Source: Choteau Acantha, Oct. 15, 2008The Choteau Jaycees Caring Tree project has begun for the 2008 holiday season. If you, or someone you know, is struggling this year and you would like them to be served through the Caring Tree, please submit name, physical address, age, gender and gift requests to the Jaycee co-chairs of theCaring Tree project.Jointly sharing duties this year are Jen Asselstine, Jo Lynn Miller and Jane Wolery. Gift requests are due by Nov. 11. Following the submissions on Nov. 11, the Jaycee Caring Tree Committee members review the names and needs to make sure that all members of a family or household are covered. The Jaycees then code the requests and complete gift tags to be placed on trees in both the Choteau Post Office and Citizen’s State Bank.The Jaycees, with abundant committee support, have tried to fill two needs and one want for members in our community who are struggling. The request tags are usually out by the Thanksgiving weekend. The Jaycees ask for all gifts to be returned with the tag attached by Dec. 12. The packages are then sorted into household groups, the codes removed and name tags placed on the gifts. It is imperative that if you take a tag, that you fill the request by Dec. 12. After gifts are sorted on that day, the Jaycees purchase gifts that have not arrived. This means that for every tag taken off the tree that is not returned with a gift by deadline, the Jaycees incur an expense in purchasing the gift to ensure inclusion of that request by delivery day. The Jaycees spend the last week before the Christmas holiday ensuring that all gift requests are met and typically deliver packages the week before Christmas. Gift requests have increased over the past several years. Wolery estimates that the Jaycees delivered 600 gifts to 200 individuals last holiday season. The Jaycees gratefully accept monetary donations to help offset expenses of purchasing unfilled gift requests. Monetary donations can be made by submitting a check payable to the Choteau Jaycees. Checks can be mailed in care of Jane Wolery, P.O. Box 1127, Choteau, MT 59422. Questions about the Caring Tree project can be directed to Asselstine at 406-466-3280 or Wolery at her home phone number 406-466-2923 and the Teton County Commissioners have also supported this project by allowing phone calls to Wolery at her work number 406-466-2491 and to Miller at her work 406-466-2562.
Source: Choteau Acantha, Nov. 5, 2008At the Choteau Jaycees’ meeting Oct. 9, the chapter agreed todonate $1,000 from the 3rd of July concert and Summer Festivalproceeds to the Choteau Lions Pool fund.The Jaycees appreciate all of the support they have received fromthe community during the 3rd of July concert featuring Tim Montanaand Cold Hard Cash and at the Choteau Summer Festival July 5. Theproceeds from these events are the primary funds donated to communityprojects every year, including the pool fund. Many Lions Clubmembers volunteered their time this year at the concert, essentiallyworking for donations. “We appreciate all of their hard work andeffort,” President-elect Josh Sonju said.During this meeting the Jaycees also held elections for new officersfor the next year. April Spaulding was elected secretary; Adyn Sonju,treasurer, Stewart Merja, vice president and Josh Sonju, president. Thenew officers will be sworn in in January.At the meeting the Jaycees invited potential community members,ages 18 to 40 to join. Since that meeting the Jaycees have enrolled sixnew members: Dr. Kurt Johnson owner of Foot Hills VeterinaryService, LLC, Cameron and Rachael Newmiller, Tracy Bieler andMark and Carolyn Major. Cameron works at the Choteau Post Officeand his wife is the junior high science teacher in Choteau. Bieler worksfor the U.S. Forest Service. Mark Major is a Teton County Extensionagent and his wife, Carolyn, is a homemaker.The Jaycees are still looking for more members. For membershipinformation, contact Stewart Merja at 406-466-3812 or visitwww.choteaujaycees.com.
Source: Choteau Acantha, Oct. 1, 2008The Choteau Jaycees chapter is actively recruiting members to help this individual and community development program remain viable and active.The chapter has scheduled an open meeting for current members and anyone interested in joining for 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the Alice Gleason Room of the Choteau Public Library.“The Jaycees is a hard-working organization that gives a ton back to the community through events like the 3rd of July concert and the Caring Tree,” says Stewart Merja, an employee of Citizens State Bank, who is the current membership development vicepresident. “But it’s not all work. We also plan fun, social events for members and their families.”The Choteau Jaycees are a local chapter of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. Statewide, the Montana Jaycees have 12 active chapters in Bozeman, Central Montana (Lewistown), Choteau, Dillon, Glendive, Havre, Helena, Kalispell, Laurel, Livingston, Missoula and Sidney.Currently, the Choteau Jaycees have 22 active members between the ages of 18 and 40. Under state Jaycee bylaws, chapters must have at least 20 members between 18and 40 years of age to remain chartered. State Jaycee guidelines suggest that a community the size of Choteau, with a population of about 1,700 people, should have a chapter with at least 35 active members.The chapter’s 2008 president, Julie Barcus, moved away last summer, and Treasurer Adyn Sonju has been volunteering as an acting president. The chapter will elect officers for the 2009 year at its first meeting in November. Jaycee chapter activities for 2009 will also be planned in December as a schedule of events and a budget for the club are drafted. “This is a great time to get involved in planning our programming for the coming year,” Sonju said. “We are down in numbers right now, but there’s no reason why we can’t have another successful year as long as we get afew new folks to join.” Many former Jaycees are encouraging Choteau’s “younger generation” to get involved with community service through the Jaycees.Jeff and Melody Martinsen, owners of the Choteau Acantha since July 1990, are former Jaycees who were in the club for 16 years. Melody says, “We wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. We made lifelong friends; we had outrageous fun at events like Octoberfest, men’s and women’s camp outs, and progressive dinners. When our son was born too soon, nearly every Jaycee called us, and we were surrounded by friends who saw us through one of the most trying experiences in our lives.“We learned how to hold offices, set budgets, chair events, run meetings, speak in public and many other great skills that have benefited us in our personal and professional lives. Best of all, we had a great time working with a super bunch of people to make our community an even better place.” Their experience in Jaycees helped both Martinsens later in life as they each served terms as the president of the Montana Newspaper Association. Choteau Mayor Jay Dunckel is a former Jaycee and longtime school board Chairman Ross Salmond learned leadership skillsin the Jaycees.Up and down main street and in many local businesses are former Jaycees: Stan Rasmussen of R&R Real Estate, ranchers Marlin and Betsy Styren, Jim Lightner of Lightner’s Autobody, Bouma Truck Sales office manager Diane Gollehon, civil engineer Al Kostelnik with Kennedy Jenks, vo-ag teacher Milford Wearley, CPA Kenneth F. McArthur, rodeo announcer Will Rasmussen, and many others.The current Jaycees are: Jenny and Justin Lee, Josh and Adyn Sonju, Dr. Brian and Christina McCollom, Jennifer and Jason Asselstine, Paula and Eric Gunderson, Robert and Cori Mc- Kay, Stewart and Leanne Merja, Andrew and Annie Bardwell, Jo Lynn and Chad Miller, Jane Wolery, April Spaulding, Dr. Kurt Johnson and Gabe Furshong.Here are just of few of the possible state or national Jaycee projects that the Choteau Jaycees could offer here (or currently do offer here):•Shooting Education: For more than 40 years the Jaycees have helped keep America’s young people safe through the Shooting Education program. Participants in the Shooting Education program learn self-discipline, focus, teamwork, and sportsmanship while they master marksmanship skills with BB guns. Teams that are formed can compete against other teams from around the state at a state match. The top three teams at a state match earn the opportunity to compete at the world’s largest BB Gun competition, the International BB Gun Championship Match.•NFL Punt, Pass and Kick: This is a nationwide program for boys and girls ages 8-15. The program is a competition in which participants punt, pass and kick a football for distance and accuracy. All local age-group winners advance to a sectional competition in the north, south, east and west parts of the state. The NFL sends materials directly to the chapter. Local programs that the Choteau Jaycees offer to the community include:•Flag Service: The Choteau Jaycees sell holiday flag service to Choteau businesses and individuals. The service year runs from May to April, and the cost of the service is $25, payable to the Choteau Jaycees upon sign-up. For that $25, the Choteau Jaycees place a flag outside the business early in the morning on 11 major holidays. The flags are collected after 5 p.m. on the day of the holiday. The Jaycees also agree to maintain the flag bracket, repairing or replacing it if that becomes necessary. This is also one of our major fund-raisers and helps us defray the cost of offering such programs for children and those in need.•Spring and fall political candidate forums, sponsored in cooperation with the Choteau Acantha to provide voter information on local candidates and ballot issues.•Summer Festival: This is a one day art and craft show and sale held in the Choteau City Park in July. The Jaycees provide tables and supervise setup and take-down and sell concessions.•3rd of July Concert: The Jaycees vote each year on whether to sponsor an outdoor Nashville recording artist concert at the Choteau Rodeo Grounds on July 3rd. The concept is to bring a headline act to town to draw additional people to the community, benefitting downtown businesses and adding to the festivities of Choteau’s Independence Day celebration.•High School Scholarship: The Choteau Jaycees award a high school senior a $300 scholarship every spring. The scholarship is given on criteria including financial need, academic performance and civic involvement.•Fireworks Fun Night Silent Auction: The Choteau Jaycees organize the silent auction, which is one facet of the annual community fund raiser for the July 4th fireworks show, which is funded entirely through donations and costs about $7,500 a year. The silent auction provides donated items from Choteau businesses. Jaycees contact the businesses, collect the items, provide the bid sheets and supervise the collection of the revenue on the night of the auction.•Adopt-a-Highway: The Jaycees participate in this Montana Department of Transportation program, cleaning a one-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 287 south of Choteau three times a year. The MDOT provides garbage sacks and reflective vests. Often the club follows the summer clean up with a pizza or pool party or a combination.•Caring Tree: The annual Caring Tree gift drive is designed to help families who are on small or fixed incomes obtain gifts for their children and to provide gifts forthe elderly who are also in need. In past years, generous area residents have donated more than 300 gifts, which were distributed to abou 150 families. The chapter asks the community to nominate individuals in need, then sets up Christmas trees in the Post Office and Citizens State Bank. Anonymous gift tags are put on the trees; citizens take the tags, purchase the gifts, and return them to the Jaycees for disbursement.•Food Drive: The Jaycees hold the food drive in conjunction with the free Christmas matinee at Roxy Theatre in December. Children are admitted free to the movie with the donation of a food item or items for the Teton County Food Pantry. The Jaycees enter the children’s names for prize drawings. Some events that the Jaycees used to do, but have not in recent years include: a wintertime cribbage tournament designed to bring folks into town during slower cold months; a new officer installation banquet; a baby-sitting clinic in cooperation with the Teton County Extension Office; a family camp out for Jaycee members at one of the improved camp sites along the Rocky Mountain Front; a family bowling night; a “moonlight” golf tournament; and a Halloween party
