tariq Farid, was named to the JA Business Hall of Fame in 2016.

“It’s an honor to be able to give back to the school that helped mold me into the person I am today,” said Ms. Farid. “JA has empowered students in this community for many years, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to contribute and give these children the same opportunities that I was granted growing up.”

JA has 109 chapters across the United States, with various programs aimed at all grade levels from elementary to high school. The Hartford chapter of JA expects to organize over 130 volunteer days this year, working with over 100 companies and reaching over 40,000 students.

About Junior Achievement:

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 provides 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 more than 4.8 million students per year in over 100 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. Locally in Connecticut, JA of Southwest New England serves more than 44,000 students annually. To find out how you can help change the lives of young people in Connecticut, please contact Jeremy Race, President & CEO, at jrace@jaconn.org or 860-525-4510.

About Edible Arrangements®:

With more than 1,300 franchise locations open or under development worldwide, Edible Arrangements is the world’s largest franchisor of shops offering creatively designed fresh cut fruit arrangements. Edible Arrangements® store locations also carry the company’s rapidly expanding Edible To Go® line which features all-natural, fresh fruit smoothies, chocolate Dipped Fruit™, Froyo Fruit Blends™, fresh fruit salads, parfaits, and treats. Since its founding in 1999 in East Haven, Conn., the company has been recognized as an industry leader, ranking first in its category in Entrepreneur magazine’s annual “Franchise 500,” Entrepreneur’s
Top 40 of “Fastest Growing Franchises” and “America’s Top Global Franchises” as well as being included among the “Inc. 5000” list of the fastest growing privately-held companies.

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