Junior Achievement of Wisconsin and the Connected for Kids partner organizations — Children’s Wisconsin, Emplify Health by Bellin and ThedaCare — today held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially inaugurate the Connected for Kids Experiential Learning Storefront at the Junior Achievement location in Appleton.
The celebration marks the formal opening of a first-of-its-kind, immersive healthcare learning experience designed to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals across Northeast Wisconsin. The storefront, which opened earlier this year, invites students in grades 4 through 6 to step into the roles of healthcare leaders — exploring patient care, learning how medical organizations operate and discovering the wide range of career options available in this field.
The storefront will be used for experiential learning through JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. JA BizTown is a nationally recognized entrepreneurial simulation that brings real-world industries to life through hands-on learning. JA Finance Park is a personal financial planning and career capstone experience where students apply learning to develop a personal budget. The Connected for Kids storefront extends these experiences into the healthcare sector, allowing students to become a healthcare CEO, market the partner organizations’ services and learn what it is really like to work in healthcare.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome Children’s Wisconsin, Emplify Health by Bellin and
ThedaCare as partners in the JA BizTown and Finance Park experience,” said Matt Juedes, Director of Development and Stewardship for Junior Achievement. “These opportunities have always been about more than business — they’re about opening doors for young people and showing them what is possible. Having the Connected for Kids partner organizations come together in this space sends a powerful message to our students: your future career in healthcare starts right here.”
The Connected for Kids pediatric partnership aims to improve the health and well-being of children and adolescents in Northeast and Central Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Together, its partner organizations have worked collaboratively to design a storefront experience that is both medically meaningful and genuinely engaging for children. The initiative reflects the partners’ collective belief that early exposure to healthcare careers can strengthen individual futures and the healthcare workforce.
“We are excited about what this storefront represents — not only for the children who will experience it, but for the future of pediatric care in our region,” said Matt Buelow, MD, Medical Director of the Northeast Region for Children’s Wisconsin and Medical Director for Connected for Kids. “As a physician, I know how important it is to inspire young people to consider this field. And as a father, I have seen firsthand how meaningful and lasting this kind of experience can be. We are proud to be part of something that helps make that connection real.”
For Emplify Health by Bellin, the Connected for Kids storefront reflects the organization’s deep commitment to the communities it serves — and to nurturing the curiosity and potential of every young person in them.
“Bringing this storefront to life required thoughtful collaboration and a dedication to
creating something meaningful for kiddos,” said Jamie Hagenow-Sekora, Pediatrics Specialties and Primary Care Pediatrics and Adolescent Team Leader at Emplify Health by Bellin. “We worked with our Connected for Kids partners and the Junior Achievement team to ensure every element of this experience resonates with students. We believe that when kids understand healthcare, they are better equipped to take ownership of their own well-being — and maybe even get inspired to become the caregivers of tomorrow.”
ThedaCare leaders echo that sense of shared purpose and community investment.
“The Connected for Kids partnership is a testament to what we can accomplish when healthcare organizations prioritize collaboration over competition,” said Mark Cockley, MD, Senior Vice President of Population Health for the North Region of Froedtert ThedaCare. “We share a vision of a healthier, more vibrant region where people in our communities are inspired to live their unique, best life — and we know that vision begins with investing in our children. This storefront is one more way we are living that commitment every day.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony brought together organizational leadership, community
representatives and students who participate in the JA programs. Following the ribbon cutting, attendees had the opportunity to experience the Connected for Kids storefront and learn more about what students encounter during their BizTown and Finance Park visits.
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Junior Achievement provides young people with the skills and confidence to own their economic future and contribute to the economic viability of their families, communities, and country. The JA mission is achieved by recruiting and training community volunteers to teach K-12 students about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness skills. JA classroom volunteers serve as role models and help students understand what it takes to be successful in the business world. JA programs contain age-appropriate, hands-on curriculum that engages students to learn while they are having fun.
About Connected for Kids
Connected for Kids is a pediatric joint venture aimed at improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents in Northeast and central Wisconsin, as well as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Through focused coordination, closer alignment and resource investments, the partnership is making a meaningful impact on the lives of youth, their families and the region’s communities.
The organizations remain independent entities and maintain responsibility for the day-to-day operations of pediatric services at their clinics and facilities. At the same time, the three entities work closely together to enhance pediatric primary and specialty care to benefit children and adolescents in this growing region.
About Children’s Wisconsin
Recognized as one of the leading pediatric health systems in the country, Children’s Wisconsin is the only health system in Wisconsin solely dedicated to the health and well-being of kids. Children’s Wisconsin pediatric specialty care physicians have been providing services in the northeast region of the state for more than 25 years. In 2001, Children’s Wisconsin began operating its Neenah hospital, which is located on the ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah campus. Children’s Wisconsin Fox Valley Child Advocacy Center opened in 2004 to care for children who have been victims of neglect and abuse. Other area services include well-being and community health programs. Learn more at childrenswi.org.
About Emplify Health
Emplify Health is a not-for-profit, patient centered, community-focused healthcare network with headquarters in Green Bay and La Crosse, Wisconsin. Emplify Health has 16,000 employees, including more than 1,400 clinicians, in 11 hospitals and more than 100 clinic locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Upper Michigan, and Iowa. With community partners, Emplify Health strives to lead (with love) local, regional and national healthcare transformation to inspire people’s best lives at every stage. Learn what we are becoming at emplifyhealth.org.
About ThedaCare
For more than 115 years, ThedaCare® has been improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves in northeast and central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 650,000 residents in 17 counties, and employs approximately 7,000 providers and team members at 180 points of care, including 10 hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their unique, best lives. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand needs, find solutions together, and encourage health awareness and action. ThedaCare is part of Froedtert ThedaCare, Wisconsin’s most comprehensive healthcare system.
For more information, visit thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on social media.