Moline, IL – Junior Achievement of the Heartland announced today that Dougal Nelson has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization.  Junior Achievement (JA) is the world’s largest and fastest-growing 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.

Destined to Travel with JA Contest Launches

Moline, IL. - Junior Achievement USA^™ is offering high school students the opportunity to win a three-day adventure for four people to Walt Disney World^® Resort in Orlando. To enter the Destined to Travel with JA contest, students review the interactive Destination Build lesson, a teaching tool that allows students to explore the tourism industry, complete a quick quiz, and submit their answers. The randomly selected winner will receive two nights at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort, 12 complimentary one-day Park Hopper^® passes, and $2,000 for airfare and other travel expenses.

"This contest is a terrific opportunity for high school student in our area," says Barbara VenHorst, president, Junior Achievement of the Heartland.  "In addition to earning a chance to win a prize worth more than $4,000, our future job seekers and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to explore the tourism industry. This means every student that participates is a winner."

The nationwide contest is based on student learning drawn from Destination Build, an online learning lesson that is housed in the hospitality and tourism student sector of the JA Student Center, available from the Junior Achievement^® website. Through it, students explore the decisions made by city planners to increase local tourism in a community and hear from residents and tourists about how consumer decisions influence the local economy. The scenario is different each time a student plays the online lesson.

The contest, sponsored by the Destination & Travel Foundation, is open to high school students. The deadline for contest submissions is November 1, 2011. Visit http://bit.ly/n8jRBK for more contest information.

About the Destination & Travel Foundation

The Destination & Travel Foundation is a combined effort between the U.S. Travel Association and Destination Marketing Association International.  In February of 2009, the respective foundations for each association were combined to create a stronger organization better capable of enhancing the destination marketing and travel professions through research, education, visioning and development of resources and partnerships for those efforts. The new organization was joined by Tauck-Romano Innovative Philanthropy, ShopAmerica Alliance and American Express Foundation in a multi-year program with Junior Achievement. For more information on Destination & Travel Foundation, visit http://www.ustravel.org/about/Foundation.html. 

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 four million students per year in more than 120 markets across the United States, with an additional six million students served by operations in 119 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

Locally, Junior Achievement of the Heartland serves more than 56,000 students in 24-counties throughout eastern Iowa, western Illinois and Grant County Wisconsin.