Hunter Lisk - 81st President
Career: Realtor, Ruhl & Ruhl
Chris Mill - Chairman of the Board
Career: Project Manager, Unison Solutions
Honors: 80th President
Libby Butt - Executive Vice President
Career: John Deere, Supply Management Specialist
Molly McCullough - Treasurer
Career: Kunkel & Associates, Inc.
Lisa Kloft - Secretary
Career: A.Y. McDonald
Honors: JCI Iowa Chapter VP of the Year, 2020 and
JCI USA Chapter VP of the Year, 2021
Anand Mark - Vice President, Community Relations
Career: Andersen Corporation
Matt O'Brien - Vice President, Member Relations
Career: City of Dubuque
General Membership
Katie (Bahl) Steffensmeier, 2008
Derek Combs, 2009
Jason Fuller, 2009
Jennifer Even, 2010
Megan Vorwald, 2010
Val Schaffer, 2010
Anne Osterholz, 2011
Heather Blackmore, 2012
Kevin Koch, 2013
Alison Fuller, 2014
Anna Hoppmann, 2015
Austin Hansen, 2016
Melanie Mill, 2017
Hilary Forrester, 2018
Wade Fuerste, 2018
Chris Mill, 2019
Lisa Kloft, 2020
Hunter Lisk, 2021
Taylor Knuckey, 2021
Brandon Noel, 2021
Meghann Shaw, 2021
Libby Butt, 2021
Brenna Burgart, 2022
Kelsey Bockenstedt, 2022
Giovanni Demezier, 2022
Anand Mark, 2022
Matt O’Brien, 2022
Molly McCullough, 2022
Noah Hayes, 2022
Dakota Bokath, 2022
Dominic Gentile, 2022
Haidee Cardoso, 2023
Chris Dempsey, 2023
Dylan Michels, 2023
Zachary Barry, 2023
Carter Lee, 2023
Molly McCollough, 2023
Callie Waterman, 2023
Ashley Cocayne, 2023
About Us
The Jaycees is a worldwide community of young active citizens between the ages of 18 and 40 who share the belief that, in order to create positive change, they must take collective action to improve the community, the world, and themselves. Engaging in activities covering everything from local food drives to highly impactful international projects, members demonstrate social responsibility and improve themselves through participation, leadership and action.
The goal of the Jaycees is to provide leadership training through community service. What sets the Junior Chamber apart from other organizations is a focus on individual development. While most volunteer groups offer community service and social activities, the Jaycees offers its members the opportunity to improve themselves. By chairing a local project, a young person can practice organization, delegation, time and resource management, public relations and motivational skills. Training programs are usually offered by the Jaycees, usually at no cost to the member, that also teach these skills.
The whole Jaycees organization starts with a local chapter serving one or more communities. Chapter members are then automatically members of a state organization (JCI Iowa), as well as the national organization (JCI USA) and the International organization (JCI).
We believe:
That faith in God gives meaning and purpose to human life;
That the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereignty of nations;
That economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise;
That government should be of laws rather than of men;
That earth’s greatest treasure lies in human personality;
And that service to humanity is the best work of life.
This creed, or our set of values, was written and adopted by the Junior Chamber of Commerce (now the Jaycees or JCI) in the 1940s. While our values have evolved beyond the words written, this still holds value and encompasses each area of focus within our organization.
Individual Area of Opportunity
Embodying the line of the Jaycee Creed which states “Earth’s great treasure lies in human personality,” this area provides an opportunity for individual members to realize their personal potential through training programs. Programming in this area would encompass all how-to programs, not related to Leadership, which falls in the Business Area of Opportunity.
Community Area of Opportunity
Embodying the line of the Jaycee Creed which states “Service to humanity is the best work of life,” this area develops the sensitivity of individual members to societal problems and community dynamics by providing experience in community problem solving. Programming in this area would encompass any project or program that either educates community members or improves the quality of life in a community.
Management Area of Opportunity
Embodying the line of the Jaycee Creed which states “Government should be of laws rather than of men,” this area develops the managerial skill of the individual member at all levels of the organization. Programming in this area would encompass any program or project that enhances a member’s management skills.
Business Area of Opportunity
Embodying the line of the Jaycees Creed, which states, “Economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise,” this area provides an opportunity for individual members to contribute to the development and enhancement of the economic infrastructure, prosperity, and well being for all nations. Programming in the area would encompass any business-oriented training or other program that contributes to the economic prosperity for members and the community.
As JCI members, our Mission is to create positive change in the world. We believe that by taking responsibility for our communities, we can create solutions to the problems we see around us.
But just talking about positive change is not enough. To make an impact, we must turn our words into action. With the JCI Active Citizen Framework, JCI introduces a concrete method for developing, executing and tracking our initiatives to ensure successful projects and sustainable solutions to problems in our world.
Formerly known as the JCI Better World Framework, the new JCI Active Citizen Framework, an outcome of 2010 JCI Global Partnership Summit Resolution, was adopted by the JCI General Assembly at the 2010 JCI World Congress. The Framework describes a better way to create long-lasting positive change and measure our impact.
JCI carefully studied the elements of successful local and national projects over several years. This led to the development of a comprehensive system for carrying out projects, engaging partners and monitoring results to effectively address community issues. With the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a foundation, the JCI Active Citizen Framework provides a global platform for measurable, results-driven actionable steps that produce positive change.
Following the 2010 JCI Global Partnership Summit, JCI has committed to developing partnerships across the three sectors – business, government and civil society. The JCI Active Citizen Framework will also provide a context for building partnerships with entities mutually aligned with our goals. By assessing local needs, we can gain a reputation for relevance and, by measuring our results, we can clearly demonstrate our impact.
Objectives
- Empower and activate young people to take ownership of their communities.
- Provide a framework for sustainable action that produces tangible results and measurable societal development.
- Align JCI partners at global, national and local levels in cohesive, strategic format for societal development.
Activation and Training
The recipe for change starts with the young active citizens of JCI. JCI members are the developers, managers and executors of every local project. A JCI Official Course, JCI Impact will introduce the JCI Active Citizen Framework. Participants will learn how to assess a community’s needs, find the root causes of problems and decide on projects that create sustainable solutions. JCI members will explore their role as active citizens and learn how to work with partners in business, government and civil society to effectively address issues facing our communities and world. Once an individual has taken this course, that person will be ready to apply the JCI Active Citizen Framework as a methodology to implement local projects.
Analyzing Community Needs
The first step in creating a successful project involves analyzing the community and assessing its needs. To make a lasting impact, we must critically examine and understand most pressing problems around us. Using tools like surveys, demographic data and discussions with community leaders will deepen your understanding of the challenges and their real causes. The data gathered will ensure that the project is relevant and the process of gathering it will connect JCI members to potential partners.
Formulating Sustainable Solutions
After collecting and analyzing data on community needs, the next step is to begin crafting projects that address the core problems and provide long-term solutions with maximum impact within the community. Issues can be addressed through three integrated stages of development that drive a community toward prosperity and enhance development. JCI members can adapt these three steps separately or in combination to help any community based on its unique situation.
Health and Wellness
Healthy people are fundamental to building a successful society. Projects related to this stage will address barriers that stand between citizens and healthy lives. Solutions may include disease prevention, sanitation, nutrition and access to medical treatment. Projects related to MDG 1: End Poverty and Hunger, MDG 4: Child Health, MDG 5: Maternal Health and MDG 6: Combat Disease will apply to this stage.
Education and Economic Empowerment
Education and empowerment are the engines behind economies that lift citizens out of poverty. This step builds on the foundation of Health and Wellness to ensure the development of skills and opportunities related to economic growth, employment, gender equality and entrepreneurship. Projects related to MDG 2: Universal Education and MDG 3: Gender Equality will apply to this stage.
Sustainability
When addressing issues in the first two stages, we must take a long-term view of development. Avoiding environmental and economic crises that reverse progress requires a sustainable approach. Projects in stage three will prepare a community to maintain its successes by educating businesses and the public about their role in all types of sustainability, including environmental sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Projects related to MDG 7: Environmental Sustainability and MDG 8: Global Partnership for Development will apply to this stage.
Engaging Partners and Taking Action
In accordance with 2010 JCI Global Partnership Summit Resolution, JCI and its members are committed to developing partnerships with businesses, governments and civil society organizations. Throughout the planning and action phases of a project, approach and engage partners that have objectives similar to those of JCI. The JCI Active Citizen Framework provides a context for building these strategic alliances.
By following the steps outlined in the Framework, partners will gain a clear understanding of the benefits of partnership with JCI and how they might contribute to the many aspects of the initiative. Look at ways to increase impact by sharing resources, such as people, expertise, physical or web-based tools, information, training or financial resources. When leveraging the strength of partners and the action of JCI members, we can achieve more than by working independently.
Measuring and Evaluating Results
Throughout the project, JCI members must quantify the effects of their actions – how many people’s lives are improved? In what ways? To what extent? Compare data collected before the project to data collected after the project to measure how much positive change was created. Results will prove JCI’s value to partners and helps us earn recognition as an organization of citizens committed to positive change.
After completion, take time to reflect on how those results measure up to the goals established in the beginning. Evaluate your performance in creating a long-lasting impact. Report your project’s actions and results on the JCI website under My JCI. Using the database allows you to see the progression of your impact over time, and it allows JCI to include your projects when portraying our global impact. What you learn from this evaluation and reporting process will help you design future projects that exceed your goals and create a meaningful positive change.
Leading Positive Change
To become the leading global network of young active citizens, JCI must lead in thoughts, words, actions and results. We must turn our focus outward toward actions that are relevant to our communities. We must look to the future and create solutions for tomorrow. This will demonstrate that JCI is a solution provider that can bring results to every community. JCI has a unique opportunity to make great progress toward global development and the achievement of the MDGs. The JCI Active Citizen Framework provides the structure we need to act as one global team and create a global impact.
Member Resources
The Jaycees Passport to Leadership program is a tracking method to help members get the most value from their involvement. Those that are able to complete all 10 Degrees of the Passport to Leadership program will have mastered the Involvement, Experience, and Leadership phases.
Phase 1: INVOLVEMENT – The first three degrees provide newer Jaycees with opportunities to experience orientation, training, community awareness, and sharing Jaycees values.
Phase 2: EXPERIENCE – Degrees four, five, and six are designed to let Jaycees use their experiences from the first phase to develop skills in activation, action, and recruiting.
Phase 3: LEADERSHIP – The last four degrees use the participants’ training and leadership skills gained in the first two phases.
To learn more about this program, log in to your Jaycee Member account.