Jaycees Need 3 More Members to Keep Charter

The Northern Baltimore County Junior Chamber of Commerce, commonly known as the Jaycees, must recruit three more members by Dec. 31 or lose its national charter.

"We got three members at a recent recruitment event and need three more to maintain our charter status," said Sarah Galloway, the group's president.

The Jaycees, an organization supporting young professionals ages 21 to 40, was founded in 1959 as the Cockeysville-Timonium Jaycees. Its mission is to develop leaders through community service projects, including Adopt-A-Highway and professional development, such as networking events and public speaking training.

"We have engineers, nurses, social workers," Galloway said. "We have lawyers. We draw from all types of areas."

And those who are between jobs are also welcome to join.

"[The Jaycees are] for anyone who wants to better themselves," Galloway said. "We've had members who found job opportunities through our networking events and we teach them how to polish up a resume."

The group may also change its membership requirements to include those as young as 18, according to Galloway. This change could occur in early 2012.

Regular meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the . The Jaycees generally host speakers at these meetings, but the agenda is based on member interest.

The membership fee is $55 for the first year and $50 for each following year. Those interested in joining can email the Jaycees at nbcjuniorchamber@gmail.com or call Galloway directly at 410-236-5753.

"We also do a lot of social events together," she said. "A lot of strong bonds are formed here."