The Antelope Valley Junior Chamber or Jaycees is an organization of young men and women (ages 18-40) with a diverse and broad based membership of young leaders that generally live or work in the Antelope Valley area. Our purpose is to provide Community Service, Business Networking Leadership Training and Individual Development resources to Antelope Valley in cooperation with the area's local governments and the business community.

As a member of the United States Junior Chamber and the Junior Chamber International, the Antelope Valley Junior Chamber is proud to be leading the way as a cutting edge chapter in this great organization. Some well-known past member of Junior Chamber International include U.S. Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Clinton as well as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Bob Hawke (former Prime Minister of Australia), Jacques Chirac (former President of France), Ted Turner (founder of CNN), Poul Schluter (former Prime Minister of Denmark) and Chen Shui-bian (10th president of Taiwan).

As one of the newest chapters in California, the Antelope Valley Jaycees has already established several annual Community Service projects, providing donations and many hours of "manpower" to a host of important charitable causes such as fighting cancer, helping needy families and offering career advice to local youth. As a top priority for our chapter, the Antelope Valley Jaycees supports several local organizations including the American Cancer Society, United Way and Penny Lane Centers.

Business Networking and Leadership Training opportunities are also key components of our organization. Over the past year we hosted mixers with business and community leaders such as Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, Palmdale Mayor James C. Ledford and State Assemblyman Steve Knight, to discuss our organization and the vital role we might play in shaping the future of the Antelope Valley.

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the Antelope Valley Jaycees emphasize the importance of Individual Development. Our wide range of individual development projects help to enhance the cultural and professional knowledge base of our members and build skills in areas such as teamwork and communication. Regular Individual Development events include our annual retreat in Big Bear and museum field trips.

For more information about the Antelope Valley Jaycees, we encourage you to attend an upcoming meeting. Our monthly General Membership Meeting takes place on the third Wednesday of the month at Camille's Sidewalk Cafe in Palmdale (450 West Palmdale Blvd.) starting at 6:30 p.m. Also, join our e-mail list and receive our weekly blast and learn about upcoming events, so even if you can't always make the meetings or projects, you will always know what is going on. If you like what you see and hear, you too can become a member for an annual membership fee of only $75. I encourage you to take the first step and check us out because I am confident that you will find this organization to be everything you are looking for as a young leader.