The Jaycees is a young professional organization that offers members the ability to acquire leadership skills while helping out the community through various projects and events. They hold monthly meetings and sponsor a variety of events designed to support not only community development, but also to build the personal and professional skills of its members. But it’s far from your average run-of-the-mill, stuffy, professional group.

"The group is social by nature, but we also provide many different areas of leadership growth and the ability to lead a project, to budget and plan and implement," notes Nick Bueter, current president of the Harrisburg chapter of the Jaycees. "All that can definitely lead to positive areas in the workplace." The only requirements to become a voting member of the Jaycees, you must be 21-40 and have a desire to learn, grow and contribute to the community.

The Junior Chamber of Commerce’s history dates back to 1915 in St. Louis, Missouri. A bank teller by the name of Henry Giessenbier, was determined to further the career advancement of not only himself, but of other young men. He believed that they could develop their skills as leaders by addressing civic issues. He contacted a few (32) friends and they started the Young Men’s Progressive Civic Association (YMPCA). One year later, the YMPCA became the Junior Citizens. Two years later, the group affiliated with the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce and, by 1920, the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce was born.

The age of Jaycees members has changed throughout the years. Back then, the Junior Chamber of Commerce was open to men ages 21-36 who were interested in building leadership skills through community service. Though women weren’t allowed to be official members of the organization until the 1980s, many were part of an affiliated auxiliary group known as the Jaycettes. Then, in 1984, the organization opened up to include women ages 18-35. In 1987, the National chamber revised the age limits again to include men and women 21-39.

Throughout history, the Junior Chamber of Commerce has tackled a multitude of projects and seen much success. Government involvement has been a national concern to its members. Some of the past significant projects that the Junior Chamber chapters have taken on include helping to develop airport facilities and regular air mail service during the 1920s; assisting in forming the National Wildlife Federation in the 1930s; and working to achieve statehood for Alaska in the 1950s.

And remember those fire protection stickers that were plastered on every child’s bedroom window in the ‘70s? The Jaycees distributed more than 5 million of them in 1972 as project "Operation Red Ball"—a program to aid fire departments in locating children and invalids during household fires.

Today, the Jaycees at the national, state and local levels still play a big role in both community and leadership development. The Harrisburg Chapter, which covers the city to about the Paxton area, is one of over 120 local chapters in the state. There are also the Paxton Jaycees, West Shore Jaycees, Carlisle Jaycees and Lancaster Jaycees, to name just a few in the Central PA area. Harrisburg is one of the founding local chapters. It was chartered as an official member of the Pennsylvania organization in 1941, and it currently has about 60 members—(Mayor Reed was a former member).

Some of the events that the Harrisburg chapter has been involved with include contributing to the Boys/Girls Clubs; assisting with a children’s Christmas shopping tour sponsored by the Sheetz Corporation, in which 100 underprivileged kids were each given $100 to buy Christmas gifts; as well as work with food banks and various other events and activities.

The Jaycees play an active role in Habitat for Humanity and sponsor bingo socials for the elderly at Dauphin Manor Nursing home. Events such as these not only help their causes, but also provide members with the opportunity to plan, budget and coordinate events so that they can perfect these skills to use in their careers. The Harrisburg chapter also sponsors wine & cheese parties, tailgating parties, book discussions and monthly International dinners to offer members a chance to network with other young professionals. Upcoming events include participating in the Bowl for Kids’ Sake later this month.