On March 19, I got a simple 3 word text message from Shannon in Florida:

“I got it.”

The “it” that she “got” was a Horiuchi Memorial Award for being an outstanding State Program Manager for the Iowa Jaycees.

PHOTO LOST

Contributed Photo AKA I wasn’t in Florida

Although admittedly Shannon wasn’t the only member of the Ames Jaycees to come back with some serious hardware.

In fact if a person was to get together with 3 or so of their buddies and put together a press release on what transpired at the United States Junior Chamber 2008 year-end convention, it would include stuff like this:

Ames Jaycees named No. 1 chapter in the nation

The Ames Junior Chamber (Jaycees) came home with several First Place awards from the United States Junior Chamber’s 2008 year-end convention in Crystal River, Florida, March 19-21.

The Ames Jaycees were recognized as the No. 1 chapter in the nation in the Parade of Chapters, a means of tracking points for chapter programming. The Ames Jaycees were also recognized as being No. 1 in its population division and No. 2 in the nation for the chapter’s Annual Report, a year-end report that summarizes all aspects of the chapter including Membership, Individual Development, Community Development, Business Development and International Development.

The Ames Jaycees were one of five Iowa chapters that received a prestigious Silver Chip, awarded to a chapter for four consecutive years of completing the Blue Chip Program, a program that recognizes membership growth and well-rounded programming.

“I’m so proud of the Ames Jaycees. In 2008, we ran a lot of great projects and had a positive impact on our community,” said 2008 chapter president Peggy Nitchals. “The chapter has had consistent dedication by so many members — that’s what made us No. 1 in nation in 2008.”

In addition to chapter awards, two Ames Jaycees were honored for their work on the Iowa Jaycees level.

Member Shannon Bardole received a Horiuchi Memorial Award for serving the Iowa Jaycees as an Outstanding State Program Manager. Member Joey Benson received a Trafton Memorial Award for serving the Iowa Jaycees as an Outstanding Appointed State Board Member.

The Iowa Jaycees had a great year on the national level. Eight of the top 10 chapters in the Parade of Chapters were from the Iowa Jaycees. The Iowa Jaycees were recognized as No. 1 in the nation in the Parade of States and were No. 1 in their population division for the state’s Annual Report. The Iowa Jaycees were also recognized as the top “Support Our Troops” fundraising state.

The Jaycees provide leadership development opportunities through business and service projects. These effective personal and professional skills allow members to excel within their communities. The mission of the Ames Jaycees is to attract and unite a group of young, active, civic-minded professionals who have a clear vision of Ames’s future as a great place to live, work and play. The chapter hosts events targeting a wide range of interests including leadership, career advancement, community involvement, professional and personal development, networking and volunteerism.

For more information about the Ames Junior Chamber visit www.amesjaycees.com.

Some things that weren’t included in the press release are:

• At the current rate of award accumulation, Shannon will run out of wall and ceiling space sometime in the spring of 2010.
• Shannon was the only award recipient that was cool enough to wear sunglasses on stage to accept her award.