Now is the time for some of those people who are looking for an opportunity to step forward. Also, for some of the businesses out there, if you have an employee you think could benefit from some leadership and management skills, consider paying their membership dues. See where it takes them.

They've been trying a fluctuating schedule to find a time when the most people can show up. Again, the club tries to accommodate its members.

I always tell prospective new members to think of two-or-three pet projects they would like to do in the community. If you help with those projects, then you've gotten what you wanted out of it. Everything else is a bonus.

The Charles City Jaycees are in need of new members that are willing to step up and help lead this chapter. We need people with fresh ideas and a new prospective on how the activities of this chapter can benefit our community.

When I first moved here to get married, I didn't know anyone. It was a social outlet for me to get to meet people. Through the programs you get involved in, though, you gain those leadership and management skills, sometimes without even realizing it.

In many, many countries, to be a member of the Jaycees you have to be put on a waiting list and become approved. You are selected or chosen, you 'get' to be a Jaycee and it is considered a big honor. It's fascinating to travel to Jaycee conventions and talk with people from all around the world, and they talk about how lucky we are in the U.S. to actually be able to just decide to go and do this.

Some Jaycee chapters are heavily involved in all the regional and national events the parent organization hosts. Others never send anyone. No one dictates that you have to do it. But the opportunity is there for some wonderful experiences.