THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 9, 1995 TAG: 9508080107
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
When Patti Stephenson visited Camp Virginia Jaycee in early July, signs of a devastating flood a few days earlier were obvious.
``We could still see the mud caked up on the sides of the mountains,'' Stephenson said. ``You could tell how bad it had been.''
The Red Cross in Bedford County was looking for help for flood victims. They wanted food, clothing, anything the people would need, Stephenson said. When the organization approached the Jaycees, Stephenson saw a perfect opportunity for the chapter she heads, The Real Smithfield Jaycees, to help folks at home.
``We worked to help hurricane victims in Florida and flood victims in the Midwest,'' she said. ``I saw it as a chance to help Virginians.''
So Stephenson got her troops together. And on July Fourth, even though it was a holiday, members of the local Jaycees stood in front of Food Lion at Smithfield Shopping Center, collecting food and money to help victims of floods in western Virginia.
Throughout the nation, the Jaycees, or United States Junior Chamber of Commerce, is a community service, leadership training and fellowship, volunteer organization open to men and women ages 21 through 39. There are more than 4,500 chapters nationwide, ranging in size from 20 members to several hundred.
Nationally, the Jaycees concentrate on community service and involvement, and, in Smithfield, it's no different.
Helping the flood victims is just one example of what the Jaycees do, Stephenson said.
Since the group was reorganized in 1987, after an earlier group had disbanded, the Real Smithfield Jaycees started and has run the annual downtown Christmas parade.
The group also sponsors a ``Safe Trick or Treat'' for local children. Members have placed flags on Main and Church streets on patriotic holidays, sponsored a football skills workshop for youngsters each fall and sponsored dances for various worthy causes.
In addition, the local Jaycees support national and state projects, like Camp Virginia Jaycee near Roanoke. The facility, owned and operated by the Jaycees, offers summer camp to the mentally retarded.
And despite difficulties last year that saw declining membership, enthusiasm hasn't dwindled. The Jaycees are coming back strong.
``Last year, the president resigned and moved out of the area,'' said Stephenson, who took over as president in May. ``We had a major project - Party on the Pagan - that did well but was not a money-maker. It was a kind of shake up. Some members lost faith in the organization. But the hard-core Jaycees have hung in there, and we're recovering.''
Membership had declined from an all-time high in the late '80s of 120 to about 30, Stephenson said. Since she took over, it has started to grow again.
``We had too much going for us to give up,'' Stephenson said.
The Jaycees, for example, had invested a large amount of money and a lot of work into renovating what once was an agricultural building at the old Smithfield High School.
``We rent the building from the county,'' Stephenson said. ``And we just renewed the lease for another five years. For the first several years, we concentrated on the inside. We put in two new bathrooms, redid the plumbing and the electrical. Now, we're starting to work on the outside of the building, the parking lot and the landscaping.''
For the past several months, building the membership of the group has been a major emphasis. For information, call Stephenson at 357-9136. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
JAYCEE ACTIVITIES
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
by CNB