Richmond Jaycees

The United States Junior Chamber (JCs or more commonly Jaycees) is a leadership training and civic organization for people between the ages of 21 and 40. Areas of emphasis are business development, management skills, individual training, community service, and international connections. The U.S. Junior Chamber is a non-profit corporation/organization as described under IRS code 501 (c)(4).

Established in 1920 to provide opportunities for young men to develop personal and leadership skills through service to others, the Jaycees later expanded to include women, reflecting the growing influence and leadership of women in America.

Since the organization’s founding, Jaycees have been involved in civic, national and international affairs. Jaycees helped establish Airmail services in America with Jaycee Charles Lindbergh, and have raised millions of dollars for causes such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the March of Dimes. They have built parks, playgrounds, hospitals, ball fields, and housing for the elderly while conducting service and support programs in thousands of communities nationwide.

Jaycees can be found in all walks of life: governmental leaders such as past Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford; business tycoons such as Domino’s Pizza mogul Tom Monaghan; registered nurse and former Miss America Lani Rae Rafko-Wilson; sports legends such as basketball great Larry Bird; and recording artists such as Bradley Joseph

Vision

The U.S. Junior Chamber founder Henry Giessenbier’s vision of providing young people with leadership through community service can be broken down into four Areas of Opportunity: Business, Individual, Community, and International.

• Business: embodying the line of the Jaycee Creed, which states “Economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise,” this area provides an opportunity for individual members to contribute to the development and enhancement of the economic infrastructure, prosperity, and well-being for their community as well as all nations.

• Individual: embodying the line of the Jaycee Creed which states “Earth’s great treasure lies in human personality,” this area provides an opportunity for individual members to realize their personal potential through training programs.

• Community: embodying the line of the Jaycee Creed which states “Service to humanity is the best work of life,” this area develops the sensitivity of individual members to societal problems and community dynamics by providing experience in community problem solving.

• International: embodying the line of the Jaycee Creed which states “That the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereignty of nations,” this area provides an opportunity for individual members to contribute to the development of goodwill, understanding, and cooperation among all peoples.

The Junior Chamber organization is: “a constructive action organization of young persons who devote a portion of their time to community service in the public interest, developing young persons as leaders in their communities.” (Taken from The U.S. Junior Chamber Bylaws Manual.)

The purpose of the Junior Chamber is: “to promote and foster the growth and development of young persons’ civic organizations in the United States, designed to inculcate (to teach and impress upon) in the individual membership of such organization a spirit of genuine Americanism and civic interest, and…to provide them with opportunity for personal development and achievement and an avenue for intelligent participation…in the affairs of the community, state, and nation, and to develop true friendship and understanding among young persons of all nations.” (Taken from The U.S. Junior Chamber Bylaws Manual.)

Simply put, the purpose of the local chapter is to become a force for good in the community, determining community needs and providing solutions by planning and facilitating community service projects. In the act of serving, members receive hands-on experience, which translates to the enhancement of personal growth and the development of valuable leadership skills. This is the total Junior Chamber Concept.

Jaycee Creed

The author of the Jaycee Creed was C. William Brownfield. The Creed was adopted by the Junior Chamber International in 1946 and the United States Junior Chamber in 1947. The original version of the Creed did not include a reference to faith in God. This refence was not added until 1951.

WE BELIEVE:

That faith in God gives meaning and purpose to human life;

That the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereignty of nations;

That economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise;

That government should be of laws rather than of men;

That earth’s great treasure lies in human personality;

And that service to humanity is the best work of life.