I am sitting here in the dugout contemplating the end of the game. We have had our last team meeting in Macon and we are headed for our last road trip to Annapolis, MD, where we will celebrate our 2006-2007 season.

For those of you that didn’t get to go to the Spring Team Meeting in Macon, you missed a great time. We had a good turn out and got to help the Jaycees by running the Wacky Olympics. We even had a team in the competition. They didn’t do so well but with some training throughout the coming year I am sure they will make a better showing next year. Captain Earl Sawyer #28243, Ed Hart #28991, Tom Hendrix #37317, Mike Rogers #30390, and Bill Smith #38430 represented us well. We should have some photos soon on the website.

We also had our usual book judging, First Timers and Speak Up / Write Up competitions. Thanks to Donna DeLaney #55560 for handling that chore all year. The competitors seem to be increasing at each meeting.

Everyone has done a tremendous job this year. We continue to help our Jaycees and we have fun in our Senate friendships. We have had a great year and I would like to thank all of the award winners that were recognized at Macon:

• Senator of the Month December – Kelli Hopkins #47617 & Bernard Thompson #52497
• Senator of the Month January – Chrissy #65841 & Mike #62337 Sommer
• Senator of the Month February – Sandy Backes #64521 & Mike Schaefer #55456
  
  
• Senator of the Third Quarter – Chrissy & Mike Sommer
  
  
• Senator of the Month March – Michele Emmerich #60635
• Senator of the Month April – Ed Hart #28991
• Senator of the Month May – Jerry Thompson #56957
  
  
• Senator of the Fourth Quarter – Tim Vincent #54020
  
  
• Program Manager of the Year – Ernie #60650 & Kristie #62494 Lea for Hospitality
  
  
• Senator of the Year – Boni Hart #59553

I would also like to thank everyone that has participated in any project or attended any of the meetings. All of you are the best. We help our Jaycees succeed, we help at our own projects and we travel to not only our Missouri meetings but to Region 6 meetings and the national meetings.

Thanks goes to everyone that renews their dues and to those that join the Life Member group. Also, thanks to everyone that has come back onto the team to make us that much stronger. We hope you all get involved in our activities. At this time we will end the year with growth of about 25 members. We will have a final total soon.

As I have said before, it’s been fun so far. But the best is yet to come. We are looking forward to crossing home plate at Annapolis to celebrate another year of accomplishments by our members. Food booths, new members, meetings, baseball, pirates, M&Ms, awards, newsletters, football, the webpage, Return The Favor and working with the many Jaycee chapters, basketball, welcoming new Jaycee officers, and best of all renewing and making Senate friendships. That, of course, is what it’s all about. And, it couldn’t have been done without all of you, the members, because it’s “In Your Hands”, you make the difference. Thanks, let’s finish strong.

Home plate is in sight! Our final goal. We’re looking to cross the finish line to complete our year. What a trip it has been. It has taken us to locations far and wide. We’ve been all over the state as well as around Region 6 and other parts of the country. With only a couple more stops on the horizon we are looking to finish strong.

Our last team meeting will be in Macon, May 18-20. Please join us as we celebrate our year end. We hope to see you there. Of course we will be training and judging for the Jaycees and bringing back Wacky Olympics as a team building exercise for them under the leadership of Patricia Miller #55457. We will also be installing our new officers for the coming year at the Saturday banquet.

We have already started planning for the upcoming year. The Board met in Branson, March 30-31 at the site of next year’s Region 6 Meeting to hammer out a budget and calendar for 2007-2008. It looks like it will be another great year, so "let the fun begin!"

In a time of no scheduled meetings we have put in many hours with our Jaycees. The Missouri Jaycees marched #1 in the Parade at the year end meeting held in St. Louis in March. Looks like all that training, mentoring, judging, and coaching paid off. We have once again made an impact on our Jaycees. Congratulations to President and new Senator Joe Chandler #66999 for an outstanding year.

Of course, we have hit the ground running with the new Jaycee Board. So far, we are reviving a couple of old Senate-run projects. One is the Wacky Olympics, the other is Mock Legislature. The new President, also a new Senator, Jennifer Boggs #67050 has some plans for us to be involved during her year and we are eager to continue doing our part.

Our final stop, at home plate, will be at the U.S. JCI Senate National Convention in Annapolis, MD on June 24-28, the Senate’s 35th Anniversary. Anyone that would still like to go can contact me for more information. A registration form is on our webpage at www.mojcisenate.org/doc/Annapolis2007.pdf. Make your plans now so that you can get your rooms reserved soon as they are becoming hard to come by. As you travel to Annapolis and home plate, “be safe.”

If you haven’t done so recently, be sure to take a look at the webpage. Debbie Velten #63040 has done a fantastic job adding information to the site this year. Most recently we have updated our Past Presidents page with pictures and histories of their years as President. We have had a lot of good comments on that. We have up-dated on a sometimes weekly basis with new pictures and information about our programs and members. If you have any comments or suggestions please let us know.

Return The Favor is the key to the Jaycees future. The national Jaycee organization has turned a corner and is making positive strides toward improving their recent declines in membership and participation. If we can continue to provide quality training, mentoring, etc. the Jaycees will continue to flourish. We are lucky here to have good positive communications with our Jaycees.

I hope you have enjoyed the many things we have done and accomplished this year. We have tried to travel to all parts of the state and take part in varied activities. More and more Senators have gotten involved and we have added many past members to our team. If you know of a Senator in your area, or someone that you were involved with in your Jaycee days, that’s not currently a Missouri Senator, give them a call and invite them to come back to the group.

My thanks go to my wife Donna #55560 for her support through the year; and to my Board; what a great group. Randy, Anner, DeWayne, Boni, and Kramit will continue to serve the Missouri Senate in the coming years. Also, Missouri is very lucky to have had the leadership we have had over the years. It is because of this guidance that we continue to have outstanding years. But it is because of you the members that we continue to make an impact on the entire Jaycee and JCI Senate organizations.

My theme for the year has been "In Your Hands". I believe we have taken the Jaycees in our hands and made an impact on their year. In Henry Giessenbier’s day, the destiny of the Jaycee organization was in their own hands; today, now that the Jaycee organization has grown to its great level, the Senate and the Return The Favor program is a key to their continued success.

We have a few items that need to be sent out. We just finished our Third Quarter billings and we finished with a plus 1 for the quarter. That keeps us at growth for the year. We will be hitting the roster hard for the final quarter to finish strong. If you know of a Senator that is not currently a member of the MO Senate, give them a call and invite them to rejoin. We can keep them up-to-date with what we are doing and maybe get them to assist on some Return The Favor events.

We will be running “Wacky Olympics” for the Jaycees during the upcoming Spring Meeting in Macon on May 18-20. Patricia Miller #55457 will be the Wacky Chairman. The event is meant to be a Team Building exercise while having some fun at the same time. We should be doing this after lunch sometime on Saturday so Patricia will need some help. Also, we may have to draft some Senators onto one or more teams to compete against the Jaycees. The individual events have not been decided yet, but may include favorites such as a water balloon toss, toilet paper unrolling, and the ever popular tricycle races. Be sure to let Patricia know that you will help. This is an RTF project.

The Spring Meeting will also be the installation of our new officers for the 2007-2008 year. Elected to lead the MO Senate this year is Randy Johnson #56636 President, Leah Ann ‘Anner’ Hilgert #55561 Vice President, DeWayne Cartee #62218 Treasurer, and Boni Hart #59553 Secretary. Be there as these new officers take the ball and start off on a new year of projects and fun.

Another big event that we are putting together is a revival of Mock Legislature. It was run for years in Jefferson City at the Capitol as a Governmental Affairs project but was dropped a few years ago. Basically, we would elect political officers to oversee the House and Senate chambers while submitting and passing our own Mock Bills. Senators and Representatives debate the various bills just like the actual Legislators do during the real sessions. Tom Hendrix #37317 has agreed to get this project going again. There has been a lot of positive reaction to our attempt to restart this highly visible project. This was always one of the best events run by the Jaycees in years past. We will be treating this as an actual Senate project and we will invite any Jaycees to participate as it is a great way for anyone to learn the Legislative process and how our state government works. If any Senator wants to help Tom please contact him soon so that plans can be made in Jefferson City. We will also be looking for a sponsor for the event so if you have ideas in that area let us know.

The Region 6 & 8 Meeting is this weekend in Grand Island, NE. If you still want to go you are welcome to come along. Contact me for more information. Most people will arrive Friday evening for the festivities and hospitality. Saturday is the Business Meeting and the gathering of the Region 6 Pirates. Wear your pirate gear. That evening is the 35th Anniversary Banquet for Region 6 as all the past Region 6 VPs will be honored. Following this is the Miss M&M Pageant where contestants from throughout the Region will be vying for this coveted honor. It will be a fun time.

Of course, don’t forget the National Convention coming up in Annapolis, MD, June 24-28. This is the 35th Anniversary of the U.S. JCI Senate, so it will be a great party. Anyone that would like to plan to go should contact me for more information. A registration form is on our webpage at www.mojcisenate.org/doc/Annapolis2007.pdf. Make your plans now so that you can get your rooms reserved soon.

It’s been fun so far. But the best is yet to come. We are looking forward to crossing home plate at the end of the year to celebrate another year of accomplishments by our members. Food booths, new members, meetings, pirates, M&Ms, awards, newsletters, the webpage, Return The Favor and working with the many Jaycee chapters, welcoming new Jaycee officers, and best of all renewing and making Senate friendships. That, of course, is what it’s all about. And, it couldn’t have been done without all of you, the members, because it’s “In Your Hands”, you make the difference. Thanks, let’s finish strong.

Well, we've made it past the seventh inning stretch and we are headed for home plate. There's only a couple of more stops along the way. Coming up soon will be the Region 14 (6 & 8) Meeting in Grand Island, NE on March 9-11. This will be another meeting of the pirates as Region 6 VP Marilyn Mueller #51429 will welcome everyone to her home port. Join us as we travel to this unchartered area to "Plunder The Fun" once again. We will be celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Region 6 honoring all of the past Region 6 VPs and will be great time to catch up on past members. The Miss M&M pageant will also be a highlight (or maybe a lowlight). If you have never been to a Region Meeting this will be one to attend.

We are looking into the possibility of assisting the U. S. Jaycees during their year end celebration and convention on March 15-18. In talking with outgoing National President Lisa Parrish, she may need some help on various events during the week. We are getting last minute notice on this so we will be in touch and get out at schedule as soon as we know something. It may be something as simple as taking tickets at the door, or judging Speak Up. If you have some time during that week, either during the day or the evenings we could use a hand.

Following that, we will be having our Spring Meeting in Macon on May 18-20. This will be a fun event for all. We hope you can make it. Besides the meeting on Saturday, if all goes well, we will be hosting the "Wacky Olympics" during the afternoon for the Jaycees as a Team Building session. We will need some help for that. Patricia Miller #55457 will be handling the event. Of course we will be judging and training on Friday and Saturday also, so Donna DeLaney #55560 will need judges.

Don't forget that we will be installing our new officers at this meeting at the banquet on Saturday night. Our officers for 2007-2008 will be: President - Randy Johnson #56636, Vice President – Leah Ann "Anner" Hilgert #55561, Treasurer – DeWayne Cartee #62218, and Secretary – Boni Hart #59553. Come and celebrate with them as they assume the leadership of the organization.

So after that, there's the big meeting of the year. The National Convention and 35th Anniversary of the U. S. JCI Senate in Annapolis, MD on June 24-28. There will be lots to do, lots to see, lots of fun, and lots of friendships to make and renew. Join us as we "Set Sail" for the east coast and some great seafood and great friends.

We've had some great times since the start of the new year. We started by helping the Missouri Jaycees by having several Senators as trainers at LOTS in Jefferson City. We also judged year end books that day. Thanks again to Donna DeLaney for taking care of that task.

We got the opportunity to sit down with new Missouri Jaycees President Jennifer Boggs #67050 and her four Vice Presidents to discuss how we could better serve the Jaycees. Many ideas were discussed and we came away with some ideas that we will try to implement in the coming months. One is the "Wacky Olympics" and the other is reviving Mock Legislature. Additional training was also discussed and will be added at upcoming state meetings.

We have some ideas about Mock that we will try to incorporate into a simplified version of the project as it was several years ago. We will run this as a Senate project and invite the Jaycees to attend and participate. If someone would like be included in the planning stages of this please contact Randy Johnson.

I want to thank everyone that has been helping their Jaycees. We continue to pile up the hours for "Return The Favor". If you have done ANYTHING to assist your Jaycees we want to hear about it so that we can turn in your hours. Tim Vincent #54020 has been doing another outstanding job with RTF this year so we want to finish with a home run. If you have trained, mentored, or helped on a project please let us know. Missouri continues to be one of the top states for RTF so let's continue to help.

If anyone would still like to get one of the red mesh baseball shirts we need to have a few more requests in order to reach our minimum. Although it's the end of the year there have been a few people that have requested the shirt. The price is still $25. They have the white script Missouri on the front and will have the name and number of your choice on the back.

Another item we have available is about 10 of the champagne flutes from the Christmas Party. They are $5.00 and will be sold on a first come first serve basis. Let me know if you would like to get one. They are marked MO JCI SENATE.

To all of you, the Senators, the best of the best, we are starting to hear the roar of the crowd as we are fast approaching home plate. Let's finish out our home run trot on a strong note as we show everyone why the JCI Senate is "In Your Hands."

Congratulations to all of you, the Missouri JCI Senate. We have accomplished everything we set out to do during this busy first half of our year. >From beginning the year with the national convention in St. Charles, we have kept up a steady pace by being active in our projects while also lending a helping hand to our Jaycees when it was needed.

We made our money when we needed to during a busy week in August. We helped the Jaycees at Access Day at the State Fair. We had baseball fun in Kansas City. And then we helped at the Japanese Festival for an On-To project.

Then we had some meetings to attend. We had our first Team Missouri Meeting in Joplin. Then on to Indianapolis for the National Board of Directors meeting where we brought home some awards. Then, it was up to Wisconsin for the meeting of the Pirates at the Region 6 Meeting. We collected some loot there as well.

After all these meetings it was time for more sports fun, so we packed up and went to the Missouri/Nebraska football game. We came out on the short end on the game but definitely not on the hospitality as we had the usual great treatment from the Nebraska Senate.

Next up was the Christmas Party / Holiday Meeting in Columbia. What a great time that was. We were graced with a visit from National President Calvin Baerveldt and First Lady Diane all the way from Maryland. It was great that they took the time from their busy schedule to drop in to visit with us and share Calvin’s theme of “Setting Sail Together” and to talk about the Senate and the relationship with the Jaycees organization.

More sports again, as we traveled to St. Louis for the Missouri / Illinois “Braggin’ Rights” basketball game. Once again, we came out on the short end of the game, but it was a great game. But of course we shared more great fellowship with the Illinois Senate. We are talking about some changes to this program for the years to come.

It’s hard to believe we did all of this in only 7 months. All of you have been terrific as we have also stayed busy and active with our Jaycees. Return the Favor continues to be the way to keep our Jaycees on top. I hope that our efforts have lent to their outstanding year. As they head into their end of year striving to remain the #1 state in the country, lend a hand to push them over the top. We will be meeting with them at LOTS to help plan for the coming Jaycee year and how we can offer our assistance.

I am proud of everything we have accomplished. Our year has gone very well as we improve on several areas. Let’s finish our year on a strong note. Keep up the good work. If you haven’t had the opportunity to make it to one of our activities or meetings, now is the time to get in the game.

So as we continue into the holiday season, Donna and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Be safe during the holidays and we will keep the ball rolling in 2007.

HALFTIME !!!

Missouri Senators, we’ve made it through half of our year. The work has been hard (but fun), the travels have been long, the hospitality has been good, the friendships have been many, and the memories are lasting.

We had a great trip to Lincoln to see the MO/NE football game. The game didn’t come out the way we had hoped; but, as always, we had great hospitality and great food. Thanks go to President Rick Spearow, Pat Schuster, Mike Keithley, and all the Nebraska Senate for putting on a great event.

Coming up next is the Christmas Party / Holiday Meeting, December 9 in Columbia. Kelli Hopkins #47617 and Bernard Thompson #52497 have promised a fun event. Although this is a “Special Meeting” it IS a business meeting.

Don't forget that U. S. JCI Senate President Calvin Baerveldt #36419 and First Lady Diane #48476 will be sailing in from Maryland for our party. Be sure to show them our great Missouri hospitality.

Also, keep in mind that this is when you are allowed to announce your intentions of running for office in next year’s election. You should send a “Letter of Intent” to run for office to the Secretary prior to the meeting.

If you haven’t gotten your reservation into the hotel, you had better do that ASAP. Rooms are starting to run short. The hotel is the Hawthorne Suites at the SE corner of the intersection of I-70 & US-63. Contact them at 573-442-8600 or www.hawthorne.com (ask for the MO JCI Senate block).You can still send your $30 registration to Kelli Hopkins #47617. You can pay at the door but if you intend to do that please call Kelli so that we can get some indication of a head count.

Don’t forget your white elephant gift for after the dinner. Bring “something that you can only do outdoors.” After that, you should have your dancing shoes because Kelli likes to dance.

The last scheduled event for this year is the MO/IL Braggin’ Rights basketball game at the Radisson Hotel at 4th & Pine in St. Louis, December 19. It’s our turn to host so we need some people there to help as well as to go to the game. Gerry Moore #26604 will be getting more information out on this soon.

On into January and a new year, we have the Winter Meeting at Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks. This is where we will be electing our new officers for next year. You can check your newsletter for a Registration Form.

It is unfortunate that once again, our meeting falls on the same weekend as the U.S. JCI Senate Fall Board of Directors Meeting in Mesa, AZ. Several of our members will miss our meeting to go to the desert for national commitments.

We will need judges for the Missouri Jaycee competitions. Chairman Donna DeLaney #55560 will be rounding up some helpers on Friday night. Please lend a hand when asked. Since the Missouri Jaycees are currently the #1 state in America, they should have some good competitors.

At the Saturday night banquet, not only will we be escorting the OYM/OYF recipients we will be welcoming in several new Senators. Remember when you got your Senatorship? Remember the excitement? Be there to bring the new Senators into our ranks.

Following the Winter Meeting will be our 2 Super Bowl Parties. Heading up the Jefferson City party is Sandy Backes #64521. It will be held at the Jefferson City Jaycees / Cole County Fairgrounds. All Senators and Jaycees are welcome. There will be more info on this party soon.

The St. Louis area party will be chaired by Mike Schaefer #55456. Plans are still coming together for it also. There are plans for a big raffle, so check with Mike on that.

So, as you can see, we have some more busy times ahead for the third quarter. Everyone needs to keep helping their Jaycees to get those Return The Favor hours turned in.

We will be having several Senators helping at LOTS in Jefferson City. Offer your help to train new officers and members in your chapters. This is where we can have the biggest impact on our Jaycees.

As we go into the Christmas season we have had some Senators that have lost family members. Please keep them in your thoughts.

Donna and I would like to wish all of our Senate family Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas.

Hey, how ‘bout them Cardinals! World Champion St. Louis Cardinals sounds pretty good. Did they have a great year or what? They’re a lot like the Missouri JCI Senate. We’re having a great year also. Everyone is pulling together to point us to a successful finish.

Missouri Senators, you are showing everyone why we are the best. We’ve planned for success, run great projects, raised some money, helped our Jaycees, had some great fun together, traveled to state, regional, and national meetings; and that’s just for 5 months. We haven’t even made it to half time yet.

I want to thank everyone that made it to Joplin to the first team meeting of the year. We had a great time and took care of some business. Thanks to our guests, Region 6 VP Marilyn Mueller #51429 from Nebraska, and National Secretary Pat Hoelker #45893 and her husband Skip from Iowa.

So, what’s up next?? If you are going to Lincoln for the Missouri/Nebraska football game you need to get your reservations in. There are no more tickets but you can still get them when you get there. If you still need to make reservations, the hotel is the Settle Inn; their phone number is 401-435-8100. If you need help contact Gerry Moore #26604. If you still want to go but not go to the game, there will be several Senators that will be tailgating throughout the game. So, come join the party and enjoy the Nebraska hospitality.

Also, World Congress is November 13-18, in Seoul, South Korea. We will have a few people going to this so if you would still like to attend, let us know.

Reservations also need to be made soon for the Christmas Party / Holiday Meeting in Columbia on December 9. The cost is $30 per person and should be sent to Kelli Hopkins #47617. The hotel is the Hawthorn Suites, 805 Keene Street, at the intersection of I-70 and US 63. You can call them at 573-442-8600. Their web address is www.hawthorn.com. The room block will be released on November 9, so call soon. Rooms are $79, ask for the MO JCI Senate block.

“Setting Sail Together” with us for the meeting will be National President Calvin Baerveldt #36419 and First Lady Diane #48476, from Maryland, and a few other special guests will also be in attendance. Don’t forget, there’s a White Elephant Gift Exchange planned for the evening. Bring an item under $10 with the theme of “Something You Can Only Do Outdoors”.

Be sure to check out our webpage www.mojcisenate.org. Webmistress Debbie Velten #63040 has added more photos for everyone to enjoy (lots of pirates). And, how about the latest newsletter? Editor Boni Hart #59553 did another great job getting our second issue out the door. By the way, everyone should check out the national webpage, www.usjcisenate.org, for information on projects and meetings. You can usually find the answers to the Newsletter Riddle here also. Don’t forget, Editor Boni offers a prize for the first to answer each time.

So, as you can see, we are not lacking for things to do. Come out and join us. We hope to see you for the second half of the season, we are having a blast. Come out and hit a home run or score a touchdown. Your Season Ticket is still available. Remember, the Missouri JCI Senate is “In Your Hands!”

Busy, busy, busy!!! We’ve just had a very busy month of August. In one week, we raised nearly all of the money we need to run our group for the entire year. If not for our 2 big projects we would be scrambling all year to raise the necessary funds to run our programs. Thanks goes out to everyone that helped. Chairmen Dennis “Kramit” Kramer #61560 & Bruce Wilson #41210 at the Cole County Fair BBQ Food Booth, and for Larry Kenney #32967 at the Strassenfest Food Booth our thanks goes to you also.

In addition, we had probably our 2 biggest Return The Favor projects as far as manpower. Access Day at the State Fair and our assistance at the Cole County Fair are both award winners. RTF hours in general are up from this time last year, so we are out making a difference with our chapters, lending a hand and training.

And, to top it off, we stopped and had some baseball fun by going to the KC Royals game. We brought out some Senators that we don’t see much of and had a great tailgate party. Jim Pendleton #40286 did a great job putting that together and Mike Gridley #64333 turned out to be a good cook and chauffer.

We had 91 members due for the first quarter. We got our renewals down to seven. We have added 13 new/old members so we will grow by 6 for the quarter.

So, the ball keeps rolling…….

September and the second quarter will be no different. We had the chance to get some On-To hours, by working in the food booth at the Japanese Festival in St. Louis . The Mission Inn Jaycees needed the assistance in cooking and serving kabobs and roasted corn. It went on for four days ending on Labor Day Monday at the Botanical Gardens. They had record setting success for their annual project. They have been doing this for 10 years and had their biggest money making day ever on that Friday. Thanks to the Senators that participated.

We’re getting ready for our first State Meeting for the year. In Joplin , we will take time to run the Jaycees competitions, so chairman Donna DeLaney #55560 will need judges. Jaycee project books are being judged prior to the meeting and “Hands On” training will be provided at Joplin on how to write a book. Book Training is something the Jaycees have specifically asked for so we are putting a program together for them. At the meeting we will be talking about our projects and also voting on some necessary By-Laws revisions.

The Board as well as the By-Laws Committee has spent many hours discussing proposed changes over the past couple of months. The changes were mailed out to everyone so that you had time to review them. Please come prepared to discuss and vote on any necessary changes.

At this time, National Secretary Pat Hoelker and her husband Skip from Iowa , and Region 6 VP Marilyn Mueller and her husband Lloyd from Nebraska , will all be in attendance at Joplin . Let’s make them welcome and show them some good Missouri hospitality.

Everyone needs to keep assisting your Jaycee chapters with the help they need. Keep up the training, mentoring, recruiting, etc. as they ask. Be sure to offer your assistance, make it known that we are here to help if they need something.

Other events on the horizon are the National BOD Meeting in Indianapolis , the Region 6 Meeting in Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin , a fall work weekend at Wonderland Camp for RTF hours, and the MO/NE Football Game in Lincoln . Don’t forget the Christmas Party / Holiday Meeting in Columbia , December 9 when National President Calvin Baerveldt #36419 and his wife Diane #48476 will “sail” into town for a visit.

Keep up the great work. Stay involved or get involved with your Jaycees. Get in the game. Play Ball.

Has everyone had enough of this heat? Things have certainly heated up in the Missouri JCI Senate as well.

We have been busy since the start of the new year. This includes the National Convention in St. Charles. Thanks to everyone that brought that together.

The change over in administrations is certainly a hectic time. Even before the old year is finalized you have to take off again to make sure that nothing gets left out. So far, it looks like we have had a smooth transition.

COMMUNICATIONS

Have you had a chance to check out the 3 means of communications you have at your disposal?

First is the national webpage www.usjcisenate.org, it is newly changed with President Calvin’s info ready for review. Be sure to check out the history section. The information is outstanding.

Second is our own award winning webpage www.mojcisenate.org. Webmistress, Debbie Velten #63040 has updated the vital information as well as added some new pages. This is the place to go to get needed facts on our members, meetings, projects, and programs. And pictures, we have lots of pictures. If you have any comments, suggestions, or pictures to add, please let us know.

Third is our tremendous newsletter. Also an award winner, new Editor Boni Hart #59553 has spent countless hours getting our first issue out the door. If for some reason you did not get your copy, either by email or snail mail, please contact Boni and she will get one to you ASAP. You can also view the newsletter on the webpage.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We have our 2 biggest money making projects coming up in the next week. On top of everything else is that they overlap for the weekend. So, we will need plenty of help.

The Cole County Fair BBQ Booth is July 31 thru August 5 in Jefferson City. Chairmen Dennis “Kramit” Kramer #61560 and Bruce Wilson #41210 need commitments from all Senators. Most of the Jefferson City Senators are already tied up with helping on other aspects of the Fair, so out of town Senators are needed all week.

If you can spare an evening or two please contact Kramit and Bruce.

Our Strassenfest Food Booth runs August 4 thru August 6. We will be serving grilled bratwurst and turkey legs again this year. So far, Larry Kenney #32967 has been bringing things together in St. Louis . We will need helpers for cooking and serving from Friday afternoon till Sunday afternoon. Last year we were short on help so we need Senators to step up and fill some time slots to make it easier on everyone.

With the Cole County Booth going on at the same time we need a good showing of Senators from the St. Louis area to help out. To sign up for a work shift please call Larry. We know we can count on you.

BASEBALL FUN

As soon as we get through this week of cooking and serving some great food we are going to have some baseball fun Kansas City style. We are spreading our presence out over the entire state this year. On August 19 we will be attending a KC Royals – Oakland A’s game.

We will get there early, around 3:00 for a tailgate party at the stadium before the game. We will have some ballpark franks and some beverages before we go to the game. As an added bonus, it’s George Brett Bobblehead Night. What a deal. After the game we will tailgate a while longer till they run us off!

Chairman Jim Pendleton #40286 has arranged this at $35 per person, which includes your game ticket and the tailgate. If you already have tickets it will be $10 for the tailgate only. We will be on the West side of Kaufman Stadium. We will get more directions out when we can.

IMPORTANT! We need your requests and money by August 1 in order to get the seats together. It will be well attended due to the Bobblehead Night promotion. Please send your money ASAP to Jim.

We have good crowd going at this time. We are hoping to get some of our old Senators that we don’t see very often from the area. If you know of someone (Senators or Jaycees) that might be interested in going give them a call.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

So, as you can see, we are busy as usual. First some work and then some fun. Come out and join us. We hope to see you, we are having a blast. Come out and hit a homerun or score a touchdown. Your Season Ticket is waiting. Remember, the Missouri JCI Senate is “In Your Hands!”

It is with great pleasure that I welcome all JCI Senators and Jaycees, as well as others to this site. Please take some time to explore the many pages and get to know us, what we do, and what we stand for. Much effort has been put into this award winning site and we are proud of the traditions, training, and experiences we have shared through the years.

I have always been interested in the history of the Jaycee organization. We are proud of the fact that we are from the "Birthplace State". Our roots go back to the founding fathers of the Jaycee movement. For 86 years, Jaycees and JCI Senators in Missouri have helped their communities and themselves become better. Our rich history has produced many outstanding leaders over the years.

Those of us that have been honored as Senators by our peers are lucky to be able to carry the Jaycee traditions into an extended time beyond our Jaycee years. We have been given the opportunity to continue the friendships and service that marked our years as Jaycees. In addition to all of that, I have been given the privilege of being elected to lead our great organization for the coming year. For that, I express my heartfelt thanks to the entire Missouri JCI Senate. I look forward to all of the challenges as well as the opportunities.

My theme for the coming year will be "In Your Hands". In 1920, at the first national convention of the organization, in St. Louis, Henry Giessenbier in his address to the delegates stated that "In your hands lies the destiny of a great organization". That statement is just as true today as it was then, but in a slightly different way. The Jaycees have now become that great organization, but in order for the Jaycees to continue to grow there has to be further efforts to train, mentor, and provide opportunities for their membership.

We are accomplished individuals. We are now in a position to assist the Jaycees while continuing friendships we developed in the past. We must strengthen our relationship with the Missouri Jaycees. We have to make it known that we are here and ready to help. The success of the Jaycees is truly in your hands. By helping with their many successes, we insure the future of our organization as they continue to honor their outstanding members as Senators.

That is why Return The Favor will continue to be an emphasis area here in Missouri. We have been tremendously successful in helping our Jaycees with training, manpower, and passing on the things that we found to be successful. We hope they can put them to use. If we don't continue to Return The Favor to the Jaycees we will be looking at continued dwindling membership and fewer opportunities in the communities that they serve.

Another area I intend to focus on is getting some our lost members back in the game. There are many of them that have not been heard from in a while and have lost some contact with the state organization. I intend to bring them back. We need all of our members to contact other Senators from your chapters, or Senators that you shared Jaycees experiences with, and encourage them to once again become an active part of the organization.

We need everyone to attend the socials, come to the meetings, share ideas, and remind us of our past successes. We can have a bigger and better organization if we all take the time to get the word out. It takes all of us though. Please join us.

We will have a sports theme throughout the year. These types of socials have been well attended so we will continue that aspect and try to expand on the idea. We are having some additional social get-togethers in various parts of the state in order to bring in as many new and old Senators as we can. Please participate when you can.

Finally, I would like to thank some people that have made my years as a Jaycee and JCI Senator memorable.

First of all, to First Lady Donna, thanks for allowing me to do this. You have been here before and you will continue to be a tremendous asset to me and for the Missouri Senate throughout the year.

To all of our kids, and now grandkids, some of which are now Jaycees themselves, thanks.

Thanks to the membership for allowing me to serve as your President. Thanks to our executive team, Randy, Anner, DeWayne, and Dennis for stepping up to the plate to work for us all. I couldn't ask for a better group.

Thanks to all of the Moberly Jaycees and the Capital City Jaycees, for all of our wonderful experiences. Thanks to Jack & Bob, Sherwood, Wayne, Monty, Allen, Jim, Gwen, Andrea, Jackie, Patricia, Mike, Darrell, Ed & Boni, and Earl & Mary. You are all what this organization is all about. Without all of you I wouldn't be here today.

To everyone else, along the way, to the many Jaycee members, the Jaycee Women, to the people that have been touched by all the things we do, to everyone at Wonderland Camp, to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, I say thank you for making my Jaycee career a wonderful time. Please join me to make this year special for all of us.

Yours in the Jaycee Spirit and Senate Friendships,

Dave DeLaney #41203
33rd President
Missouri JCI Senate