Service Is Key To Young Leadership
By Jonathan Cook, PR/Marketing Chair, Hawaii Adopt-A-School Day
Hawaii Jaycees
School furloughs, budget cuts, upset and confused parents – our local headlines are full of these today. The Hawaii Jaycees has decided to try to be part of the solution by rallying Hawaii to come together.
The U.S. Jaycees was founded in 1920 in St. Louis, Mo., to teach “Leadership Through Community Service” to young people ages 20 to 39. The Hawaii Jaycees, started in 1943, gives local members the opportunity to envision and execute such projects, learning through hands-on experience. No other organization offers that.
Jaycees alumni include former President Bill Clinton, banker Walter Dods, state Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland and numerous others, who all acknowledge the huge impact being a Jaycee has had on their lives. The Jaycees gave them their first chance to take on challenges, backed by the full support of their fellow members.
The Hawaii Jaycees has played a vital role locally, creating such institutions as the Aloha Festivals, 50th State Fair and Hawaii Blood Bank.
That spirit continues to serve our Islands today in projects such as Adopt-A-School Day.
What is school adoption all about? On Adopt-A-School Day, participating groups go out to their adopted school(s) and put in a full day’s work. On previous AASDs, work included planting flowers, trees and other landscaping projects, delivering school supplies, and long-overdue painting of school buildings, playgrounds and parking lots.
In 2009, the Hawaii Jaycees was able to get almost 40 Hawaii schools adopted across every county. This year we will hold AADS on Oct. 10 – 10/10/10 – and we’re determined to get 100 schools across Hawaii adopted by local organizations, businesses and groups of all kinds.
Find out more about the Jaycees on our Web site, www.HawaiiJaycees.org. You also can read about AASD and how to get involved at www.AdoptASchoolDay.org, or e-mail us at Info@AdoptASchoolDay.org.
See original article here:
http://www.midweek.com/content/columns/proofpositive_article/service_is_key_to_young_leadership/
