Jaycees win national awards
McMinnville Jaycees were recognized as the 16th best chapter in the nation at the U.S. Jaycees Year-End Celebration held earlier this month in Dallas, Tex.
“It’s great to be recognized nationally for all of our hard work. I don’t know if this honor has ever happened to the McMinnville chapter before,” said club past-president Harrison Woodlee, who attended the Year-End Celebration on the local chapter’s behalf.
In winning the national honor, the McMinnville Jaycees bested close to 2,300 other Jaycees chapters from across the country. To achieve this feat, the club proved its outstanding service in many areas, including increasing club membership and implementing several state and national Jaycees programs and fund-raisers, as well as many of their own.
Projects undertaken by the local club are numerous and include a beauty pageant, a softball tournament, a golf tournament and a fair food booth. The proceeds from these projects are in turn used to fund the many programs the club holds for the benefit of the community such as a Christmas party for underprivileged children, an annual Easter egg hunt, softball and basketball leagues and a college scholarship.
Also helping the McMinnville chapter to bring home its national honor was the completion of a chapter expansion, as they helped establish a Jaycees chapter in Sparta.
In addition to the chapter honor, several individual awards recognizing the efforts of local Jaycees were also awarded at the Year-End Celebration.
Former chapter vice president and current president Leigh Anne Freeze was the recipient of one of only 20 national awards honoring outstanding vice presidents at the local level. Similarly, Woodlee picked up one of only 20 Charles Kulp, Jr. Memorial Awards given to the top chapter presidents across the nation.
Chapter member Ruthe Yamasaki was honored for being a community service vice president for the Tennessee Jaycees.
“We are very excited to have won and picked up these awards in Dallas and are proud of our accomplishments. We worked very hard last year and it shows,” said Woodlee.