Becoming a Jaycee
Who becomes a Jaycee, and how? One way that people learn about the organization is through many of the programs that the Jaycees are involved in. For example, Mahar just returned from a conference called the Ten Outstanding Young Americans (TOYA) program, an annual award given by JCI USA .
“Some of the recipients became members because they were nominated and were introduced to the Jaycees through that program,” she noted.
“We also work closely with other organizations, like the Kiwanis Club,” she added. “We hope to engage High School students that are in the Kiwanis Key Club, in order to get more young people involved in the Jaycees organization.”
Often, upon “aging out’ of the Jaycees at age 40, members return to the Kiwanis Club.
Kelly Edwards came to the Jaycees more “organically”. She attended an event about eight years ago at the Jaycees Hall, which is frequently rented out to other organizations and people, where she met Gronvold. They became friendly, and she was offered a job to help out around the Hall. She saw and liked what the Jaycees did, and she became a member in 2013.
Being a Jaycee means making a difference and having fun, pointed out Edwards. Now, in addition to her work taking care of the hall, which is frequently rented out for community events, she has become the main community outreach person, and is instrumental in creating new projects and bringing in new people and new ideas.
