Jaycees look to increase membership

 

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By the end of the year, the Woodstock Jaycees hopes to double its membership from 20 to 40.
According to Woodstock chapter president Joe Weyland, the main role of the Jaycees is simply “to help people” in the community. More specifically, he said the organization’s mission is “to further promote the interests of our organization and our members to the community. We strive to make a difference by educating the public and expanding our reach.”
The chapter has been in existence for 45 years. Currently, the Jaycees accepts members ages 21 to 40, but Weyland said he expects the organization to open itself to members as young as 18 in the near future, perhaps before the end of the month. To maximize the number of people the organization can help, the Jaycees needs additional volunteers.
Each year, the organization hosts a variety of events, from the recent Easter egg hunt at Emricson Park to Fourth of July concession and glow necklace sales to the Bar Olympics in the summer, in which teams of two compete in six events to determine a champion of darts and other bar games.
The summer is a busy time of year for the Jaycees, and this year should be no exception.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, April 10, members will haul sand to houses as part of the Jaycees’ annual “sandbox fill” promotion. Residents can pay $5 to have a wheelbarrow full of sand dumped into their sandboxes or in other areas of their lawns. Additional wheelbarrows of sand can be purchased as well.
Last year, the Jaycees spent about eight hours delivering more than 100 wheelbarrows of sand donated by Gavers Excavating. To schedule a delivery, call Weyland at 815-347-0306 or visit www.woodstockjaycees.org.
The Woodstock Jaycee Volunteer Scholarship awards $500 annually to a Marian Central Catholic or Woodstock High School student. Requirements and applications, which are due May 9, are available on the Jaycees’ Web site. The organization also pays to have one or two physically disabled children sent to Camp New Hope for a portion of the summer.
In addition to annual events, members of the Jaycees usually pick up some unexpected projects each year.
When a 24-unit apartment complex along St. John’s Road burned down a year ago, it was the Jaycees, along with Woodstock Christian Life Services, that helped collect more than $25,000 for the 43 former residents displaced by the fire.
A spaghetti dinner organized by Jaycees treasurer Sara Hodges will be held Friday, May 16, to raise money for the family of a Prairiewood Elementary School student who recently had a brain cyst removed. The family didn’t have health insurance at the time of the diagnosis, requiring them to pay an estimated $300,000 out of their own pocket. For information on the event and the story of Matthew Harris, see Page 1.
Soon the organization will hold an informational meeting for potential members to discuss the role the Jaycees plays in the community.
“We want to make it as easy for people as possible (to learn more about the Jaycees),” Weyland said.
Hodges agreed, adding that while the tightly knit group works hard to make the community a better place, they also know how to have fun.
“The Jaycees do work very hard, but at the same time, we make time to play hard,” she said. Weyland added that the hard work helps to “bring people together.”

 

This article was published in the April 16, 2008 edition of The Woodstock Independent.