I have enjoyed my first weekend of traveling and spreading the news of my desire to become your next Minnesota Junior Chamber State President. This was one of the best traveling weekends I’ve been a part of recently.
First we visited with the Bemidji Jaycees during their 64th Annual Bemidji Jaycees Water Carnival. President Crystal Hegg, along with chairs Will & Carolyn Fisher, organized a great event. I was able to help serve the visitors from a variety of taps. Never let it be said that Bemidji does not offer options for beverages. It was also great to be able to spend time talking about connecting with new members and how important it is to get them out to assist with projects and make them feel a part of your chapter. Thanks Sam! A very heartfelt “Thank You” to Tonya Sandbo for opening her home to us to catch a few hours of sleep before continuing.
Next we stopped at the Brainerd Jaycees Corn Feed. I was able to help finish shucking the corn (brings me back to my childhood on the ranch) and then assist in handing out the great sweet corn to the crowd. President Sara Thompson was very welcoming and made us feel a part of the group. It provided an opportunity to visit with members such as Chris Nelson and learn more about them. It is amazing to see how fast the corn was handed out…I look forward to working with such an exciting group.
From there we traveled to St Cloud to help with the Glow Stick sales for the fireworks. Chad & Robin Groetsch had such great organization to the process that it was a lot of fun to work the crowd. I was impressed to also see them start a new relationship with the Becker Drumline as they helped sell in one of the parks. Creating relationships with other organizations will only make us a stronger organization ourselves. Another great fireworks were on display in St Cloud.
On Saturday I was excited to stop in Delano and help with their Softball Tournament. Martin “Toon” had a well-organized event. Even with the Jaycees coordinating 5 different booths this year. President Jodi Baumgard should be proud of what her chapter was able to accomplish. There was a number of great questions and discussion during the shift about the focus of next year. I was able to receive some great feedback on ideas that they feel need some focus.
The day ended in Austin at their street dance. I want to thank Chair Jackie and President Danielle Nesvold for allowing us to partake in this fun event. I am truly impressed by the Austin Jaycees and the member turnout for the event. When you get that many members together, including ensuring the newly signed members feel a part of the group, it feeds on itself. Others see the fun of the large group and want to be part of it and look for a way to join. Once again I enjoyed meeting a lot of you and hearing your ideas for our organization.
I thank everyone who helped make the 4th of July weekend a great traveling experience…it just reinforced within me the impact that our great jaycee State has within our communities and for our members. I look forward to seeing more of you soon.
–Jason
