At a black-time banquet in the Amway Grand Hotel, Junior Achievement of West Michigan named Peter M. Wege the winner of the 2008 Edward J. Frey Distinguished Achievement Award. It was Edward J. Frey, a Grand Rapids banker and insurance entrepreneur, who founded the local chapter of Junior Achievement in 1955.
Peter M. Wege, the JA program noted, has been a champion for causes in West Michigan for all of his adult life. Since his time serving in World War II, he has dedicated himself to taking care of the environment and other causes in our community.
The Junior Achievement program also recognized Peter’s father, Peter Martin Wege, who founded Metal Office Furniture, now Steelcase Inc., in 1912. Peter Martin Wege. Along with his early partners David Hunting and Walter Idema, Peter Martin Wege was one of the first leaders named to Junior Achievement’s Business Hall of Fame.
Junior Achievement of West Michigan sends business professionals into West Michigan schools where they teach the skills of succeeding in the world of free enterprise. Among the specific topics, these volunteers show students how to apply and interview for jobs. They stress the importance of education, show young people how to handle their own finances, and teach them how to compete in a global economy.
Over the 2007-2008 school year, volunteers for Junior Achievement of West Michigan went into over 200 schools and reached over 60,000 students in grades kindergarten through high school.