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State Coalition of the Year Award

Recognizing a Jump$tart state affiliate for exemplary accomplishments over the past year.

Background

Jump$tart’s State Coalition of the Year Award was first suggested by Dr. Lew Mandell, one of the Jump$tart Coalition’s founding board members, and was introduced in 2005. The award recognizes the significant contribution from affiliated state coalitions and is an opportunity to show our appreciation for these grassroots coalitions, which operate almost entirely with volunteers.

The State Coalition of the Year Award recognizes: the sound structure and management of the state coalition; its effectiveness and innovation in reaching, supporting, and assisting teachers; its public awareness activities; its effectiveness in carrying out Jump$tart’s State Coalition Common Strategy; and the level of participation and collaboration within the coalition itself.

Award Criteria

Maine Jump$tart – 2024 State Coalition of the Year

The Maine Jump$tart Coalition has always gone above and beyond with educator training, hosting an annual educator conference now in its 12th year, while also providing teacher scholarships to Jump$tart’s National Educator Conference.  In the last several years, Maine provided the most teacher scholarships, bringing 16 teachers to the NED in 2023. Like other state coalitions, Maine was deeply impacted by the pandemic. In an effort to rebuild the coalition, Maine Jump$tart President Mary Dyer focused on bringing teachers together and providing the classroom training and resources they need to succeed. In return, these same teachers showed their commitment to Maine Jump$tart and have even taken leadership roles within the coalition – helping to attract additional Partners and organizations who want to support educators.

Selection and Presentation

Recipients of the State Coalition of the Year Award and other Jump$tart honors are selected by a committee of national Jump$tart Coalition Board Members and prior honorees.  Awards are presented at the coalition’s Annual Awards Luncheon, the pinnacle event of Jump$tart’s Financial Literacy Month celebration each April.

Past Winners